Fuzzy modeling for manpower scheduling

Fuzzy theory is an important phenomenon in manpower scheduling, especially in the context where managerial and employee objectives are imprecise and, worst of all, conflicting. In such fuzzy environments, developing robust tools for addressing the fuzzy nature of the problem is imperative. Decision analysts concerned with staff scheduling need robust decision support tools to construct equitable work schedules spanning over a given planning horizon so as to meet organizational objectives, to meet customer requirements, and to satisfy worker preferences. This chapter presents a framework for fuzzy modeling for manpower scheduling based on fuzzy set-theoretic concepts. First, a background on fuzzy modeling approaches is provided, together with their solution methods. Second, key characteristic dimensions of the manpower scheduling problem are identified, leading to a taxonomic framework for classifying manpower scheduling problems. Third, a framework developing fuzzy models for manpower scheduling is derived from the taxonomy, the fuzzy modeling approaches, and the fuzzy solution approaches. The fuzzy models developed can be solved by any appropriate solvers or meta-heuristic methods.