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Application of heuristics for calculation of lower bounds of redundant functions, to solve resource constrained project scheduling problem, is described.

Application of critical chain concept, to measure criticality index and cruciality index during project scheduling in stochastic networks, is described.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2005.11.004 Byline: Francoise Darses (a), Marion Wolff (b) Keywords: User-centred design; Project management; Cooperative design Abstract: This paper reports on an ergonomic study carried out during the design of a cutting machine-tool for the composite material in carbody parts casting. During this design process, the users' needs were inferred by the designers on the basis of their own mental representations of the use of the new device. These representations of the users' needs, correct or false, play a decisive role in the choice of a solution. The aim of the study is to identify their particularity. Analyzing the design meetings, we have highlighted that users are considered either as subsystems or basic design principles or elements of an imagined scenario. We have shown that these representations are linked to the types of meetings held during the design process. Accordingly, a diversification of the types of meetings should be promoted by the project leader, so that designers extend their points of view of the operators. Author Affiliation: (a) Laboratoire d'Ergonomie, CNAM (Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers), 41 rue Gay Lussac, 75005 Paris, France (b) Laboratoire d'Ergonomie Informatique, Universite Paris 5, Paris, France Article History: Received 14 April 2004; Accepted 3 November 2005

A framework for assessing the risk associated with the new ex ante software project introduced into an organization. The framework emphasizes on the importance of absorptive capacity examination in risk analysis of software projects.

A study is conducted to examine the merits of using fuzzy cognitive mapping in information system evaluation techniques.

A study is conducted on various United Kingdom firms to develop an evaluation framework for Web Services. The study also analyzes the impact of emergent context on the Web evaluation processes.

A project evaluation model that examine both escalation and de-escalation conditions of information systems projects is proposed.

A content, context, process (CCP) evaluation framework for analyzing the performance of information systems is presented. The proposed method also analyzes the impact of information systems usage on firm performance.

The performance of work-based policies and time-based policies, which are used to determine the optimal point for software maintenance, is evaluated.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2006.03.011 Byline: Boris Asrilhant Keywords: Strategic project management; Techniques; Upstream oil and gas sector Abstract: This article reports on the use of techniques in strategic project management from a survey of the UK oil and gas sector. The article then proposes portfolios of techniques to support successful strategic project management. The portfolios are developed out of previously reported research into the process of strategic project management which uncovered a set of elements that explain successful project management. Author Affiliation: Petrobras S.A., Rio de Janeiro

The techniques used for strategic project management in United Kingdom's oil and gas industry are analyzed.

The process of implementing scatter search and electromagnetism meta-heuristic in project scheduling operations is discussed.

A review on basic methods for project scheduling under uncertainty conditions is presented. Potential uses of various methods are also discussed. The various methods analyzed are, reactive scheduling (revises schedule based on unexpected event), stochastic scheduling (schedules activities with uncertain durations), fuzzy scheduling (uses fuzzy numbers for modeling activities), proactive scheduling (mostly machine schedules), and sensitivity analysis.

The reactions of litigation audiences in using system dynamics models to support claims in large and complex projects are analyzed. The claims regarding compensation for time and cost overruns and the audience may involve different parties in litigation.

The concept of consolidation of activities as a vehicle for project planning is introduced. Consolidation eliminates inter-activity delays due to material and information flows, but reduces the amount of parallel graphical processing possible in the graph (consolidated activities are performed sequentially). Both tabu and heuristics are effective to solve the problem, but further research could improve processing efficiency and solution accuracy.

Majority of project scheduling efforts assume complete information about the scheduling problem to be solved and a static deterministic environment within which the pre-computed baseline schedule would be executed. However, in reality, project activities are subject to considerable uncertainty, which generally leads to numerous schedule disruptions.

The degree of collaboration between the client and the project manager plays an important role in determining the success of a project. Project owners usually come in the way of project managers and clients, thereby limiting their interaction. The results of an international study into the communication needs on projects are presented.

An attempt is made to increase the manager's knowledge in decision making in strategic project management (SPM) as applied to the upstream oil and gas sector by identifying the important elements of the SPM process. The process is placed in a balanced scorecard performance framework relating them to techniques for managing SPM.

Resource-constrained project scheduling problem with general temporal constraints and various types of nonregular objective functions is presented. This is concerned with project scheduling where scarce resources are taken onto account and some nonregular objective is to be minimized.

The efficient methods for solving the resource constrained project scheduling problem are proposed. This method is based on makespan lower bounds, which linearly depend on the processing times of the activities.

Usage of set theory for graph decomposition of temporal characteristics during project management as part of operations analysis is described.

Exact procedure for general resource-constrained project scheduling problem, where multiple modes are available for the performance of individual activities, with minimum and maximum time lags between different activities, is given.

Description of a decision support system for simultaneous multicriterial selection of information systems projects is provided.

Criticality is analyzed in a network with interval activities duration times, providing a natural generalization of the criticality notion.

The management of research and development (R&D) has gone through a four-phase evolution. In the first phase, from its beginnings in the mid-19th century to the 1950s, R&D was largely based on serendipity and was isolated from other firm activities. In the second phase, in the 1950s and 1960s, the basic routines of project management were adopted. In the third phase, in the 1970s and 1980s, R&D became nonlinear as business development groups appeared within firms. In the final phase, in the 1980s and 1990s, technological alliances increased the nonlinear flows from outside the firm.

A branch and bound procedure is developed for the resource constrained scheduling problem with generalized precedence relations and evaluation results show the procedure to be effective in reducing search time and nodes in the search tree. The approach is also generalizable and applicable to a general class of scheduling problems and allows for varying resource requirements and availabilities, mandatory activity overlaps and multiple projects.

The tabu search methods is proven to be effective in determining stochastic and deterministic solutions to the resource constrained randomized activity duration project scheduling problem. The approach employs tabu lists, randomized short-term memory and multiple starting schedules and was tested on three aircraft maintenance projects. The approach is a valuable tool in improving project schedules and may be applied to other problems of the same nature.

A method for the integration of uncertain information and usage of small information was developed to reduce the lead time of product development. The methodology allows the employees of a certain enterprise to provide and use partial or uncertain information during the early stages of product and process development. Furthermore, the fuzzy query techniques were utilized to develop a more flexible and user-friendly access to uncertain information.

A cost-cutting solution to the problem of distributing a set of activities among a group of competing firms is proposed. These activities have precedence constraints that take the form of an assembly tree. Each bidding firm sets a production cost, an activity duration and a maintenance cost for the continuance of the activity beyond its time of completion. When activity durations are independent of firms, the problem is reduced to a spacial case of project scheduling. A mathematical programming model is designed for the general problem and an O(n log n) algorithm is derived for the special case.

A project evaluation and review technique that provides for project manager risk taking behavior in stochastic environments is evaluated. The network-based decision support technique provides an estimate of project completion time through the use of disutility functions for path selection resulting in an optimal solution. The network is capable of providing only a limited set of exact solutions but an extension for handling multi-dimentional networks is also provided.

The US space program's projects are routinely plagued by cost overruns, unmet schedules and a scaling down of their capabilities. The promised performance of these projects are then not realized. A restructuring of the space program, NASA and the US government's space policy is inevitable due to the unsustainability of the present policy of striving towards manned exploration of the solar system led by the US. Such a restructuring would also solve the problems presented above.

The Netherlands consultancy firmDelft Hydraulics has been developing a method for quantifying uncertainty as a subjective probability in project management. The method combines calibration and entropy to evaluate and apply expert opinion in determining the logistics of project management. Analysis of the method reveals significant differences between old and young project leaders and the ability of project leaders to plan better for small and large projects rather than medium projects.

The contribution of operational research to project management in understanding and developing corporations, is considered.