Resource Cost Calculation in PSO

Hi.  I hope the following information helps.  Thanks!  Jane

Here are the answers to your three queries regarding Resource Cost Calculation in IFS PSO (Planning & Scheduling Optimization):

1. Resource Cost Calculation & Formula in PSO

In IFS PSO (Dynamic Scheduling Engine - DSE), Cost functions as a key optimization metric used to evaluate and score competing schedules. The total resource cost for a schedule is calculated by summing several cost components defined across the Resource, Resource Type, Shift, and Travel setup.

Formula Breakdown

$$\text{Total Resource Cost} = \text{Shift Fixed Cost} + \text{Normal Work Cost} + \text{Overtime Work Cost} + \text{Travel Distance Cost} + \text{Travel Time Cost}$$

Where:

• Shift Fixed Cost (shift_cost): A flat cost incurred simply by activating/utilizing a shift for a resource.

• Normal Work Cost: $\text{Normal Hours Spent} \times \text{Cost/Hr}$

• Overtime Work Cost: $\text{Overtime Hours Spent} \times \text{Cost/Hr (OT)}$

• Travel Distance Cost: $\text{Travel Distance (km/miles)} \times \text{Cost/km (or Cost/mile)}$

• Travel Time Cost: $\text{Travel Duration (hours)} \times \text{Applicable Hourly Rate (Normal or OT)}$

(Note: Additional penalty costs—such as out-of-region penalties, SLA breach costs, or availability window costs—may also apply depending on your scheduling dataset rules).

2. Where to View Resource Cost in PSO

• Base Values vs. Calculated Costs:

  • Base Values / Configured Rates: Inputs like Cost/Hr, Cost/Hr (OT), Cost/km, and Shift Cost are static setup values defined under Resource, Resource Type, or Shift Type definitions.

  • Calculated Costs for a Schedule: To view the actual evaluated cost resulting from PSO's schedule generation:

    1. PSO Workbench — Explanations / Score Breakdown Tab: Navigate to the Explanations tab or Score Breakdown view in PSO Workbench. This displays a line-item breakdown of the total schedule score and penalty/cost components per resource schedule (e.g., Travel Cost, Shift Cost, Overtime Cost).

    2. Schedule Details / Data Viewer Grids: In the plan tables or schedule views, view columns such as Shift Cost, Travel Cost, Overtime Cost, and Total Cost calculated for each shift.

    3. Plan Summary / Analytics Dashboard: Aggregates overall cost and resource utilization across the entire scheduling dataset.

3. Return Travel in Overtime: Cost/Hr vs. Cost/Hr(OT)

• Scenario:

  • Normal Shift: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

  • Overtime Window: 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM

  • Task: 2 hours (completed by 4:30 PM)

  • Return Travel: 30 minutes (4:30 PM – 5:00 PM)

• Answer: PSO calculates the return travel using the Overtime rate (Cost/Hr (OT)).

• Reasoning:

  • PSO calculates costs dynamically based on the time interval during which the activity or travel actually occurs.

  • Because the return travel segment (4:30 PM – 5:00 PM) falls inside the Overtime Shift Window (4:30 PM – 8:30 PM), PSO applies the Overtime Hourly Rate (Cost/Hr (OT)) (along with any overtime travel multipliers) to that 30-minute travel window, even though the task itself was finished during normal shift hours.

Hi Jane.

Thank you so much for timely reply and explanation.

Could you please share some screen shot or the navigation to the screen for the Point#2 Where to View Resource Cost in PSO. I was checking in PSO Workbench but couldn’t find the screen where I can see the schedule cost.

Thanks a lot again.

Regards,