A dynamic input-output work capacity model for a group of agents

Work capacity models are very important tool in profiling a person against a defined set of competencies usually related to knowledge and skills, and the person´s physical and behavioral characteristics and constraints. In the case of an engineering student, for example, these set of competencies may be defined by a mentor or adviser such as, but are not limited to: knowledge on certain theoretical and practical aspects, skills in analyzing and designing engineering systems, leadership skills, and team-work, for example. Physical and behavioral characteristics, on the other hand, would depend on the person being assessed and various methods are also available in literature. However, work capacity models available in literature suffer from various drawbacks such as: 1) they do not reflect the fact that work capacity vary with time and external conditions; and 2) work capacity models are usually used to describe a single agent and not on a group of agents. In order to be able to include these drawbacks and convert them as added features, a dynamic input-output model describing the work capacity of a group of agents is devised using simple linear algebra and system theory concepts. We show that such models could be utilized in the academe in assessing the net work capacity (NWC) of a group of student working on a thesis topic, or even in the industry in assessing the NWC of a certain group of employees in a department, for example.