Scheduling approach for concurrent product development processes

A heuristic scheduling approach is proposed for the concurrent product development processes, in which some crucial parameters are determined using the genetic algorithm (GA). Scheduling concurrent activities is of great significance to shorten development lead-time and minimize costs, since it can eliminate unnecessary redesign periods and guarantee that serial activities can be executed as concurrently as possible. To ensure the optimal concurrent scheduling and the effective utilization of resources along with efficient delivery of information, some key factors such as time order, information, resources, lead-time and overlapping time of activities, which enable concurrent activities to be executed successfully, are taken into account. Their weighting factors are fixed by the GA. In addition, the scheduling module includes role allocation and feedback revision. A simulation example, which is part of an aircraft product development process, shows the feasibility of the algorithm. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.