Suppose the projects in Example 15.4 are apartment units and the profit is the monthly rent…

Suppose the projects in Example 15.4 are apartment units and the profit is the monthly rent earned from each apartment unit. Assume that rent is paid each month (through month 10) beginning with the month after the project is completed. How can the profit earned during the next 10 months be maximized?

Example 15.4

SCHEDULING PROJECTS AT TIMBURTON

Timburton Construction has 10 projects that it can (if desired) complete within the next 10 months. Each project earns a certain revenue when it is completed, but only if it is completed within the next 10 months. Otherwise, the project earns no revenue. The number of workers needed each month, the number of months needed to complete each project, and the revenue earned from each completed project are listed in Table 15.7. We assume that after the company begins working on a project, it must work on the project during consecutive months until the project is completed. Timburton has 220 workers available each month. How can it maximize the revenue earned during the next 10 months? Objective To find starting times for the projects so that total revenue is maximized and worker utilization each month is no greater than worker availability.