Systems and Methods of Automatically Scheduling a Workforce

• US 20080300954A1
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Verint Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Kilinc, Ufuk, Desai, Abhyuday, Cameron, Jeffrey Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,315,901 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

Systems and methods of workforce scheduling are disclosed. One example embodiment, among others, comprises a computer-implemented method of scheduling workers. Each worker is associated with one of a set of flexibility classifications, which include non-flex-time and at least one flex-time. The method includes generating a set of shift instances to cover forecasted demand over a planning period, and assigning the shift instances to the set of workers by iterating through the each of the workers to assign at least a portion of the shift instances to a selected one of the workers. The assigning is such that total hours assigned to the selected worker depends on a number associated with the classification of the selected worker.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of scheduling a set of workers, each worker associated with one of a set of flexibility classifications, the classifications including a non-flex-time classification and at least one flex-time classification, comprising the steps of:

receiving a set of shift constraints;

creating a set of shift templates representing at least two variations allowed by the shift constraints;

determining a number of instances of each shift template to cover forecasted demand over a planning period;

creating the determined number of shifts instances; and

producing a set of staff mix enumerations to cover the shift instances, the set of enumerations varying from a first enumeration including zero workers of the at least one non-flex-time classification and a first computed number of workers of the flex-time classification, to a last enumeration including a maximum number of workers of the at least one non-flex-time classification and a last computed number of workers of the flex-time classification, wherein the producing step further comprises;

assigning the shift instances to the set of workers by an iteration of each worker, wherein the iteration comprises;

applying dynamic programming to assign the shift instances within the planning period to a selected one of the workers, such that total hours assigned to the selected worker approach, but do not exceed, a per-interval maximum associated with the classification of the selected worker, wherein workers having a classification other than flex-time are selected before workers having a flex-time classification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

assigning the shift instances to the set of workers by one or more additional iterations through each of a plurality of scheduling intervals within the planning period.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of adjusting shift assignments for one of a scheduling intervals within the planning period, wherein the adjusting step comprises the steps of:

determining the presence of an unassigned shift instance on a given day;

determining the presence of an underutilized worker as compared to the per-interval maximum associated with the classification of the corresponding worker; and

assigning the unassigned shift instance to the underutilized worker.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the adjusting step is performed after each worker iteration.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the adjusting step is conditionally performed based on a number of unassigned shifts.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the adjusting step is performed after applying dynamic programming to assign shift instances to the selected one of the workers.

7. A method of scheduling a set of workers, each worker associated with one of a set of flexibility classifications, the classifications including a non-flex-time classification and at least one flex-time classification, the method comprising the steps of:

generating shift instances to cover forecasted demand over a planning period;

producing a set of staff mix enumerations to cover the shift instances; and

assigning the shift instances to the set of workers by an iteration comprising;

assigning the shift instances to a selected one of the workers, such that total hours assigned to the selected worker depends on a number corresponding to the classification of the selected worker, wherein workers having a classification other than flex-time are selected before workers having a flex-time classification.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the set of enumerations varies from a first enumeration including zero workers of the at least one non-flex-time classification and a first computed number of workers of the flex-time classification, to a last enumeration including a maximum number of workers of the at least one non-flex-time classification and a last computed number of workers of the flex-time classification,

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the number corresponding to the classification of the selected worker comprises a per-interval maximum.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the total hours assigned to the selected worker approach, but do not exceed, a per-interval maximum associated with the classification of the selected worker.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of adjusting shift assignments for one of a plurality of scheduling intervals within the planning period, wherein the adjusting step comprises the steps of:

determining the presence of an unassigned shift instance on a given day;

determining the presence of an underutilized worker as compared to the per-interval maximum associated with the classification of the corresponding worker; and

assigning the unassigned shift instance to the underutilized worker.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the adjusting step further comprises the steps of:

determining the presence of a shift instance assigned to the underutilized worker on the first day; and

swapping the shift instance assigned to the underutilized worker on the given day with another shift instance assigned to another worker on a different day.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of adjusting shift assignments for the planning period, wherein the adjusting step comprises the steps of:

selecting a next day i having an unassigned shift instance;

selecting a next worker j with an assigned shift instance on day i;

finding a next day i′

on which worker j is not assigned a shift instance;

finding a next worker j′

with an assigned shift instance on day i′

but no assigned shift instance on day i;

removing shift instance s<sub>i′

j′</sub>

from assignment to worker j′

;

assigning shift instance s<sub>i′

j′</sub>

to worker j; and

assigning shift instance u_i to worker j′

.

14. A system of scheduling a set of workers, each worker associated with one of a set of flexibility classifications, the set including a flex-time classification, comprising the steps of:

logic configured to generate a set of shift instances to cover forecasted demand over a planning period; and

logic configured to assign the shift instances to the set of workers by iterating through the each of the workers to assign at least a portion of the shift instances to a selected one of the workers, such that total hours assigned to the selected worker depends on a number associated with the classification of the selected worker.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein workers having a classification other than flex-time are assigned shift instances before workers having a classification of flex-time.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the total hours assigned to the selected worker approach, but do not exceed, a per-interval maximum associated with the classification of the selected worker.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to assign uses dynamic programming to assign the shift instances to the set of workers.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising logic configured to adjust shift assignments, wherein the logic configured to adjust shift assignments comprises:

logic configured to determine the presence of an unassigned shift instance on a given day;

logic configured to determine the presence of an underutilized worker as compared to the per-interval maximum associated with the classification of the corresponding worker; and

logic configured to assign the unassigned shift instance to the underutilized worker.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the logic configured to adjust further comprises:

logic configured to determine the presence of a shift instance assigned to the underutilized worker on the given day; and

logic configured to swap the shift instance assigned to the underutilized worker on the given day with another shift instance assigned to another worker on a different day.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising logic configured to adjust shift assignments, performed conditionally based on a number of unassigned shifts, wherein the logic configured to adjust shift assignments comprises:

logic configured to determine the presence of an unassigned shift instance on a given day;

logic configured to determine the presence of an underutilized worker as compared to the per-interval maximum associated with the classification of the corresponding worker; and

logic configured to assign the unassigned shift instance to the underutilized worker.