The book is devoted to structural issues, algorithms, and applications of resource allocation problems in project management. Special emphasis is given to a unifying framework within which a large variety of project scheduling problems can be treated. Those problems involve general temporal constraints among project activities, different types of scarce resources, and a broad class of regular and nonregular objective functions ranging from time-based and financial to resource levelling functions. The diversity of the models proposed allows for covering many features arising in scheduling applications beyond the field of project management such as short-term production planning in the manufacturing or process industries.

This volume features the proceedings of the 14th ISPE Conference on Concurrent Engineering, held in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil, on the 16th – 20th of July 2007. It highlights the application of concurrent engineering to the development of complex systems.

Industrial, financial, commercial or any kinds of project have at least one common feature: the better organized they are, the higher the profit or the lower the cost. Project management is the principle of planning different projects and keeping them on track within time, cost and resource constraints. The need for effective project management is ever-increasing. The complexity of the environment we live in requires more sophisticated methods than it did just a couple of decades ago. Project managers might face insurmountable obstacles in their work if they do not adapt themselves to the changing circumstances. On the other hand, better knowledge of project management can result in better plans, schedules and, last but not least, more contracts and more profit. This knowledge can help individuals and firms to stay alive in this competitive market and, in the global sense, utilize the finite resources of our planet in a more efficient way.

Modern project management is increasingly important, as it is very well suited for fulfilling today’s demands on companies, especially regarding the efficient cooperation of individuals, as well as the development of a goal- and solution-oriented approach.A project can be understood as a temporary company, since all essential enterprise management functions must be performed in projects as well. The project management approach applied in the present book is a holistic management concept. In addition to project planning and control, it also covers the topics of teamwork, communication, and the organizational integration of projects into companies.This book provides a guideline for performing individual projects, for professionally selecting projects that are vital for company success (project portfolio, program), for improving project management quality, and for consequently focusing company work on the current environmental requirements (project-oriented company). Additionally, numerous practical examples and case-studies of different project types illustrate the implementation of the presented methods.Further relevant aspects of today’s project management approaches, such as projects as business cases, procurement and contract design, virtual teamwork, project management career paths, agile project management, or Stage-Gate approaches are integrated into the actual edition. This book contributes to the further development of project management knowledge, and to the establishment of a professional project manager profile. Requirements on competencies and qualifications of project managers are integrated according to the international IPMA and PMI standards.