Rota: a research project on algorithms for workforce scheduling and shift design optimization

The typical process of planning and scheduling a rotating workforce in an o rganization consists in designing shifts and then assigning employees to th ese shifts and to periods of rest (days-off). Successfully solving these pr oblems has high practical relevance: Results from ergonomics indicate that shift schedules have a profound impact on the health and satisfaction of em ployees as well as on their performance at work. The solutions must also sa tisfy legal requirements and should meet the objectives of the employing or ganization. In the research project Rota, undertaken by the Database and Ar tificial Intelligence Group at the Vienna University of Technology in coope ration with Ximes Corp., systems for the design of shifts and assignment of employees to shifts and days-off were developed. We give an overview of th ese systems.