Developing an Optimisation-based Tool for Interviewer Workload Allocation
Household surveys are known to be a large expense for national statistical offices due to the cost of in-field interviews. Although the ABS offers online options for many household surveys, there still remain a large number of dwellings that require in-field interviewing or data collected over the phone by field interviewers. Intelligently and efficiently assigning sample to field interviewers is one task which may be used to reduce the cost of these surveys. We have been working to develop a new optimisation-based tool which offers efficiencies in the process of assigning in-field sample to interviewers.
The new workload allocation tool uses multiple stages of optimisation to automatically allocate selected dwellings from multiple surveys to interviewers subject to employment and operational constraints. The tool encompasses splitting surveys with long enumeration period into monthly chunks of work, time prediction, optimisation and visualisation and manipulation of allocations.
At the heart of the tool is mixed integer programming, and a unique spin on a classical assignment problem to fit the ABS case. The objective of each mixed integer program is to assign all selected dwellings to interviewers such that the total cost of the field interviewing for a month is minimised and all business and employment conditions are met.
The mathematical development of the tool is now complete and is undergoing testing.
For more information, please contact Kristy Naylor Methodology@abs.gov.au
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