Effects of personnel availability and competency on fleet readiness

Abstract

The planning of future operations is a complex process that requires knowledge and understanding of many different factors and resources. Although there is much literature on maintenance planning, existing work lacks the integration of robust personnel work schedules into scheduling algorithms. Thus the objective of this research is to develop a procedure that aids in the shortterm planning of operations by predicting the future readiness level of a fleet of vehicles that are subjected to various personnel factors. This research presents a procedure that combines two different models to appropriately predict readiness levels at the end of a seven-period horizon. This first model is a Monte Carlo simulation that determines different personnel availability scenarios based on three different factors that affect the net resource pool of workers of a maintenance unit. These scenarios are then entered into a binary integer linear program (BILP) which iteratively optimizes fleet maintenance schedules on a daily basis. An overall fleet readiness level with a certain degree of probability is determined which serves as an extremely useful tool for operations planning. In addition, sensitivity analysis is presented on the different factors affecting personnel availability that can serve as useful aids in operational decisionmaking.