Efficient Seat Utilization in Global IT Delivery Service Systems

Rapidly growing service delivery organizations need efficient tools to manage their business and reduce the cost of growth. These delivery businesses run round the clock due to demands coming from different geographical locations for different shifts. Cost of adding new physical infrastructure and space to tap incoming business is a key inhibitor of growth. Physical space availability and its effective management is the key infrastructure enabler for effective business delivery apart from human resources. A considerable impact can be realized if space utilization can be increased by optimal allocation around different work shifts. Optimal space utilization can bring down the number of physical seats required to serve the existing demand and also allow service delivery organizations to commit to new business needs with the existing capacity. The paper addresses this business problem and proposes an effective seat utilization planning solution using a mathematical programming approach to meet various strategic and tactical business objectives in this setting.