Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2025
05:56
Author Spotlight: Establishing a Rodent Model for Investigating Depression Factors in Traditional Mongolian Medicine
Published on: October 27, 2023
1.1K
Managing concurrency in cyclical projects under stochastic task environments: Vaccine development projects during
Nagesh N Murthy1, Haikady N Nagaraja2, Hossein Rikhtehgar Berenji3
1Lundquist College of Business University of Oregon Eugene Oregon USA.
Production and Operations Management
|January 31, 2023
Summary
Overlapping vaccine development tasks can accelerate project completion, even with potential rework. Analyzing stochastic task durations reveals optimal overlap strategies to minimize overall project time.
Area of Science:
- Operations Research
- Project Management
- Biopharmaceutical Development
Background:
- Accelerated vaccine development, exemplified by COVID-19, necessitates overlapping project activities.
- Overlapping tasks in cyclical projects can lead to rework if downstream activities begin before upstream information is finalized.
- Existing models for cyclical projects often overlook the stochastic nature of task durations and its impact on overlap efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a framework for analyzing the relationship between stochastic activity overlap and rework in cyclical projects.
- To optimize project completion time by determining the impact of overlap duration on stochastic activities.
- To apply this framework to vaccine development planning, considering unique project scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Developed a model to analyze the interplay of stochastic overlap duration and rework.
- Investigated the impact of overlap on minimizing expected project completion time.
- Determined optimal task start times based on net gain/loss from overlap and stochastic dominance.
Main Results:
- Overlapping tasks, potentially inefficient in deterministic settings, can be beneficial with stochastic durations.
- Optimal overlap strategies depend on net gain/loss from overlap and task stochastic dominance.
- Project rescheduling flexibility is beneficial in scenarios with net loss from overlap and under specific conditions with net gain.
Conclusions:
- Stochastic analysis provides a more accurate approach to planning overlapping activities in vaccine development.
- The framework offers insights into optimizing project timelines by managing task overlap and rework.
- A scalable heuristic is proposed for effective planning in complex project networks.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Causality in Epidemiology
595
Causality or causation is a fundamental concept in epidemiology, vital for understanding the relationships between various factors and health outcomes. Despite its importance, there's no single, universally accepted definition of causality within the discipline. Drawing from a systematic review, causality in epidemiology encompasses several definitions, including production, necessary and sufficient, sufficient-component, counterfactual, and probabilistic models. Each has its strengths and...
595
01:18Steps in Outbreak Investigation
164
In the ever-evolving field of public health, statistical analysis serves as a cornerstone for understanding and managing disease outbreaks. By leveraging various statistical tools, health professionals can predict potential outbreaks, analyze ongoing situations, and devise effective responses to mitigate impact. For that to happen, there are a few possible stages of the analysis:
164
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
156
Biopharmaceutical studies constitute a vital field aiming to enhance drug delivery methods and refine therapeutic approaches, drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary knowledge. In research methodologies, the choice between controlled and non-controlled studies significantly influences the study's reliability and accuracy.
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
156
01:28Preclinical Development: Overview
4.5K
Preclinical development consists of a series of tests that ensure the safety and efficacy of a new therapeutic compound before it is tested in humans. There are four main phases to this process. First, safety pharmacology tests are conducted to ensure the drug does not produce any acutely harmful effects. These tests examine parameters such as bronchoconstriction, cardiac dysrhythmias, blood pressure changes, and ataxia. Next, preliminary toxicological testing is performed to determine the...
4.5K
01:20Chronopharmacokinetics: Time-Dependent Pharmacokinetics
172
Chronopharmacokinetics studies the temporal change in drug absorption and elimination. These changes can be cyclical or non-cyclical. Cyclical changes occur over a regular interval, while non-cyclical changes occur over a longer, irregular period.
Time-dependent pharmacokinetics refers to non-cyclical changes in drug rate processes over a period of time. It can lead to nonlinear pharmacokinetics, where the relationship between drug concentration and time is not proportional. Non-cyclical...
Time-dependent pharmacokinetics refers to non-cyclical changes in drug rate processes over a period of time. It can lead to nonlinear pharmacokinetics, where the relationship between drug concentration and time is not proportional. Non-cyclical...
172
01:12Analysis of Population Pharmacokinetic Data
334
Analysis of population pharmacokinetic data involves studying the behavior of drugs within diverse populations to understand their pharmacokinetic parameters. Traditional pharmacokinetic methods typically involve collecting samples from a few individuals and estimating these parameters. While these methods are commonly used, they have limitations in capturing the variability in drug response among individuals or heterogeneous populations. Population pharmacokinetics is employed to address these...
334