Manpower allocation in the service sector using an expert system

This research investigated the development of a prototype expert system to allocate manpower in service systems. The three expert system components - a global data base, a knowledge base, and a inference procedure - were built for application in different service facilities. The general service system constraint set was used in conjunction with an expert's allocation logic to specify the production rules within the prototype expert system's knowledge base. The sequencing of these production rules is controlled by the inference procedure. The protoype system can be applied in those service facilities that maintain similar service system constraints as the facility used in this research. A specific facility was used to demonstrate and analyze the prototype expert system. An allocation schedule generated by the expert system was compared to a manually generated schedule. Full-time manpower allocations were the same. Yet, part-time manpower allocations differed due to flexibility, availability and shift constraints. The user must evaluate the expert system's schedule and make reassignments where necessary. Thus, this research determined that an expert system can be utilized to allocate manpower in service facilities; however, further research is required to build an expert system that encompasses all service facilities.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Industrial Engineering and Operations Research

Department dc:contributor.department

Industrial Engineering and Operations Research

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year dc:date.issued

1986

Author dc:creator

• Cleary, Colleen M.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/106086

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/106086