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A Fuzzy Multi-objective Mathematical Programming Model for Project Management Decisions Considering Quality and Contractual Reward and Penalty Costs in a Project Network

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Abstract

Project management is a process that schemes and controls the project life cycle via the easiest and the best way to achieve project goals. Project managers always aim to simultaneously handle conflicting goals in the organization. In this paper, a new mathematical model is proposed that simultaneously minimizes total cost and completion time and maximizes the quality in the project management decision problem. Contractual penalty cost and contractual reward cost with a new method are the other consideration in the proposed model. In the projects, the relation between time and direct cost is a nonlinear function. Hence, a linearization technique is presented with attention to variable change and piecewise linearization, in which nonlinear function is converted to the linear programming model. On the other hand, in real conditions according to uncertainty in environmental situations and incomplete information, there can be ambiguity in parameters and variables of the problem. The uncertainty of the parameters and variables is expressed with fuzzy sets theory and fuzzy mathematical programming. The other aim of this paper is to introduce a modified version of fully fuzzy multi-objective linear programming for the problem. For analyzing a fully fuzzy time–cost–quality project management model, a practical example of the literature is provided. By examining the results of the model with conflicting objectives, two scenarios are presented to explore the interactions of conflicting objectives on the project, and the results are reported.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their appreciation to the editor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable recommendations on this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Engineering, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

    S. M. Hashemi, S. M. Mousavi & A. Patoghi

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  1. S. M. Hashemi
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  2. S. M. Mousavi
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  3. A. Patoghi
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Correspondence to S. M. Mousavi.

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Hashemi, S.M., Mousavi, S.M. & Patoghi, A. A Fuzzy Multi-objective Mathematical Programming Model for Project Management Decisions Considering Quality and Contractual Reward and Penalty Costs in a Project Network. Arab J Sci Eng 46, 1617–1629 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-020-04800-3

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