Sequential Control of Homogeneous Activities—Linear Programming of Semi-Markovian Decisions

One simple method by which a manager can maintain a group of deteriorating activities at a high performance level is to inspect them in a fixed rotating sequence and immediately correct an activity performing at a low level. In this paper, this control method is applied to homogeneous independent activities under the assumption that the system of performance deterioration and improvement behaves as a semi-Markov chain. Two different plans to execute the control method are considered. Under one plan the rotating sequence stays fixed regardless of the conditions of activities, while under the other this sequence changes whenever an activity is in emergency and given immediate attention. Stationary solutions to optimal control strategies for these plans are obtained by the linear programming method for sequential decisions.