A Constraint-based Job-Shop Scheduling Model for Software Development Planning

Abstract

This paper proposes a constraint-based model for the Job Shop Scheduling Problem to be solved using local search techniques. The model can be used to represent a multiple software process planning problem when the different (activities of) projects compete for limited sta®. The main aspects of the model are: the use of integer variables which represent the relative order of the operations to be scheduled, and two global constraints, all different and increasing, for ensuring feasibility. An interesting property of the model is that cycle detection in the sched- ules is implicit in the satisfaction of the constraints. In order to test the proposed model, a parameterized local search algorithm has been used, with a neighborhood similar to the Nowicki and Smutnicki one, which has been adapted in order to be suitable for the proposed model.