Automated Resource Assignment Adjustment for Understaffing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing resource assignment systems require human intervention to address understaffing issues, which is time-consuming and inefficient, especially when resources become unavailable due to maintenance or employee time-off requests.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that identifies periods of understaffing and automatically generates updated resource assignments by utilizing auxiliary resources, such as employees available for extra shifts, based on predefined rules and availability data, to balance schedules without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual intervention is used to balance understaffing situations by updating schedules, then resource assignment accuracy can be improved, but time consumption and operational efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects understaffing situations and generates updated schedules using available auxiliary resources without requiring manual supervisor intervention. The computing device independently performs the tasks of identifying understaffing periods, selecting appropriate resources, and creating revised assignments, enabling the system to serve itself rather than relying on human operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of schedule adjustment with an automated computing system. The computing device executes algorithms to analyze resource assignments, identify understaffing conditions, and generate corrected schedules, substituting human manual operations with automated computational processes that operate faster and without fatigue.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual schedule updating is performed to address resource unavailability, then scheduling accuracy can be maintained, but productivity and response speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system autonomously monitors resource availability and automatically generates updated schedules when understaffing is detected, eliminating the need for supervisors to manually intervene. The computing device independently completes the entire process from detection to solution generation, maintaining scheduling accuracy while dramatically improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system proactively identifies understaffing situations as they occur and immediately generates corrected schedules using available auxiliary resources. By performing the scheduling adjustment automatically at the moment of detection rather than waiting for manual intervention, the system maintains accuracy while enhancing response speed and overall productivity.
3Productivity
If automated systems are implemented to detect and resolve understaffing, then operational efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The computing device performs multiple functions within a single integrated system: it detects understaffing situations, identifies auxiliary resources, evaluates assignment rules, and generates updated schedules. By consolidating these diverse functions into one multi-functional system rather than separate specialized systems, the patent improves operational efficiency while managing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated system independently handles the entire understaffing resolution process without requiring external manual input or complex human-machine interfaces. The computing device self-manages detection, analysis, and schedule generation, which simplifies the operational workflow and reduces the complexity of human-system interaction despite the sophisticated automated processes involved.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for updating a first assignment of resources include: identifying, by a computing device, based on data describing a first assignment of resources, one or more time periods of the first assignment of resources for which there is an under-assignment of resources; and automatically generating, by the computing device, using data describing one or more auxiliary resources, data describing a second assignment of resources which assigns one or more of the auxiliary resources to the identified one or more time periods.