The Effect of Elitism in Solving Resource Leveling Problem in Construction Projects

Abstract

Productive utilization of the resources is important for the successful completion of construction project. Resource leveling problem (RLP) represents the variation in the resource requirement, and it leads to unproductive utilization of resources and increased indirect cost. Resource leveling problem belongs to non-polynomial combinatorial nature; consequently, several researchers proposed non-mathematical problem solving approaches to solve RLP. In several instances, genetic algorithm optimization approach is used to solve RLP. Even though, several problem solving approaches are proposed to solve RLP—determination of optimal solution is still a challenging task. This study determines the optimal solution in solving RLP with elitism process. Elitism is a process in the genetic algorithm that retains elite genes in the upcoming generations. Example problem and a case study project were considered to evaluate the proposed study. The results obtained, showcase the effectiveness of the proposed idea to determine the optimal solution.KeywordsResource leveling problemGenetic algorithmElitismProject managementOptimization