Optimum or near-optimum solution of resource leveling problems with spreadsheet application

Due to the nature of the construction sector, each project is unique because of its conditions and constraints. This situation necessitates the implementation of project-specific solutions and unique planning for each construction project. Construction management and planning practices specific to each project is performed when the complex interactions of the sector is interacted with the aforementioned requirements. Planning is the orientation process which defines the targets to be achieved and forms the constraints and uncertainties of these objectives. Planning is necessary to manage projects correctly. One of the tools of project management is resource leveling. The reduction of the fluctuations in the resource distribution charts to minimum without delay in the completion of the construction project is called resource leveling problem (RLP). The purpose of the resource leveling process is to minimize the amount of fluctuations of daily resource distribution and idle resources without exceeding the initial project completion time. By using an effective resource allocation, fluctuations can be reduced and adverse consequences of uneven resource distribution can be prevented. Throughout the construction the aim of the contractor is to prepare the most effective schedule as much as possible and maximize the efficiency of the use of existing resources. Assurance of the effective allocation of the resources is time-consuming unless computer software is used. In fact obtaining the optimum construction schedule may not be possible in some cases. In this study, a spreadsheet application (SA) has been developed which can provide optimum or near-optimum construction schedule by searching the whole problem domain for small and medium sized projects. This application was created with the VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) programming language on Office software. Macro command and function sequences have been created into VB module to reach the optimum solutions of the 28 different hypothetical projects and 1 two floor real construction project. The generated macro performed the search domain calculation of the projects which have previously been determined manually. Moreover, search domain computations are validated by the generated macro. Fluctuations of the resources are assessed by Minimum Moment (MM) metric and determine the postponing values to be taken by the RLP to the optimum result and the calculation periods used to solve these projects. In this study, an application which can solve small and medium scale RLP in reasonable time is developed. It is possible for all contractors to implement the proposed algorithm which searches the whole search domain instead of implementing optimization algorithms that are very difficult for small and medium-sized contractors utilize. In this way it will be possible for all contractors to utilize the resources at the highest efficiency at all stages of construction and to reduce construction costs significantly.