Pio Chibuzor | Godfrey Okoye University, Nigeria (original) (raw)
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Papers by Pio Chibuzor
Journal of Scheduling, 2004
Nurse rostering is a complex scheduling problem that affects hospital personnel on a daily basis ... more Nurse rostering is a complex scheduling problem that affects hospital personnel on a daily basis all over the world. The need for quality software solutions is acute for a number of reasons. In particular, it is very important to efficiently utilise time and effort, to evenly balance the workload among people and to attempt to satisfy personnel preferences. A high quality roster can lead to a more contented and thus more effective workforce. In this review, we discuss nurse rostering within the global personnel scheduling problem in healthcare. We begin by briefly discussing the review and overview papers that have appeared in the literature and by noting the role that nurse rostering plays within the wider context of longer term hospital personnel planning. The main body of the paper describes and critically evaluates solution approaches which span the interdisciplinary spectrum from operations research techniques to artificial intelligence methods. We conclude by drawing on the strengths and weaknesses of the literature to outline the key issues that need addressing in future nurse rostering research.
Computing Research Repository, 2008
There is considerable interest in the use of genetic algorithms to solve problems arising in the ... more There is considerable interest in the use of genetic algorithms to solve problems arising in the areas of scheduling and timetabling. However, the classical genetic algorithm paradigm is not well equipped to handle the conflict between objectives and constraints that typically occurs in such problems. In order to overcome this, successful implementations frequently make use of problem specific knowledge. This paper is concerned with the development of a GA for a nurse rostering problem at a major UK hospital. The structure of the constraints is used as the basis for a co-evolutionary strategy using cooperating sub-populations. Problem specific knowledge is also used to define a system of incentives and disincentives, and a complementary mutation operator. Empirical results based on 52 weeks of live data show how these features are able to improve an unsuccessful canonical GA to the point where it is able to provide a practical solution to the problem.
European Journal of Operational Research, 2004
This paper presents a review of staff scheduling and rostering, an area that has become increasin... more This paper presents a review of staff scheduling and rostering, an area that has become increasingly important as business becomes more service oriented and cost conscious in a global environment.Optimised staff schedules can provide enormous benefits, but require carefully implemented decision support systems if an organisation is to meet customer demands in a cost effective manner while satisfying requirements such as flexible workplace agreements, shift equity, staff preferences, and part-time work. In addition, each industry sector has its own set of issues and must be viewed in its own right. There are many computer software packages for staff scheduling, ranging from spreadsheet implementations of manual processes through to mathematical models using efficient optimal or heuristic algorithms. We do not review software packages in this paper. Rather, we review rostering problems in specific application areas, and the models and algorithms that have been reported in the literature for their solution. We also survey commonly used methods for solving rostering problems.
Multimedia applications are becoming ubiquitous. Unlike conventional interactive and batch applic... more Multimedia applications are becoming ubiquitous. Unlike conventional interactive and batch applications, these applications often have real-time requirements. As multimedia applications are integrated with conventional non-real-time applications in the generalpurpose computing environment, the problem arises of how to support the resulting mix of activities. A key question is how does the operating system schedule processor cycles to
Journal of Scheduling, 2004
Nurse rostering is a complex scheduling problem that affects hospital personnel on a daily basis ... more Nurse rostering is a complex scheduling problem that affects hospital personnel on a daily basis all over the world. The need for quality software solutions is acute for a number of reasons. In particular, it is very important to efficiently utilise time and effort, to evenly balance the workload among people and to attempt to satisfy personnel preferences. A high quality roster can lead to a more contented and thus more effective workforce. In this review, we discuss nurse rostering within the global personnel scheduling problem in healthcare. We begin by briefly discussing the review and overview papers that have appeared in the literature and by noting the role that nurse rostering plays within the wider context of longer term hospital personnel planning. The main body of the paper describes and critically evaluates solution approaches which span the interdisciplinary spectrum from operations research techniques to artificial intelligence methods. We conclude by drawing on the strengths and weaknesses of the literature to outline the key issues that need addressing in future nurse rostering research.
Computing Research Repository, 2008
There is considerable interest in the use of genetic algorithms to solve problems arising in the ... more There is considerable interest in the use of genetic algorithms to solve problems arising in the areas of scheduling and timetabling. However, the classical genetic algorithm paradigm is not well equipped to handle the conflict between objectives and constraints that typically occurs in such problems. In order to overcome this, successful implementations frequently make use of problem specific knowledge. This paper is concerned with the development of a GA for a nurse rostering problem at a major UK hospital. The structure of the constraints is used as the basis for a co-evolutionary strategy using cooperating sub-populations. Problem specific knowledge is also used to define a system of incentives and disincentives, and a complementary mutation operator. Empirical results based on 52 weeks of live data show how these features are able to improve an unsuccessful canonical GA to the point where it is able to provide a practical solution to the problem.
European Journal of Operational Research, 2004
This paper presents a review of staff scheduling and rostering, an area that has become increasin... more This paper presents a review of staff scheduling and rostering, an area that has become increasingly important as business becomes more service oriented and cost conscious in a global environment.Optimised staff schedules can provide enormous benefits, but require carefully implemented decision support systems if an organisation is to meet customer demands in a cost effective manner while satisfying requirements such as flexible workplace agreements, shift equity, staff preferences, and part-time work. In addition, each industry sector has its own set of issues and must be viewed in its own right. There are many computer software packages for staff scheduling, ranging from spreadsheet implementations of manual processes through to mathematical models using efficient optimal or heuristic algorithms. We do not review software packages in this paper. Rather, we review rostering problems in specific application areas, and the models and algorithms that have been reported in the literature for their solution. We also survey commonly used methods for solving rostering problems.
Multimedia applications are becoming ubiquitous. Unlike conventional interactive and batch applic... more Multimedia applications are becoming ubiquitous. Unlike conventional interactive and batch applications, these applications often have real-time requirements. As multimedia applications are integrated with conventional non-real-time applications in the generalpurpose computing environment, the problem arises of how to support the resulting mix of activities. A key question is how does the operating system schedule processor cycles to