Rapidly optimizing staffing levels in a ticketing system using simulation

• US 9,092,750 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bournas, Redha M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US13/773,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20140244331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742, 379240-266
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group

Abstract

A method, system and software for determining a final staffing schedule by scheduling a plurality of staffing resource units (SRUs) into a plurality of shifts. The method includes the following steps (not necessarily in the following order except as explicitly indicated): (i) determining an initial staffing schedule; (ii) iteratively-adding SRUs to the staffing schedule until it is determined that the staffing schedule meets a feasibility condition; (iii) iteratively-subtracting SRUs from the staffing schedule until it is determined that the staffing schedule meets at least one improper condition; and (iv) subsequent to the subtracting step, adding a single SRU to the staffing schedule to yield the final staffing schedule.

Claims

1. A method for at least partially determining a final staffing schedule by scheduling a plurality of staffing resource units (SRUs) into a plurality of shifts, the plurality of shifts having a preliminary or current staffing schedule including pluralities of SRUs assigned to the plurality of shifts, respectively, the method comprising:

determining, by a simulator for simulating ticket servicing in a ticketing system, which shift of the plurality of shifts of a first current staffing schedule will experience the greatest amount of decrease in utilization of its SRUs by the addition of an SRU to that shift; and

tentatively adding an SRU to the shift determined at the determining step performed on the first current staffing schedule to form a second current staffing schedule.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the shift determined at the determining step is over utilized when the determining step is performed.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeating the determining step and the tentatively adding step until a feasible solution is obtained, so that the determination of a shift by using a greatest amount of decrease in utilization tends to decrease the number of repetitions of the determining step and the tentatively adding step relative to any algorithms that determine a shift by using a shift with the greatest utilization.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein all of the SRUs of the first current and second current staffing schedule are SRUs of an identical class value.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein:

the SRUs of the first current staffing schedule include SRUs having at least two different class values; and

the SRUs of the second current staffing schedule include SRUs having at least two different class values.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein:

the SRUs of the first current staffing schedule include SRUs having n class values, where n is an integer greater than zero; and

the SRUs of the second current staffing schedule include SRUs having n+1 class values.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining, by one or more processors, which shift of the plurality of shifts of a third current staffing schedule will experience the greatest amount of increase in utilization of its SRUs by the removal of an SRU to that shift; and

tentatively subtracting an SRU to the shift determined at the determining step performed on the third current schedule to form a forth current staffing schedule.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the third and fourth current schedules occur prior to the first and second current schedules.

9. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices and, when executed by one or more processors, perform the method of claim 1.

10. A simulator system for at least partially determining a final staffing schedule by scheduling a plurality of staffing resource units (SRUs) into a plurality of shifts, the plurality of shifts having a preliminary or current staffing schedule including pluralities of SRUs assigned to the plurality of shifts, respectively, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, with the processor(s), computer-readable memorie(s), computer-readable storage device(s) and program instructions being structured, connected and/or programmed to form a simulator for simulating ticket servicing in a ticketing system, the program instructions comprising;

first program instructions to determine which shift of the plurality of shifts of a first current staffing schedule will experience the greatest amount of decrease in utilization of its SRUs by the addition of an SRU to that shift; and

second program instructions to tentatively add an SRU to the shift determined at the determining step performed on the first current staffing schedule to form a second current staffing schedule.

11. A method for at least partially determining a final staffing schedule by scheduling a plurality of staffing resource units (SRUs) into a plurality of shifts, the plurality of shifts having a preliminary or current staffing schedule including pluralities of SRUs assigned to the plurality of shifts, respectively, the method comprising:

determining, by a simulator for simulating ticket servicing in a ticketing system, which shift of the plurality of shifts of a first current staffing schedule will experience the greatest amount of increase in utilization of its SRUs by the removal of an SRU to that shift; and

tentatively subtracting an SRU to the shift determined at the determining step performed on the first current staffing schedule to form a second current staffing schedule.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the shift determined at the determining step is under utilized when the determining step is performed.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

repeating the determining step and the tentatively subtracting step until a predetermined improper condition occurs, so that the determination of a shift by using a greatest amount of increase in utilization tends to decrease the number of repetitions of the determining step and the tentatively adding step relative to any algorithms that determine a shift by using a shift with the smallest utilization.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein all of the SRUs of the first current and second current staffing schedule are SRUs of an identical class value.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein:

the SRUs of the first current staffing schedule include SRUs having at least two different class values; and

the SRUs of the second current staffing schedule include SRUs having at least two different class values.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein:

the SRUs of the first current staffing schedule include SRUs having n class values, where n is an integer greater than zero; and

the SRUs of the second current staffing schedule include SRUs having n−

1 class values.

17. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices and, when executed by one or more processors, perform the method of claim 11.