A workforce allocation and scheduling model for sequential service systems with disjoint service areas and resource sharing

Service and manufacturing systems typically involve processing entities (hereafter referred to as customers) through one or more human-operated service stations, where the arrival process of customers exhibits stochastic and nonstationary but estimable behavior. Achieving operational efficiency requires configuring service capacity to accommodate arrivals in a way that minimizes both service and customer waiting time costs. In this paper, we investigate the optimal configuration of service channels for such a system, along with the prescription of server work schedules and allocation to service stations. We propose a tractable input–output model to approximate queue dynamics, designed to be integrated into an optimization framework for configuration and workforce planning without introducing additional decision variables. The problem is motivated by the operation of Security Screening Checkpoints, which perform passenger and baggage screening at multiple locations in major U.S. airports.