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Article
Publication date: 16 May 2016

Emad Elbeltagi, Mohammed Ammar, Haytham Sanad and Moustafa Kassab

Developing an optimized project schedule that considers all decision criteria represents a challenge for project managers. The purpose of this paper is to provide a…

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Abstract

Purpose

Developing an optimized project schedule that considers all decision criteria represents a challenge for project managers. The purpose of this paper is to provide a multi-objectives overall optimization model for project scheduling considering time, cost, resources, and cash flow. This development aims to overcome the limitations of optimizing each objective at once resulting of non-overall optimized schedule.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a multi-objectives overall optimization model for project scheduling is developed using particle swarm optimization with a new evolutionary strategy based on the compromise solution of the Pareto-front. This model optimizes the most important decisions that affect a given project including: time, cost, resources, and cash flow. The study assumes each activity has different execution methods accompanied by different time, cost, cost distribution pattern, and multiple resource utilization schemes.

Findings

Applying the developed model to schedule a real-life case study project proves that the proposed model is valid in modeling real-life construction projects and gives important results for schedulers and project managers. The proposed model is expected to help construction managers and decision makers in successfully completing the project on time and reduced budget by utilizing the available information and resources.

Originality/value

The paper presented a novel model that has four main characteristics: it produces an optimized schedule considering time, cost, resources, and cash flow simultaneously; it incorporates a powerful particle swarm optimization technique to search for the optimum schedule; it applies multi-objectives optimization rather than single-objective and it uses a unique Pareto-compromise solution to drive the fitness calculations of the evolutionary process.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 24 November 2010

Hassan Saad Sanad, Ayman Mounier Kassem and Noel Scott

There has been much controversy, if not dispute, especially among non-Muslims over the attitude of Islam to tourism. One may claim that this debate is mainly due to non-Muslims'…

Abstract

There has been much controversy, if not dispute, especially among non-Muslims over the attitude of Islam to tourism. One may claim that this debate is mainly due to non-Muslims' misunderstanding of the true nature of the religion and its Shari'a or Islamic law. This chapter attempts to show in some detail tourism from the perspective of the Islamic creed and to demonstrate that the religion does encourage tourism and regards it as legal. To do this the chapter reviews a number of sources including the holy Qur'an.

Details

Tourism in the Muslim World
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-920-6

Keywords

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