A Network Flow Approach to the Initial Skills Training Scheduling Problem
Air Force Institute of Technology; Illig, Anthony A.
Synopsis "A Network Flow Approach to the Initial Skills Training Scheduling Problem"
The United States Air Force commissions new officers as they complete their undergraduate degree or their officer commissioning training. These officers are commissioned frequently throughout the calendar year, sometimes in large groups. In order to perform their job to the best of their abilities, they require proper training. With this in mind, it seems only natural that there exists a mathematical, repeatable and measurable method for scheduling these officers into their training courses to have them fully trained and available for Air Force duties in the timeliest manner. This thesis demonstrates that the goal of efficiently and effectively scheduling officers into their training courses is not being met, and it provides a method which can be utilized by the Air Force to ensure that the goal is actually achieved. The formulation is based upon a minimum cost network flow problem used to perform the scheduling. The algorithm solves the problem in a polynomial amount of time (in terms of the problem size) and gives the user measurable and comparable results. Further, numerous problem instances are presented in order to explore different decision alternatives which will enable the Air Force senior leadership to make informed decisions.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
