Work Force Management (WFM)

Cost Reduction of Telecommunication Network Provisioning Operation and Maintenance is today a strategic issue for Telco operators. Workforce Management (WFM) environments and techniques allow a dramatic cost and performance improvement for the "on the field" technicians management. Basic functionalities offered by the WFM environments are: automated task assignment to workers and mobile office techniques. CSELT has developed a WFM environment to evaluate the cost reduction and performance improvement by using Artificial Intelligence and Operations Research techniques to automatically assign the tasks, Data Transmission techniques based on GSM-SMS (Short Message Service) and Inmarsat-C Satellite communication, geographical localization and representation using GPS (Global Position Satellite) and GIS (Geographical Information System) and Mobile Office techniques. This paper describes: the CSELT WFM environment with particular emphasis with the Automatic Assignment Algorithm and the results obtained during the extensive field trials in two Telecom Italia Control and Operation Centers.