Tabu search heuristics for workflow resource allocation simulation optimization

Resource allocation of workflow has a direct impact on the average execution time of process instances and the cost of an enterprise. Through simulation optimization, resource allocation can be optimized to increase throughput. In the current research, mathematical analysis-based optimization methods are used to solve the resource allocation problem. These methods are restricted in their application scope. Based on an analysis of the relationship between resource allocation and process instance response time, heuristics for workflow resource simulation optimization through tabu search is proposed in this paper. Experiment shows that it can remarkably improve the efficiency and result of the optimization. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.