Integrated projects planning in IS departments: A multi-period multi-project selection and assignment approach with a computerized implementation

• Published in: European journal of operational research Vol. 229; no. 3; pp. 683 - 694
• Main Authors: Chen, Chung-Yang, Liu, Heng-An, Song, Je-Yi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 16.09.2013; Elsevier; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Subjects: Assignment problem; Departments; Information system (IS) development projects; Information systems; Mixed integer programming; Multi-project multi-period; Production planning; Project management; Projects selection and assignment; Studies; Multi-project multi-period; Mixed integer programming; Information system (IS) development projects; Projects selection and assignment; Project management
• ISSN: 0377-2217; 1872-6860
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2013.02.057

•The paper is an inter-disciplinary research of applying OR in projects management.•Address a sustainability issue of handling continuous IS project demands in contemporary IT departments.•Features mixed-integer-programming model to optimize the selection and assignment of projects on a multi-period, multi-project basis.•It innovatively considers the losses due to unselecting or delaying projects in each time of selection and assignment.•It implements a computerized solution that automatically enables the sustainability of continuous and cumulative selections and assignments. This paper highlights the subject of integrated projects planning (IPP) in contemporary IS departments, and presents a multi-period, multi-project selection and assignment approach (MPPA) to assist the departments in handling continuous project-based IS requests. The MPPA features a model to optimize the selection and assignment of IS projects. In the scope of multi-project, multi-period planning, the model innovatively considers the losses due to (1) the accumulated postponement of a previously unselected IS request and (2) the expected delay of ongoing projects when inserting a new project request. The MPPA also features an event-based decisional process for cumulative selection and assignment on a multi-period basis. Due to the complex and contextual nature of data in this paper, a computerized system is implemented for aiding the execution of the model and the process. The paper reports on an industrial case for a demonstration of the proposed work. Finally the paper compares the MPPA with related work to summarize the value and role it may play in the IPP context.