Minimum Moment Method for Resource Leveling Using Entropy Maximization
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 136, Issue 5
Abstract
The minimum moment method for resource leveling is revisited and restated as an entropy-maximization problem. The minimum moment method assumes that the moment of the daily resource demands about the horizontal axis of a project’s resource histogram is a good measure of the resource utilization and that the optimal resource allocation exists when the total moment is at a minimum, thus when the resource histogram is of rectangular shape. The entropy-maximization method proposed in this paper makes use of the general theory of entropy and two of its principal properties (subadditivity and maximality) to revisit the minimum moment method for resource leveling. The entropy-maximization method presented allows for activity stretching and provides resource allocation solutions that show improvement over previous approaches. A case study is also presented that validates the results.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 136 • Issue 5 • May 2010
Pages: 518 - 527
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 1, 2008
Accepted: Sep 8, 2009
Published online: Sep 11, 2009
Published in print: May 2010
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