Service Management, Student Workbook: An Integrated Approach to Supply Chain Management and Operations

16. Vehicle Routing and Scheduling

16.7. Summary of the Chapter

Effective routing and scheduling of service vehicles are two important and difficult problems for managers of services. The consequences of poor planning are costly, and a decision maker must frequently fine-tune the system to ensure that the needs of the customers are met in a timely and cost-effective fashion. The criterion used to measure the effectiveness of service delivery depends on the type of service. Although minimizing total cost is an important criterion, for some services, criteria such as minimizing customer inconvenience and minimizing response time may be equally if not more important.

The solution of routing and scheduling problems begins with a careful description ...