solution

This case focuses on developing a deeper understanding of the personnel scheduling problem.

Big Town Fire Department would like to schedule their human resource requirements in fire and safety operations, aka, firefighters. The town runs two schedules per day, 12 hours each. Firefighters are compensated hourly at $30 per hour plus 33% for benefits. Firefighters who work the night shift received $5 more per hour and have a commensurate increase in benefits.

The weekly firefighter personnel requirements are:

	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
5a-5p	11	13	15	19	15	13	9
5p-5a	17	13	15	17	19	21	14

The normal shift for a firefighter is 4 days 12 hours a day followed by 3 consecutive days off, working on either the day or the night shift (not both). Big Town managers would like to schedule the firefighters in the least cost way, but must make sure the requirements are met.

Questions to Address

a.How does the benchmark optimal solution change if there are part-time employees that are added who work two consecutive days with 5 days off either day or night but not both day and night?

b.Provide a table with different solutions for upper limits of 0%, 20%, 40%, etc., of part time firefighters as defined in part a. For example, assume that at most the total number of firefighters who are part time is 20% of the total number and so on.

If possible, please provide excel