A VNS-GA-based hybrid metaheuristics for resource constrained project scheduling problem

This paper presents hybrid metaheuristics for resource constrained project scheduling problem to minimise makespan. The hybrid metaheuristics is combination of variable neighbourhood search (VNS) and genetic algorithm (GA). Variable neighbourhood search, a local search metaheuristics strengthens the exploration process of GA. The chromosome of the population pool, generated using priority rule-based heuristics and GA operators, are processed using VNS. The schedules from GA and VNS together form the next generation population pool. Thus the hybrid mechanism provides a combination of exploration and exploitation process to achieve the desired objective. The solution scheme is tested using Kolisch library J30 and J60 datasets for multiple resource types and results are compared with the best available solutions. The computational experimentation presents the performance of the proposed hybrid metaheuristics.