Sequencing Human Tasks: A New Paradigm for Scheduling Research

该研究项目代表了建立人工任务调度的多学科理论这一广泛使命的第一步，该理论借鉴了经典调度理论、运筹学、人因工程以及其他人文和社会科学。本研究的目标是仓库订单拣选系统驱动理论的初步基础。为此目的，它打算(i)引入人工任务调度理论的概念，其中人类特征明确地纳入数学调度模型；（ii）探索单处理器问题，这将成为更复杂的“机器”环境的基础，如流程车间、作业车间和团队工作；评估任务排序对人员绩效、安全和健康的影响，特别是对劳动密集型仓库订单挑选系统中的订单排序的影响；报告与弥合运筹学（OR）和人因工程（HFE）之间差距相关的经验、机遇和挑战。在这个项目完成后，将有学术和实践社区的贡献。在学术上，该项目将通过吸引专门从事运筹学和人因工程的教师和学生参与独特的合作研究和教育活动，加强研究和教育的基础设施。它还有望以数学方式描述与半自动订单拣选过程相关的人类特征，并将其纳入调度模型，其解决方案根据人体工程学和生产力标准指定最佳拣选序列和中断时间表。研究结果将在主要会议和技术期刊上进行交流，这将有望激励其他研究人员探索OR在人类表现领域的潜力。因此，它有望吸引大量同样喜欢数学严谨性和/或算法开发的HFE研究生。最后，该项目展示了在劳动密集型服务职业中提高人类生产力、降低伤害风险、提高工作满意度和最小化人员流动率的潜力。人造的“符合人体工程学的拣选顺序”将在实际的仓储系统中实施，并将评估对上述标准的影响。

This research project represents the initial steps towards a broad mission of establishing a multi-disciplinary theory of human task scheduling that draws upon classical scheduling theory, operations research, human factors engineering, and eventually other human and social sciences. This research targets warehouse order picking systems to drive the initial foundation for the theory. To this end, it is intended to (i) Introduce the notion of human task scheduling theory in which human characteristics are explicitly incorporated into mathematical scheduling models; (ii) Explore the single processor problem, which will form the foundation for more complex "machine" environments such as flow shops, job shops, and team work; (iii) Assess the impact of task sequencing on human performance, safety, and health, particularly order sequencing in labor-intensive warehouse order picking systems; and (iv) Report experiences, opportunities, and challenges associated with bridging the gap between Operations Research (OR) and Human Factor Engineering (HFE). Upon completion of this project, there will be contributions to both the academic and practicing communities. Academically, this project will enhance infrastructure for research and education by engaging faculty and students specializing in Operations Research and Human Factors Engineering in unique collaborative research and educational activities. It is also expected to mathematically describe the human characteristics associated with semi-automated order picking processes, and incorporate them into scheduling models whose solutions specify optimal pick sequences and break schedules with respect to ergonomic and productivity criteria. The findings will be communicated at major conferences and technical journals in both the OR and HFE areas, which will hopefully inspire other researchers to explore the potential of OR in contributing to the human performance domain. Consequently, it is expect to attract a critical mass of HFE graduate students who also enjoy mathematical rigor and/or algorithmic development. Finally, this project demonstrates the potential to improve human productivity, reduce the risk of injury, enhance job satisfaction, and minimize job-turnover in a labor-intensive service occupation. The contrived "ergonomic pick sequences" will implemented in real warehousing systems and the impact with respect to the above-mentioned criteria will be assessed.