Premium
A Comparative Evaluation of Labor Tour Scheduling Methods
Author(s) -
Bechtold Stephen E.,
Brusco Michael J.,
Showalter Michael J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
decision sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.238
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1540-5915
pISSN - 0011-7315
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-5915.1991.tb00359.x
Subject(s) - computer science , operations research , scheduling (production processes) , mathematical optimization , schedule , heuristic , linear programming , mathematics , artificial intelligence , algorithm , operating system
This paper presents an initial study of relative performance for a number of the labor tour scheduling heuristic methods proposed in the literature. These heuristic methods were classified as either linear programming (LP) based or construction. Each of the methods was applied to a tour scheduling problem, subject to a variety of labor demand requirements distributions, with the singular objective being the minimization of total labor hours scheduled. Statistical analysis revealed that effective tour schedule solutions were generated by both LP‐based and construction methods. Since the performances of the Keith [13], Morris and Showalter [18], and Bechtold and Showalter [5] methods were superior, their solutions were also compared across a number of secondary criteria. An overall analysis of the performances of these three methods resulted in the identification of a number of important managerial and decision‐making issues. We conclude that service operations management should consider integrating these heuristic methods into a decision support system. Finally, suggestions for future research are provided.