1. How can you use workforce scheduling methods to schedule the umpires this coming summer?

2. Can you think of other situations where workforce scheduling can be applied in your life?

Ross Davis is a member of his county sheriff department€™s softball team. Every summer, the team plays about 20 games against other teams in its league that represent fire stations, other police departments, and religious groups. The biggest challenge in scheduling the games has been a lack of available umpires. With 14 teams in the league and only 6 umpires, it is tricky scheduling the softball games around the township.

Ross is responsible for scheduling the umpires. Last year, he was told that the umpires would like to work consecutive nights, when possible, but not more than four times each week. The staffing requirements for umpires for a typical week of the season are given in the table below.

Day Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday Sunday Wednesday Saturday Umpires required