Research Details

Abstract

Generalizing earlier work on staffing and routing in telephone call centers, we consider a processing network with multiple server pools, jobs that may require several processing opera- tions, doubly stochastic input flows, differentiated processing modes, and other features as well. Given a finite planning horizon, we address the two-level problem of capacity choice and dynamic system control. A tractable modeling framework is proposed, in which a pointwise stationary fluid model (PSFM) is used to approximate the system's dynamics. This framework allows one to develop practical policies with a computational burden that is manageable. Earlier work in more restrictive settings suggests that our method is asymptotically optimal in a parameter regime of practical interest, but this paper contains no formal limit theory. Rather, it develops a PSFM calculus that is broadly accessible, with an emphasis on modeling and practical computation.

Type

Article

Author(s)

Achal Bassamboo, J.Michael Harrison, Assaf Zeevi

Date Published

2009

Citations

Bassamboo, Achal, J.Michael Harrison, and Assaf Zeevi. 2009. Pointwise Stationary Fluid Models for Stochastic Processing Networks. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (M&SOM) .(1): 70-89.