The Optimize page is where you run what-if scenarios with ALICE's optimization algorithms to find the best way to build your project. Each scenario produces one or more solutions - exportable schedules you can review, compare, and favorite.
Jump to: Overview · Run a scenario · Scenario Optimization step by step · Resource and date settings · Templates · Favorite and compare · Chart axes · Legacy screen
Optimize page overview
You can open the Optimize page from the dashboard, either for a specific plan or at the project level by clicking Explore Solutions. You can also click Optimize in the left navigation panel from the Plan or Analyze page.
The page has three parts:
- Filter and selection bar at the top
- Scenario list on the left
- Solution graph on the right
Filter and selection bar. Use the Plans dropdown to show solutions from all plans or only the plans you select. Use the Scenarios search to choose which scenarios to show; you can compare scenarios from different plans on the same page. Use the Solutions filter to show only solutions that meet criteria such as cost, duration, idle time, or criticality.
Scenario list. Use the arrows to expand or collapse each plan's scenarios. The numbers next to each arrow show how many scenarios and solutions the plan has. When several plans are selected, their lists start collapsed; when one plan is selected, its scenarios are expanded. Use Filter Scenarios to find a specific scenario.
Solution graph. Each dot is a solution with its own analytics. Use the tools in the upper right to zoom in, zoom out, or turn on the cluster view. You can customize the chart axes to compare solutions on the metrics that matter to you.
Run a scenario
Before you optimize, click Reschedule on the Plan page to check that the schedule is feasible. If there are no warnings, click Optimize to go to the Optimize page.
On the Optimize page, start a new scenario by clicking the + New Scenario button, then choose the type of optimization you wish to run:
| Optimization type | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Targeted Optimization | A task-driven algorithm that doesn't factor in resources | You want to improve dates or recover a delay based on logic and durations |
| Scenario Optimization | An algorithm that sequences work around your crews, equipment, materials, and dates. Resources are not required, but if you include them they will be considered as part of the optimization. | You want to test what-ifs around resource limits, costs, or production rates |
Scenario Optimization was previously called Resource Optimization. It works for any schedule, whether or not it's fully resource-loaded.
For Targeted Optimization setup, see Targeted Optimization. The rest of this article covers Scenario Optimization.
Examples of what-if questions you can answer with Scenario Optimization:
- What happens if the workforce limit on my project is 300?
- What if I have more or less equipment than planned?
- What if only a limited number of concrete trucks can be onsite?
- What if a material shortage forces an installation method with a lower production rate?
- What if a spatial constraint applies across several work areas?
For more examples and how to set them up, see the Use Cases section.
Scenario Optimization step by step
Setup takes three steps. A progress bar on the left shows where you are, and you can go back to any step before you run.
Step 1: Plan & Template
- Select the plan to optimize.
- Optionally, select a saved template to start from. Templates are only available in the plan they were created in. See Templates and copied scenarios.
Step 2: Scenario Options
- Set your objectives. The default objective order is minimize negative float, then minimize project duration. Advanced users can customize by dragging and dropping objectives into priority order. See Optimization Objectives to learn more.
- Adjust resources and dates on the five tabs: Crews, Equipment, Materials, Rates, and Dates. Use search and filters to find rows, and select several rows to bulk edit them. See Objectives and resource settings.
To change the logic in the underlying plan, go back to the Plan page before you start the scenario.
Step 3: Runtime & Confirmation
- Review the summary of your full setup.
- Enter a scenario name. This is required.
- Set the run time. The default is 10 minutes, and you can set up to 60 minutes. Large schedules may produce better results with more time.
- Optionally, save your setup as a template to reuse it later.
- Click Run.
The new scenario appears in the scenario list. Solutions (dots) start appearing within 1 to 2 minutes, and all appear by the end of the run time. Click a dot to open the solution summary, then click Analyze solution to open the Gantt chart.
Resource and date settings
Resource and date settings (Step 2 tabs):
| Tab | What you can adjust |
|---|---|
| Crews | Max units over time, cost per crew per hour, calendar, heavy resource, ramp resource, workforce limit |
| Equipment | Quantity, cost per hour, heavy resource, ramp resource |
| Materials | Type (consumable or reusable), quantity available, cost per unit |
| Rates | Production rates (quantity per hour) |
| Dates | Constraint type and date (and time) for milestones and tasks. The data date is shown for reference. A task appears here only if it has a constraint on the Plan page. |
Templates and copied scenarios
Templates save your full setup so you can reuse it for future scenarios.
- To save a template, select the save-as-template option in Step 3 before you click Run.
- To use a template, select it in Step 1. The wizard fills in your saved settings, and you can change any of them before you run.
- Templates are plan-specific. You can only use a template in the plan it was created in. Support for using templates across plans is planned for a future release.
You can also copy an existing scenario to start a new one from its setup. From the Optimize page, click the "..." next to any scenario and you will see an option to create a new scenario that starts by copying the settings from the one selected.
If a template or copied scenario refers to something that's no longer in the schedule, ALICE handles it in one of two ways:
- It removes the item and shows a notice listing what was removed.
- If a new selection is needed, it stops on the step that needs it and names what's missing.
Favorite and compare solutions
Mark a favorite. Click a solution's dot and select Mark as favorite. The solution shows a star icon throughout ALICE. You can have one favorite at a time, so marking a new one removes the star from the previous one.
Compare solutions. Compare two or more solutions from the same or different plans in a project. You can see their metrics, resource parameters (including resource cost and utilization), and a detailed schedule comparison. You can open Compare from the Optimize page or the Analyze page.
To compare from the Optimize page:
- Click the first solution and select the Compare box.
- Click the second solution and select the Compare box.
- Use the Overview tab to see metrics and parameters side by side.
- Click Analyze solution for a detailed comparison.
- Click the arrows at the top to swap the primary and secondary schedules.
- Check the Variance columns to see how many days each activity is accelerated or delayed.
To see why an activity starts earlier or later, review its drivers, predecessors, and successors on the Analyze page.
Customize the chart axes
By default, the solution graph plots calendar-day duration on the X axis and total cost on the Y axis. Use the axis menus above the graph to compare solutions on other metrics. Your settings are saved and shown the next time you open the project.
To see the axis combination where solutions differ the most, click the perpendicular arrow icon to the right of the menus.
| Y axis | X axis |
|---|---|
| Total cost (default) | Calendar days (default) |
| Total direct cost | Working days |
| Total idle cost | Milestones (select a milestone) |
| Total indirect cost | Project end date (solution start date + project duration) |
| Direct equipment cost | |
| Direct labor cost | |
| Direct material cost | |
| Idle equipment cost | |
| Idle labor cost | |
| Overall crew utilization | |
| Critical tasks (%): tasks on the critical path ÷ incomplete tasks | |
| Longest path tasks (%): tasks on the longest path ÷ incomplete tasks |
To learn how ALICE calculates cost, see Costs.
Using the legacy Resource Optimization screen
If your account used Resource Optimization before this update, you can still open the previous setup screen. Click Use legacy Resource Optimization at the bottom left of the setup wizard.
Your choice lasts for your current session. Each time you log in, ALICE opens the new wizard again. The legacy screen will be retired in a future release, so let your Customer Success Manager know if something you rely on sends you back to it.