Larry Edison Is The Director Of The Computer Center For Buck
Larry Edison Is The Director Of The Computer Center For Buckly College
Larry Edison is the director of the Computer Center for Buckly College. He needs to schedule the staffing of the center, which is open from 8 am until midnight. Based on monitored usage data, specific staffing requirements for computer consultants have been identified across different time periods. Two types of consultants are available: full-time and part-time. Full-time consultants work for eight consecutive hours in designated shifts: morning (8 am–4 pm), afternoon (noon–8 pm), and evening (4 pm–midnight). They are paid $14 per hour. Part-time consultants can be hired for the same shifts, but are paid $12 per hour. An additional staffing constraint is that during each time period, there must be at least two full-time consultants for every part-time consultant. Larry aims to determine the optimal number of full-time and part-time consultants to schedule for each shift to meet these requirements at the minimum total cost.
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The problem described is a classical example of a linear programming problem, specifically a staffing optimization problem with multiple constraints. Linear programming (LP) problems involve optimizing a linear objective function subject to a set of linear equality and inequality constraints. The goal in this context is to minimize costs associated with staffing while satisfying coverage and ratio constraints across different shifts.
This problem fits into the category of transportation and workforce scheduling LP problems, often categorized under resource allocation or integer programming when the decision variables are restricted to integers. Since the problem involves continuous variables representing the number of consultants (which can be approximated as integers in practical settings), it is a linear programming problem with decision variables for full-time and part-time staffing levels in each shift, cost minimization, and specific ratio constraints.
The reason it is a linear programming problem is that the objective function—total staffing cost—can be expressed as a linear combination of staffing variables, each multiplied by their respective hourly wages and hours worked. The constraints—covering staffing requirements per shift and ratios—are also linear inequalities or equations. Hence, the problem conforms to the LP framework.
The LP formulation embodies decision variables:
- \( FT_m, FT_a, FT_e \): number of full-time consultants in morning, afternoon, and evening shifts.
- \( PT_m, PT_a, PT_e \): number of part-time consultants in morning, afternoon, and evening shifts.
Objective function:
\[
\text{Minimize} \quad 14 \times (8 \times (FT_m + FT_a + FT_e)) + 12 \times (\text{hours worked by part-timers})
\]
but specifically, since part-timers can work one shift, and the wages are per hour, the total cost would be the sum of hours times respective wages.
Constraints:
- Staffing coverage requirements per shift (minimum number of consultants per shift)
- Ratio constraints: for each shift,
\[
\text{Full-time} \geq 2 \times \text{Part-time}
\]
These constraints ensure coverage and ratio conditions are satisfied during each time period, emphasizing the need for the LP model to adhere to both capacity and ratio constraints.
The model can be constructed and solved using spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel, with the Solver add-in, enabling the visualization of optimal staffing solutions at minimal cost.
Below is a basic algebraic summary of the model:
Decision Variables:
- \( FT_m, FT_a, FT_e \): number of full-time consultants in morning, afternoon, and evening shifts
- \( PT_m, PT_a, PT_e \): number of part-time consultants in morning, afternoon, and evening shifts
Objective Function:
\[
\text{Minimize} \quad 14 \times 8 \times (FT_m + FT_a + FT_e) + 12 \times (\text{hours worked by part-timers across shifts})
\]
or expressed explicitly, taking into account the hours per shift.
Constraints:
1. Staffing requirements per shift (e.g., minimum consultants needed):
\[
FT_m + PT_m \geq \text{minimum for morning}
\]
Similarly for afternoon and evening shifts, based on usage patterns.
2. Ratio constraints:
\[
FT_m \geq 2 \times PT_m,\quad FT_a \geq 2 \times PT_a,\quad FT_e \geq 2 \times PT_e
\]
3. Non-negativity:
\[
FT_m, FT_a, FT_e, PT_m, PT_a, PT_e \geq 0
\]
In practice, these variables are often modeled as integers, necessitating integer LP, but initial formulations may treat them as continuous variables for simplicity.
Performing the model solution involves inputting the variables and constraints into a solver, which computes the optimal staffing levels. The result indicates the minimum-cost staffing schedule that fulfills all operational constraints.
References:
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