CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER WORK

Transcription

1 CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER WORK P.R Sreemahadevan Pillai A comprehensive study of project scheduling techniques and the introduction of new techniques Thesis. Department of Civil Engineering, Regional Engineering College Calicut, University of Calicut, 2002

2 CHAPTER 17 CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER WORK

3 17.1 Summaty of the thesis This thesis has analyzed in depth most of the project scheduling techniques. Some of these techniques are in vogue and others have not yet gained the attention of planners and schedulers. Methods like CPM and PERT have become very popular because of their easy maneuverability and software like Primavera and Microsop project have gained popularity because of their adaptability to personal computers and user interactive nature. Much of the other techniques are not coming forward to replace these methods in the field, though they have gained acceptance in the academic circles. Methods like artificial neural tletwork applications and genetic algorithm applications to project scheduling techniques are still in the offing. While analyzing the 15 mcthods presented in this thcsis, thc popularly available methods have been treated in such a way that their complexities and deficiencies are brought forward much, since their advantages are known to most of the common users. In i the case of not-that-familiar techniques, the very fundamentals also have been brought out to enable it to be digested easier. Methods like DCPM, MCS, LOB, GERT and VERT are very powerfd and versatile, still they have not gained much acceptance because of the demand for a high level user. in the case of popular methods, no rnuch examples have bcen worked out bccausc it is nlrcatiy tivilili~lilc it1 t~ii~rlv ~cst books, wl~crccls in tllc casc of new methods effort has been takeit to introduce either the working logic or to work out an example itself. Since a GA scheduler was not available with the author, a typical

4 example for the GA application could not be worked out, rather excerpts from a simple model have been provided. The software packages I'rimavera and Microscff project have been analyzed in much detail because of the reasons that a comparative study on these packages are not available to the knowledge of the author and moreover these packages are very popular with the planners abroad, though in India their utility is limited. Since artificial neural network and genetic algorithm applications are new subjects to the author, the scope of their application could be brought out only in a limited form. The hzzy set theory and fuzzy expert system applications have been extensively used in many other civil engineering applications though their use in project scheduling is yet a new subject of study. The number of research papers available in this field are also very less. The major contributions of the author in this thesis are the following 1. A comprehensive analysis of the existing methods of project scheduling like Gantt chart, CPh4, PERT, DCPM, MCS, LOB, Petri nets, GERT and VERT, bringing out their strength, weakness, versatility, theoretical formulations, missing links, possible areas of application etc. 2. An insight into the new techniques of project scheduling like hzzy set theory, hzzy expert systems, artificial neural networks and genetic

5 algorithms with their fbndarnental formulations and scope for their fbrther applications. 3. A comprehensive study and comparison of the most recent and popular software used in project scheduling with their competitive advantages. 4. Introduction of a new method of project scheduling chart, which combines the advantage of most of the existing charts. 5. Comprehensive and up-to-date information on project scheduling techniques developed so far Suggestions for further work Following fbrther works are suggested Development of software for the application of the following in project scheduling (software for the application of the first four in some other fields are already available) 6) FUZZY set (i i) Fuzzy expert sysiem (iii) (iv) Artificial neural networks Genetic algorithms

6 (V) Time-step chart Up gradation of the existing software for inclusion of techniques tike GERT, VERT etc. Publication of a book containing all the scheduling methods analyzed here. (Already begun by the author)