Decomposition method for project scheduling with spatial resources

Project scheduling problems are in practice often restricted by a limited availability of spatial resources. In this paper we develop a decomposition method for the Time-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (TCPSP) with Spatial Resources. Spatial resources are resources that are not required by single activities, but by activity groups. As soon as an activity of such a group starts, the spatial resource units are occupied, and they are not released before all activities of that group are completed. On top of that, the spatial resource units that are assigned to a group have to be adjacent. The developed decomposition method separates the spatial resource assignment from the rest of the scheduling problem. Test results demonstrate the applicability of the decomposition method. The presented decomposition forms a first promising approach for the TCPSP with spatial resources and may form a good basis to develop more elaborate methods.