Survey and Classification of Operational Control Problems in Discrete Event Logistics Systems (DELS)

Area of Science:

• Operations Research
• Logistics Management
• Systems Engineering

Background:

• Discrete event logistics systems (DELS) require effective operational control to manage item flow.
• Existing literature on DELS control lacks a unified classification system.
• Understanding control decisions is crucial for developing effective analysis models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and classify existing literature on the operational control of DELS.
• To develop a functional classification framework for DELS control problems.
• To identify the core atomic control decisions required for DELS.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of operational control in DELS.
• Classification of control problems based on analysis model support.
• Development of abstract functional definitions for control decisions.

Main Results:

• Identified five fundamental types of atomic control decisions within DELS literature.
• Demonstrated that these five decisions, individually or combined, cover the surveyed control problems.
• Proposed standard functional definitions for operational control decisions.

Conclusions:

• A standardized classification of control decisions enhances the discovery of analysis models.
• Functional definitions promote interoperability between different decision-support models for DELS.
• This framework provides a foundation for future research in DELS operational control.