Project Title: Automated Scheduling System in Flexible Workforce
Student: Wen Jing
Course: Bsc in Computer Science and Business Management Studies

Abstract:
This dissertation is about creating a program focusing on algorithm to generate assignments 
of tasks to personnel. It is tackling a combinatorial optimization problem in the field of flexible 
workforce scheduling. Before that I researched several candidate scenarios to find out the typical 
problems in workforce.
An international relocation company has a flexible type of staff, services, and various constraints 
that have to be considered when accepting a new clients' request and creating a schedule. This 
dissertation aims to create a product that will maximize the number of tasks accepted whilst 
minimize operating cost through scheduling.
The project will start by analyzing the problem and conducting a literature review along with 
reviewing exiting software to identify a gap within the market. From this analysis stage a list 
of hard and soft constraints were identified along with a functional specification which will 
outline and be the bases of the design and implementation stages. The design has greatly 
considered the end user in terms of functionality and interfacing, designing a system that 
will allow customization and flexibility whilst still maintaining an automated process.
The implementation consisted of creating and following the design process whilst making 
amendments as were necessary to ensure a fluid design of functions and formulae. The rapid 
prototyping approach allowed changes and improvements to be made quickly as any problems 
arose allowing the system to be designed more accurately. As the design split the program into 
smaller functions this allowed smaller areas of the program to be changed without having great 
implications on the rest of the program.
Finally this report concludes by carrying out a testing checking the system can cope with various 
types of typical and extreme data. It has also allowed the protection put into place to be tested 
and to test the boundary and validation on data. The conclusion summarizes the report considers 
how effectively it has met the specification, and outlines areas of further study along with any 
improvement that could be made.