Development of an Army Prototype PC-Based Enlisted Personnel Allocation System.
Abstract
The PC-based Enlisted Personnel Allocation System (EPAS) is designed to work in two modes--planning and simulation--with a design that can serve as the core of a production version. In planning mode the model provides analysis capability to Army managers by establishing the feasibility of new policy options, supply environments, and training restrictions. In simulation mode the model provides detailed analysis of impacts by simulating individual applicant flow and job assignment. As a research tool, EPAS will also be particularly useful in the examination of the effects of alternative selection and classification techniques under development by U.S. Army Research Institute psychologists. Linear programming is utilized to allocate 1 year's worth of recruit supply to MOS training requirements over a 24-month planning horizon so as to maximize the objective function (i.e., expected performance) while meeting manpower management and training constraints. This optimization planning problem has approximately 75,000 variables and 5,000 constraints. Reduced costs from the optimum planning solution are used to score and rank alternative (non-optional) training assignments for the current month's contractees. This produces an ordered list of training start dates for each supply group, ranked from best to worst in terms of objective function payoffs. This "optimal guidance" is input to a detailed procedure to classify (i.e., assign) individuals. Once the current month's contractees are assigned, the planning window is moved along 1 month and the cycle is repeated.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA304913
Entities
People
- Peter M. Greenston
- Ruth A. Rudnik