A DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR SCHEDULING PERSONNEL IN A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHING ENVIRONMENT

We developed and implemented a PC-based decision support system for pl anning and scheduling part-time workers at a local newspaper company. The system addresses two important issues: generating requirements for part-time workers for each shift and scheduling them based on certain criteria. We used a rule-based system to generate the requirements an d a heuristic search procedure incorporated into the system to develop schedules. The system has been in use for the past two years and has resulted in a 16-percent reduction in the number of part-time workers hired, which translates to an annual savings of $50,000. It has also r educed the time supervisors spend generating requirements and schedule s for part-time workers.