Solving Team Formation Problem with Secretary Bird Optimization Algorithm

Abstract

This paper presents a new and widely applied algorithm, Secretary Bird Optimization Algorithm (SBOA). SBOA is a nature-inspired metaheuristic inspired by the intelligent hunting behaviour of the secretary bird, known for its strategic movement, fast attacks, and useful prey elimination. These characteristics allow SBOA to balance exploration and exploitation efficiently while searching the solutions of complex optimization problems. In this study, SBOA is applied to solve the team formation (TF) problem. The objective is to construct cost-effective teams that satisfy required skill sets. The algorithm was evaluated by gradually increasing the number of skills (10 to 50) and different population-iteration configurations using experts’ skills dataset. Performance was assessed and SBOA consistently produces competitive solutions and demonstrates stable convergence behaviour. However, the results also show that increasing the number of skills significantly increases team formation cost, indicating higher problem complexity. Overall, the study confirms the robustness and scalability of the SBOA for solving complex team formation optimization problems.