Server Routing-Scheduling Problem in Distributed Queueing System with Time-Varying Demand and Queue Length Control

Zerui Wu (), Ran Liu () and Ershun Pan ()
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Zerui Wu: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Ran Liu: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Ershun Pan: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

Transportation Science, 2023, vol. 57, issue 5, 1209-1230

Abstract: We study a server routing-scheduling problem in a distributed queueing system, where the system consists of multiple queues at different locations. In a distributed queueing system, servers are shared among multiple queues, and they travel between queues in response to stochastic and time-varying demands. Although server traveling can improve service levels and shorten queue lengths, server routing and scheduling is complicated. We propose a dynamic programming model to solve this special routing-scheduling problem with time-varying demand, stochastic travel time, and queue-length constraints. In order to tackle large-scale practical instances, we design a dynamic programming-based rollout heuristic algorithm. Experiments on large-scale airports and scenic spots show that our approach reduces the total working periods of servers/employees without violating queue-length constraints. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms existing benchmark methods and the practical schedules of a scenic spot.

Keywords: server routing-scheduling; queueing system; time-varying; queue length (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ortrsc:v:57:y:2023:i:5:p:1209-1230

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