Fixed start method for repetitive project scheduling with simulated annealing

This research deals with the high project completion variability by presenting a new method to decrease such variability in repetitive construction projects. To achieve this, a Fixed Start Method (FSM) -where the starts of each activity with a high level of probabilistic confidence for the planned project duration are fixed- was applied, where the high level of probabilistic confidence obtained was optimized with the use of the metaheuristic algorithm called Simulated Annealing (SA). This procedure evaluated the project completion in a case study based on the coefficient of variance (COV) of the resulting standard deviation, mean, and temperature selected for the SA. Thus, the combined FSM and SA (FSSA) is a new method that decreases the variability of scheduling duration while achieving project completion times. Finally, the proposed FSSA method for construction scheduling was validated in a case study using Discrete Event Simulation.