Project description

The versatility of workers is of increasing importance. To obtain a certain level of versatility it is necessary to schedule the tasks taking into account learning and forgetting. Previously, the problem has been treated sparingly and without the approach applied here. The objective of this project is to develop procedures for scheduling tasks and assigning them to workers taking into account learning, forgetting and the influence of experience on some tasks in performance in others, so that the production objectives and, at the same time, certain levels of versatility are obtained. This general objective is broken down into the following specific objectives:

1. Study and analyze in business reality the problems of work planning under study, so that the different aspects of the phenomena to be treated are considered realistically.

2. Classify the observed characteristics and, from this classification, identify the problems to be solved. The following factors are expected to be considered, among others: (a) Initial skill levels, (b) Learning curves, (c) Influence of experience in some performance tasks in others, (d) Forgetting, understanding as such the decrease in performance as a result of interruptions in the development of a task, (e) Establishment of learning objectives.

3. Model the problems identified by mathematical programming, in order to find the optimal solution.

4. Solve numerically defined mathematical programs, through optimization software or, if necessary, with the use of heuristic procedures.

5. Develop a management methodology for the implementation of the procedures developed.

It is also intended, through international collaborations, to reinforce some key aspects for the project as well as to boost and strengthen the group's international relations on the subject.

Amount: 12.100,00 €