Manpower Allocation Research Articles

Modeling M Warehouse N Manpower-Team Allocation Problem Using Dynamic Programming Approach

In this research, a dynamic programming-based approach is deployed to model and solve the manpower allocation problem for warehouses. The authors specifically evolve the detailed model for M warehouses and N teams (available for allocation to these warehouses). Profitability is considered as a performance measure for the allocation problem. The warehouses and manpower-team are modelled as stages and states respectively within the dynamic programming problem structure. Owing to the rather abstract nature of such allocation problems possessing Markovian properties and having similarities with stage-gate type of a problem, dynamic programming approach is deployed. The study results in recommending key decisions in workforce allocation for organizations such as retailers operating multiple warehouses.

Forecasting annual incidence and mortality rate for prostate cancer in Australia until 2022 using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models

ObjectivesProstate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in males after lung cancer, imposing a significant burden on the healthcare system in Australia. We propose the use...

Geographic variation of hysterectomy rates in the Israeli health care system during the years 2007\u20132016

BackgroundIn 2014 the OECD published a report regarding inter-regional variation of hysterectomies in 13 countries including Israel. Variance in hospital admission rates were also reported. The Israeli Ministry of Health has set as one of its main goals the reduction in differences in health care, particularly between the country’s periphery and central regions. These variations may reflect differences in characteristics, resource allocation, and medical staff employment, expertise and training. The advances in technology in the last decades including laparoscopic and robotic surgeries and the variance in their implementation emphasize the great regional variance. The aim of this study was to examine hysterectomy trends in the past decade with emphasis on regional differences.MethodsThe study is based on information maintained by the Israeli Ministry of Health and portrays the trend in hysterectomy rates as a factor of indication, surgical approach and length of hospitalization as collected from the years 2007–2016.ResultsInter-regional significant differences were found between the 7 regions of Israel, though there was a clear trend toward a national 11–24% decrease in hysterectomy rates. A 2–4 time increase in laparoscopic hysterectomies was observed. There was a clear country-wide trend toward shortening hospital stay from 5 to 4 days in total.ConclusionsHysterectomy rates have declined in the past decade due to the implementation of new technologies allowing earlier diagnosis and minimally invasive surgery on top of offering alternative, non-surgical treatment modalities. Uneven allocation of resources and manpower allowing technology implementation and optimal medical services may have contributed to the findings.

The prevalence of childhood asthma in Saudi Arabia.

Asthma is considered one of the most important health issues worldwide. However, few epidemiological studies have been conducted in Saudi Arabia to assess the prevalence of asthma among children, and their results are highly variable. Thus, in this study, we investigated the prevalence of childhood asthma in Saudi Arabia. Previous studies of the prevalence of childhood asthma in Saudi Arabia were reviewed and 12 were included in this review. These studies were conducted at various locations in Saudi Arabia between 1986 and 2017. The prevalence of children asthma in Saudi Arabia varies among different regions throughout the country. The highest prevalence was reported in Alhofuf (33.7%) and the lowest in Abha (9%). However, various surveying methods were used and different age groups were assessed. This review highlights the need to conduct a national-level study using a single validated tool to assess the prevalence of childhood asthma in Saudi Arabia in order to calculate the burden of asthma and determine the targeted allocation of resources and manpower.

BIM-based Last Planner System tool for improving construction project management

Abstract The Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC) industry strongly affects the economy, the environment, and society as a whole. However, when compared to other industries, its productivity, over recent decades, has been very low. Currently, the AEC industry is undergoing major changes, mostly driven by the implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM), and the integration of new technologies. When coupling these with Lean principles, there is the potential to improve the productivity and efficiency of construction projects. Although Lean Construction and BIM are approaches with quite different initiatives, both have a profound impact on the industry. Many studies have shown the advantages of the Last Planner System (LPS), yet its integration with BIM technology has not been fully exploited. The Last Planner System of Production Control – a production planning system designed to produce a more reliable project plan – and the principle of promoting continuous improvement are introduced. By capitalizing on the synergies between Lean Construction and BIM, this study proposes a construction management tool that combines the LPS with the 3D visualization of construction projects to improve productivity and reduce construction waste. The prototype tool is mainly aimed to be used as a construction management tool during the construction phase. The tool allows dividing construction projects into work zones, obtaining a fully automated quantity take-off, and offers a color-coded 4D construction simulation for the short-term planning process of the LPS. It allows for a systematic evaluation and analysis of the construction planning in terms of productivity, manpower allocation, and quantification of waste considering the short-term planning process, which promotes continuous improvement of future construction planning.

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t: The Geography of Police Stops

This paper uses state police stop data in Texas to assess patrol activity. We find that both the types of stops and allocation of resources over space change in darkness relative to daylight, and that the changes in stop type and manpower allocation are correlated within police officers. We also find that the counties receiving more police resources in darkness have a higher share of minority residents. Veil of Darkness (VOD) tests of racial discrimination in traffic stops require that the distribution of motorists be independent of darkness, which is unlikely to be the case without detailed geographic controls.

서비스 수준을 유지하기 위한 대기행렬 시뮬레이션 모델 기반의 최적 필요 인력 산출에 관한 연구 : 통합 관제 센터 도입을 통한 무인 주차장 전환 사례

In the parking lot industry, various technologies has been developing with the aim of balancing between the quality of service and the capacity of the parking lot to meet customer"s convenience. One of the typical changes is the expansion of the unmanned parking lot. Due to the limitation of unmanned technology, it is necessary to introduce the control center to raise the level of unmanned management while ensuring the service level. In this study, we propose a 3-step methodology for calculating the manpower optimization for unmanned conversion parking lot and proper manpower allocation - 1) analyzing the service process to define the manned and unmanned processes, 2) analyzing the workload by simulation with queuing theory, and 3) applying a linear programming method that minimizes the difference between the required manpower and the manpower allocation. In order to prove the actual effect of the proposed methodology of this study, the manpower optimization results were derived by using the actual data of the public parking lot of Jeonju city.

Study of maintenance project manpower dynamics in Indian software outsourcing industry

Purpose The paper aims to study manpower dynamics at offshore and onsite location for maintenance project, which are transferred to offshore location in a phase-wise manner. The purpose of the paper is to find good values of onsite–offshore team strength, the number of hours of communication between onsite and offshore teams for smooth transfer of software maintenance project to offshore location. Design/methodology/approach This study uses system dynamics simulation approach to study manpower allocation at onsite and offshore locations to transfer the maintenance work to offshore location in a gradual manner. The authors consulted 13 experts from Indian software outsourcing industry during the model construction and validation. Findings The simulation results show that the complexity of maintenance project has an insignificant effect on offshore migration. The maintenance work transfer should start with initial onsite team strength higher than that of required for ticket solving and project. The initial offshore team strength should be based on training capacity available at the onsite location. The higher attrition rate at an offshore is detrimental for offshore migration. Research limitations/implications The implication of the study is in the development of a broad framework of software maintenance work transfer to offshore locations for Indian software outsourcing projects. As the study is based on expert opinion in the context of India, it cannot be generalized for outsourcing scenarios elsewhere. Practical implications The software project manager can use the findings to get more insight into maintenance project offshore migration and divide the software team between onsite and offshore location. Originality/value The study is novel as there is little attempt at finding the manpower composition at onsite and offshore locations for software maintenance project during the migration phase.

Manpower Allocation Model for Construction Site Office Engineers based on Inherent Technical Risks

Accurately predicting the costs of construction site overheads and preventing increases in unanticipated costs has a large effect on the cost competitiveness of a construction company. While site engineer costs account for the majority of construction site management costs, established manpower allocation standards will only account for the project size, and so poorly reflect inherent technological risks. Consequently, with risks mounting on-site as a project progresses, actual engineering manpower needs can exceed the planned ones. This study presents a method for improving the accuracy of construction site engineer allocation by reflecting such technological risks. Data from 31 case projects were analyzed to confirm problems regarding site engineer allocation and to quantify project risks. The regression models and correction rates to manpower allocation by engineering work type were derived from 28 of the case projects, while data from the three remaining projects were utilized to test the model’s validity. The results show strong correlation between the number of site engineers by work type and the project’s technical risks, affirming that these modes can be used to improve the accuracy of manpower estimation even in the early stages of construction planning.

Effect of Time-Varying Factors on Optimal Combination of Quality Inspectors for Offline Inspection Station

With advanced manufacturing technology, organizations like to cut their operational cost and improve product quality, yet the importance of human labor is still alive in some manufacturing industries. The performance of human-based systems depends much on the skill of labor that varies person to person within available manpower. Much work has been done on human resource and management, however, allocation of manpower based on their skill yet not investigated. For this purpose, this study considered offline inspection system where inspection is performed by the human labor of varying skill levels. A multi-objective optimization model is proposed based on Time-Varying factors; inspection skill, operation time and learning behavior. Min-max goal programming technique was used to determine the efficient combination of inspectors of each skill level at different time intervals of a running order. The optimized results ensured the achievement of all objectives of inspection station: the cost associated with inspectors, outgoing quality and inspected quantity. The obtained results proved that inspection performance of inspectors improves significantly with learning and revision of allocation of inspectors with the proposed model ensure better utilization of available manpower, maintain good quality and reduce cost as well.

Forecasting Hospital Emergency Department Patient Volume Using Internet Search Data

We present an efficient and scalable system to predict emergency department (ED) patient volume in hospitals using publicly available Google Trends search data. Search volume data are retrieved for a selected set of context-relevant query keywords with refinements, on which a series of correlation analyses are performed, and a multiple regression predictive model is constructed. We also develop a software suite to enable convenient access to data visualization and prediction capabilities by medical and administrative staff. A preliminary demonstration of the method and software is presented with data from a large public hospital as a form of validation. This paper enables informed resource and manpower allocation in hospitals and thus improved ability to respond to patient influx surges, and importantly, can serve as a key mitigation measure against worsening ED congestion problems that plague hospitals.

Applying the Viable System Model to an Organization with CSR Goals: The Case of a Charity Organization

Abstract Designing and adapting organizations to secure viability and increase performance is a challenge. Research models often fail to integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) aspects in the concept development and its implementation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to propose a holistic approach how organizations can be designed, changed and managed considering its implications to service management under a CSR approach. Hereby the Viable System Model was applied. Its structure can be applied to any kind of structured organization and for its management with goals to be achieved in modern society; however focus of the research is the cluster of charity organizations. Goal of the developed model is to be able to react to all potential organizational environments by taking decisions correctly and in the right moment based on the needed information reducing service lead times and manpower allocation as well as increasing the service level. To ensure this, service management tasks were assigned and standardized communication channels were defined. In conclusion this proposed approach empowers organizations to have internal mechanisms to secure viability by pursuing the goal of a high performance CSR approach.

Web-based phosphine fumigation monitoring with active sensor validation confirms lethality in stored grains:

The predominant measurement technologies for fumigation gases over the past 60 years include colorimetric tubes, photoionization detectors, and electrochemical sensors. Their limitations and inaccuracies are well documented. Spectros Instruments has shown non-dispersive infrared monitoring (NDIR) to be a superior analytical tool for the practical measurement of fumigation gases as shown in Table 1. Any compliant fumigation monitor must be accurate, reliable and affordable. Stored Product Protection has additional requirements in remote regions such as Central China and Western Australia. In these cases, the value of real time access via the internet to fumigation data collected with NDIR Technology from a remote location adds heretofore unknown benefits. Allocation of manpower and materials resources are optimized by access to information about fumigant gas levels in grain storages via the internet. Data is automatically transferred to a central database that can be accessed in real-time from any location with internet access. Intelligent monitors with built-in diagnostics tracking barometric pressure, temperature, sample flows and detector voltages are described. This data collection, data warehousing and reporting platform maintains measurement traceability to certified compliance with secure, encrypted electronic notebook format. Knowing REAL phosphine concentrations allows informed decisions to be made to achieve required CxT and avoid situations leading to target pest phosphine resistance.

EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING CARE & SANITATION FACILITIES OF PUBLIC HEALTHCARE DELIVERY SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY IN INDIA

In spite of being one of the fastest growing economies of the world, and having taken steps to improve the country’s health status after independence, India still has a long way to go. The healthcare system is challenging in India, particularly because of huge population size, economic and social factors coupled with the rising burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Capital and technology perhaps are the most necessary conditions for achieving health gains, but experience in many countries confirms that they are not sufficient. Organizations must combine financial, physical and human resources for better performance. Public hospitals are heavily utilized by lower income groups of the society, up to ninety percent in case of free patients. While this is a good indication of the level of access of people to public health facilities, this also casts an obligation on the Government to improve their infrastructure and systems. Reports of numerous patients dying due to lack of oxygen supply in wards or wrong sterilization procedures, patients delayed admission and treatment due to shortage of medical staff or unavailability of necessary drugs and equipments in the hospital is prevalent. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the quality of sanitation and care of a tertiary level public healthcare facility in India. Data was collected from the inpatients and support staff of the hospital by using standard instruments. All ethical guidelines were fulfilled. Infrastructural scarcity and manpower allocation were a major issue. Staffs were significantly more negative in rating many aspects of hospital services. The researcher recommends accountability based work environment, periodic training modules for health workers, policy and infrastructural changes for improvement of the healthcare facilities. Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/lijhls.2018.42.4765 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Construction of nursing labor power allocation model based on patient classification and labor hour calculation

Objective To explore the nursing labor allocation model based on patient classification combined with nursing labor hour calculation in Class Ⅲ Grade A hospitals. Methods The patients in the general hospital were divided into 6 grades: special grade, Ⅰa, Ⅰb, Ⅱa, Ⅱb and Ⅲ. The daily direct and indirect nursing labor for patients of different grade were calculated, combining traditional grading nursing with Barthel Self-Care Ability Score. Results A nursing labor allocation model based on patient classification and nursing workload and man-hour measurement in internal and surgical wards of Class Ⅲ general hospitals was constructed. Conclusions Nursing labor allocation model based on patient classification and nursing workload and man-hour measurement can truly reflect the difference of nursing workload between internal and surgical wards. It can guide the clinical scientific, rational and effective allocation and use of nursing manpower. Key words: Nursing administration research; Patient classification; Nursing workload; Man-hour calculation; Manpower allocation

Design of a Conceptual Model for Improving Company Performance Based on Lean Management Applying the Viable System Model (VSM)

Abstract Designing, changing and adapting organizations to secure viability is challenging for companies. Researchers often fail to holistically design or transform organizations. Thus, the aim of this study is to propose a holistic approach how organizations can be designed, changed or managed considering also its implications to production management following lean management principles. Hereby the Viable System Model was applied. This structure can be applied to any kind of structured organization and for its management with goals to be achieved in modern society; however focus of the research is the cluster of manufacturing and assembly companies. Goal of the developed organizational model is to be able to react to all potential company environments by taking decisions regarding organization and production management functions correctly and in the right moment based on the needed information. To ensure this, standardized communication channels were defined. In conclusion this proposed approach enables companies to have internal mechanisms to secure viability and also in production to reduce necessary stocks, lead times, manpower allocation and leads to an increase of the service level to the final customer.

Influencing factors of nursing work environment in ClassII andIII hospitals of Guangdong Province

Objective To explore the influencing factors of nursing work environment in Class Ⅱ and Ⅲ hospitals of Guangdong Province. Methods Totals of 1 904 nurses of 133 wards from 23 Class Ⅱ and Ⅲ hospitals of Guangdong Province were investigated with the questionnaires in 2014. The hospital questionnaire was used to investigate hospital level, place and level of technical force. The ward questionnaire was applied to investigate ward types and the number of nurses. The nurse questionnaires included the general information questionnaire and the Practice Environment Scale of Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) . The EpiData 3.1, SPSS 19.0 and MLwiN 2.32 were used to build a database, statistical description and multilevel models regression analysis respectively. Results A total of 71.6% of 1 904 nurses was dissatisfied with payment and 56.2% of them reported working overtime. The nurses, wards and general information of hospitals were taken as the explaining variable to be led into three-level model. The results showed that nurses who had low educational background (β=0.140-0.209, P<0.05) and high satisfaction with payment (β=0.138-0.513, P<0.001) were with high assessment for five aspects of work environment. Nurses whose work did not time out (β=0.064-0.076, P<0.05) , wards were with nurse-patient ratio reaching the standard (β=0.082-0.118, P<0.05) , were in surgical department (β=0.130-0.148, P<0.05) , whose hospitals was with a low level of technical force (β=0.093-0.209, P<0.05) had higher assessment for work environment than those were with work timeout, whose wards were with nurse-patient ratio not reaching the standard, were in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) , whose hospitals was with a high level of technical force (P<0.05) . Conclusions The influencing factors of nursing work environment assessed by nurses include initial educational background, payment satisfaction, working load (working overtime and nurse-patient ratio) , types of wards and hospital technical force. Creating a good nursing work environment needs to attach importance to building of talent team, improve payment satisfaction and guarantee manpower allocation to stabilize nurses team so as to fundamentally improve the quality of nursing service. Key words: Nurses; Nursing work environment; Influencing factors

Optimal Allocation of Cashiers and Pharmacists in Large Hospitals: A Point-Wise Fluid-Based Dynamic Queueing Network Approach

This paper presents an optimization model for determining the optimal time-varying numbers of cashiers and pharmacists in a large hospital. The objective of this model is to minimize the weighted sum of the waiting cost incurred by patients and the operating costs incurred by the hospital. A point-wise fluid-based approximation approach is adopted to construct a dynamic queuing network that takes into account time-varying (or non-stationary) arrivals of patients and describes time-varying queue lengths. The dynamic queuing network is then encapsulated in the optimization model that determines the optimal time-varying numbers of cashiers and pharmacists. A test problem instance is designed based on a large hospital in the city of Taipei, and the MINOS solver of GAMS is applied to solve the problem instance. Sensitivity analyses are also conducted to examine the impacts of customer arrival rates and service rates on the waiting cost and operational cost. Numerical results show that the optimization model can provide an optimal allocation of manpower that significantly reduces both waiting and operating costs.

Geographic Analysis of Neurosurgery Workforce in Korea.

ObjectiveIn respect of the health and safety of the public, universal access to health care is an issue of the greatest importance. The geographic distribution of doctors is one of the important factors contributing to access to health care. The aim of this study is to assess the imbalances in the geographic distribution of neurosurgeons across Korea.MethodsPopulation data was obtained from the National Statistical Office. We classified geographic groups into 7 metropolitan cities, 78 non-metropolitan cities, and 77 rural areas. The number of doctors and neurosurgeons per 100000 populations in each county unit was calculated using the total number of doctors and neurosurgeons at the country level from 2009 to 2015. The density levels of neurosurgeon and doctor were calculated and depicted in maps.ResultsBetween 2009 and 2015, the number of neurosurgeons increased from 2002 to 2557, and the ratio of neurosurgeons per 100000 populations increased from 4.02 to 4.96. The number of neurosurgeons per 100000 populations was highest in metropolitan cities and lowest in rural areas from 2009 to 2015. A comparison of the geographic distribution of neurosurgeons in 2009 and 2015 showed an increase in the regional gap. The neurosurgeon density was affected by country unit characteristics (p=0.000).ConclusionDistribution of neurosurgeons throughout Korea is uneven. Neurosurgeons are being increasingly concentrated in a limited number of metropolitan cities. This phenomenon will need to be accounted when planning for a supply of neurosurgeons, allocation of resources and manpower, and the provision of regional neurosurgical services.

Manpower allocation and vehicle routing problem in non-emergency ambulance transfer service

We present a manpower allocation and vehicle routing problem (MAVRP), which is a real-life healthcare problem derived from the non-emergency ambulance transfer service in Hong Kong public hospitals. Both manpower and vehicles are critical resources for the hospitals in their daily operations. The service provider needs to make an effective schedule to dispatch drivers, assistants and ambulances to transport patients scattered in different locations. We formulate the MAVRP into a mathematical programming model and propose several variable neighborhood search (VNS) algorithms to solve it. We tested the VNS with steepest descent, first descent and a mixed of two descent strategies on the MAVRP instances. The computational results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the VNS algorithms. Moreover, we also conducted additional experiments to analyze the impact of the number of vehicles on the solutions of the MAVRP instances.