Setting Optimal Prices
Case Study
Increased Efficiency when Using Highly Specialized Teams
Case Study
Increased Efficiency when Using Highly Specialized Teams
Organising Highly Specialised Worker Collaboration with Maximum Efficiency
Coordinating teams of experts in shift operations presents a constant challenge for companies. Specifically, it is inherently difficult to schedule staff in a way that brings together employees with unique qualifications while optimising relevant expertise for complex tasks whenever the need arises within a team. With this in mind, we developed a client-friendly tool that optimises shift planning for aircraft maintenance staff.
Challenge
In highly specialised teams, varied employee skills intertwine in such a way that efficient task management only occurs if all required qualifications can be called upon when needed. In complex areas of operation such as aircraft maintenance and production processes wherein varied experts must work hand in hand—as well as in hospital medical teams, larger construction projects and anywhere employee competency cannot be exchanged or replaced at will—skill profiles and time availabilities must be interlocked with each other under highly diverse framework conditions when planning assignments so that participant interaction runs smoothly.
Our Contribution
In one such case, we supported an international consulting company in planning shifts for aircraft maintenance staff in the best possible way with regard to effectiveness and efficiency. For this purpose, we developed a mathematical model that describes, on one hand, demand (i.e., availability requirements for employees with specific qualifications), and on the other, duty scheduling constraints for the employees concerned—taking into account their individual working time models, planned absences and other restrictions.
The optimisation tool we implemented on this basis paves the way for shift schedules that integrate and utilise available personnel resources in an optimal fashion to prevent delays with respect to planned work processes.
As part of this consulting project, our client used this as a platform from which to examine and optimise varied planning scenarios with his client, developing recommendations for staff scheduling actions accordingly.
Benefits for the Client
- Utilising the optimisation tool to examine varied scenarios with unique planning restrictions provided the ability to quantify the influence of said restrictions on staff deployment efficiencies.
- The tool made it possible to examine the advantages and disadvantages of various part-time working time models.
- Executed analyses ultimately unearthed shift planning and scheduling recommendations and subsequent action with regard to the most effective employee deployments.
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