Combining MILP with Memetic Algorithm for Scheduling and Staffing Construction Project with a Multi-skilled Workforce

Project scheduling and staffing (PSS) with constrained resources, particularly skilled labors, are major challenges for almost all construction projects, and these two problems are usually solved respectively. In this paper, we use a structural approach to solve the problem of simultaneously scheduling projects and assigning multi-skilled workforces with resource-specific efficiencies to the project work. A mixed-integer linear program (MILP) model is introduced to describe the PSS problem, and a memetic algorithm (MA) was presented to solve it. A case study is presented to show the advantages of the proposed approach. The results showed that the proposed approach can greatly reduce the makespan of the project. The proposed approach can be used as a better resource management tool for scheduling and staffing project with a multi-skill workforce within the construction industry.