Shift Design and Driver Scheduling Problem

Abstract: Scheduling problem and shift design problems are well known NP-hard problems within the optimization area. Often time, the two problems are studied individually. In this thesis however, we are looking at the combination of both problems. More specifically, the aim of this thesis is to suggest an optimal scheduling policy given that there are no predefined shifts to begin with. The duration of a shift, along with the start and end time may vary. Thus we have proposed to split the problem into two sub-problems: weekly scheduling problem and daily scheduling problem. As there are no exact solution methods that are feasible, two meta-heuristics method has been employed to solve the sub-problems: Simulated Annealing (SA) and Genetic Algorithm (GA). We have provided proofs of concepts for both methods as well as explored the scalability. This is especially important as the number of employee is expected to grow significantly throughout the year. The results obtained has shown to be promising and can be built upon for further capabilities.