Fuzzy mathematical models for maximizing satisfaction of contractors and clients by considering flexible start date of the project

Abstract

Resource-Constrained Multi-Project Scheduling Problem (RCMPSP) is considered a significant topic in project management studies and many types of research have been carried out in this eld in which numerous approaches have been proposed so far. However, in most of these approaches, the viewpoints of clients and contractors, i.e., two important stakeholders of the project, are not directly considered. The current research attempts to introduce a new approach, namely RCMPSP, to schedule the project portfolio and allocate the budget as a limited resource simultaneously. In doing so, first, clients and contractors' budget satisfaction is de ned. Then, a number of budget allocation models have been proposed to maximize the satisfaction of clients and contractors. These models consider such constraints as minimum cost required for each project, maximum budget for each period, and flexibility of the start date of each project. To illustrate the viability of the proposed models, a real case of the project portfolio is considered.