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Combining Case-Based Reasoning with Tabu Search for Personnel Rostering Problems (2004)
| Citations: | 3 - 1 self |
BibTeX
@MISC{Beddoe04combiningcase-based,
author = {Gareth Beddoe and Sanja Petrovic},
title = {Combining Case-Based Reasoning with Tabu Search for Personnel Rostering Problems},
year = {2004}
}
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Abstract
In this paper we investigate the advantages of using Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) to solve personnel rostering problems. Constraints for personnel rostering problems are commonly categorised as either `hard' or `soft'. Hard constraints are those which must be satisfied and a roster which violates none of these constraints is considered to be `feasible'. Soft constraints are more flexible and are often used to measure roster quality in terms of sta# satisfaction. We introduce a method for repairing hard constraint violations using CBR. CBR is an artificial intelligence paradigm whereby new problems are solved by considering the solutions to previous similar problems. We store a history of hard constraint violations and their corresponding repairs, which is captured from human rostering experts, and use this to solve similar violations in new rosters. The soft constraints are not defined explicitly. Their treatment is captured implicitly during the repair of hard constraint violations. The knowledge in the case-base is combined with tabu search concepts in a hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm. Experiments on real world data from a UK hospital are presented. The results show that CBR can guide a meta-heuristic algorithm towards feasible solutions with high sta# satisfaction, without the need to explicitly define soft constraint objectives.
Keyphrases
personnel rostering problem hard constraint violation tabu search soft constraint roster quality previous similar problem case-based reasoning real world data artificial intelligence paradigm hard constraint meta-heuristic algorithm towards feasible solution new roster new problem hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm sta satisfaction tabu search concept similar violation soft constraint objective corresponding repair uk hospital high sta satisfaction
