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Optimal shift scheduling: A branch‐and‐price approach
Author(s) -
Mehrotra Anuj,
Murphy Kenneth E.,
Trick Michael A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
naval research logistics (nrl)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1520-6750
pISSN - 0894-069X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6750(200004)47:3<185::aid-nav1>3.0.co;2-7
Subject(s) - column generation , computer science , scheduling (production processes) , mathematical optimization , branching (polymer chemistry) , branch and price , mathematics , algorithm , integer programming , materials science , composite material
We present a branch‐and‐price technique for optimal staff scheduling with multiple rest breaks, meal break, and break windows. We devise and implement specialized branching rules suitable for solving the set covering type formulation implicitly, using column generation. Our methodology is more widely applicable and computationally superior to the alternative methods in the literature. We tested our methodology on 365 test problems involving between 1728 and 86400 shift variations, and 20 demand patterns. In a direct comparison with an alternative method, our approach yields significant improvements both in cpu time and in the number of problem instances solved to optimality. The improvements were particularly marked for problems involving larger numbers of feasible shifts. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 47: 185–200, 2000