5

UNIT 5 ASSIGNMENT PROBLEMS

Structure
5.1 Introduction
Objectives
5.2 Assignment Problem and Its Solution
5.3 Some Special Cases
Maximisation Problem
The Unbalanced Assignment Problem
Alternative Optimal Solutions
Restriction on Assignments
5.4 Travelling Salesman Problem
5.5 Summary
5.6 Solutions/Answers
5.1 INTRODUCTION
In Block 1 of this course, we have discussed the basic concepts related to
Linear Programming Problems and the Simplex method for solving them. The
Transportation Problem was also discussed in Block 1. In this unit, we explain
the Assignment problem and discuss various methods for solving it.
The assignment problem deals with allocating various resources (items) to
various activities (receivers) on a one to one basis, i.e., the number of
operations are to be assigned to an equal number of operators where each
operator performs only one operation. For example, suppose an accounts
officer has 4 subordinates and 4 tasks. The subordinates differ in efficiency
and take different time to perform each task. If one task is to be assigned to
one person in such a way that the total person hours are minimised, the
problem is called an assignment problem. Though the assignment problem is
a special case of transportation problem, it is not solved using the methods
described in Unit 4. We use another method called the Hungarian method for
solving an assignment problem. It is shorter and easier compared to any
method of finding the optimal solution of a transportation problem. In this
unit, we discuss various types of assignment problems, including travelling
salesman problem and apply the Hungarian method for solving these
problems.
In the next unit, we shall discuss the fundamental structure and operating
characteristics of a queueing system and explain a single server M/M/1
queueing model with Poisson input and exponential service time.
Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to:
 formulate an assignment problem;
 determine the optimal solutions of assignment problems using the
Hungarian method;
 obtain the solutions for special cases of assignment problems, i.e,
maximisation problem, unbalanced assignment problem, alternative
optimal solutions and restriction on assignments; and
 solve the travelling salesman problem as an assignment problem.
Optimisation Techniques-II
6
5.2 ASSIGNMENT PROBLEM AND ITS
SOLUTION
An assignment problem may be considered as a special type of transportation
problem in which the number of sources and destinations are equal. The
capacity of each source as well as the requirement of each destination is taken
as 1. In the case of an assignment problem, the given matrix must necessarily
be a square matrix which is not the condition for a transportation problem.
Suppose there are n persons and n jobs and the assignment of jobs has to be
done on a one-to-one basis. This assignment problem can be stated in the form
of an n×n matrix of real numbers (known as the cost matrix) as given in the
following table:
Person
Job
1 2 . . . j . . . n
1
2
.
.
.
i
.
.
.
n
C11 C12 . . . C1j … C1n
C21 C22 . . . C2j … C2n
.
.
.
Ci1 Ci2 . . . Cij … Cin
.
.
.
Cn1 Cn2 . . . Cnj … Cnn
where cij represents the amount of time taken by ith person to complete the j
th
job. Let xij denote the j
th job assigned to the ith person. Then, mathematically,
the assignment problem can be stated as follows:
Minimise Z =
n m
ij ij
i 1 j 1
c x
 
 , where
i 1,2,...,n 
and
j 1,2,...,n. 
subject to
th th
ij th th
1 if thei person isassigned the j job
x
0 if thei person is not assigned the j job
ì
ï
= í
ï
î
,
th
i1 i2 in
th
1j 2 j nj
x x ... x 1, i 1,2,...,n (one jobisdoneby thei person)
x x ... x 1, j 1,2,...,n (onlyoneperson isassigned the j job)
    
    
The constant cij in the above problem represents time. It may be cost or some
other parameter which is to be minimised in the assignment problem under
consideration.
Note that an assignment problem is a special type of transportation problem
and may be solved as one. However, we use another method known as the
Hungarian method for solving it. This method is shorter and easier compared
to any other method of finding the optimal solution of a transportation
problem. Let us explain the Hungarian method of finding the optimal solution
of an assignment problem.
Assignment Problems
7
Hungarian Method of Solving an Assignment Problem
The steps for obtaining an optimal solution of an assignment problem are as
follows:
1. Check whether the given matrix is square. If not, make it square by adding
a suitable number of dummy rows (or columns) with 0 cost/time elements.
2. Locate the smallest cost element in each row of the cost matrix. Subtract
the smallest element of each row from every element of that row.
3. In the resulting cost matrix, locate the smallest element in each column and
subtract the smallest element of each column from every element of that
column.
4. In the resulting matrix, search for an optimum assignment as follows:
i) Examine the rows successively until a row with exactly one zero is
found. Draw a rectangle around this zero (as
0
) and cross out all
other zeroes in the corresponding column. Proceed in this manner
until all the rows have been examined. If there is more than one zero
in any row, do not touch that row; pass on to the next row.
ii) Repeat step (i) above for the columns of the resulting cost matrix.
iii) If a row or column of the reduced matrix contains more than one
zeroes, arbitrarily choose a row or column having the minimum
number of zeroes. Arbitrarily select any zero in the row or column so
chosen. Draw a rectangle around it and cross out all the zeroes in the
corresponding row and column. Repeat steps (i), (ii) and (iii) until all
the zeroes have either been assigned (by drawing a rectangle around
them) or crossed.
iv) If each row and each column of the resulting matrix has one and only
one assigned 0, the optimum assignment is made in the cells
corresponding to
0 . The optimum solution of the problem is
attained and you can stop here.
Otherwise, go to the next step.
5. Draw the minimum number of horizontal and/or vertical lines through all
the zeroes as follows:
i) Tick mark (  ) the rows in which assignment has not been made.
ii) Tick mark (  ) columns, which have zeroes in the marked rows.
iii) Tick mark (  ) rows (not already marked) which have assignments
in marked columns. Then tick mark (  ) columns, which have
zeroes in newly marked rows, if any. Tick mark (  ) rows (not
already marked), which have assignments in these newly marked
columns.
iv) Draw straight lines through all unmarked rows and marked columns.
6. Revise the cost matrix as follows:
i) Find the smallest element not covered by any of the lines.
ii) Subtract this from all the uncovered elements and add it to the
elements at the intersection of the two lines.
iii) Other elements covered by the lines remain unchanged.
7. Repeat the procedure until an optimum solution is attained.
Optimisation Techniques-II
8
We now illustrate the procedure with the help of an example.
Example 1: A computer centre has four expert programmers and needs to
develop four application programmes. The head of the computer centre,
estimates the computer time (in minutes) required by the respective experts to
develop the application programmes as follows:
Programmes
A B C D
Programmers 1 120 100 80 90
2 80 90 110 70
3 110 140 120 100
4 90 90 80 90
Find the assignment pattern that minimises the time required to develop the
application programmes.
Solution: Let us subtract the minimum element of each row from every
element of that row. Note that the minimum element in the first row is 80. So
80 is to be subtracted from every element of the first row, i.e., from 120, 100,
80 and 90, respectively. As a result, the elements of the first row of the
resulting matrix would be 40, 20, 0, 10, respectively. Similarly, we obtain the
elements of the other rows of the resulting matrix. Thus, the resulting matrix
is:
A B C D
1 40 20 0 10
2 10 20 40 0
3 10 40 20 0
4 10 10 0 10
Let us now subtract the minimum element of each column from every element
of that column in the resulting matrix. The minimum element in the first
column is 10. So 10 is to be subtracted from every element of the first column,
i.e., from 40, 10, 10, and 10, respectively. As a result, the elements of the first
column of the resulting matrix are 30, 0, 0, 0, respectively. Similarly, we
obtain the elements of the other columns of the resulting matrix. Thus, the
resulting matrix is:
A B C D
1 30 10 0 10
2 0 10 40 0
3 0 30 20 0
4 0 0 0 10
Now, starting from first row onward, we draw a rectangle around the 0 in each
row having a single zero and cross all other zeroes in the corresponding
column. Here, in the very first row we find a single zero. So, we draw a
rectangle around it and cross all other zeroes in the corresponding column.
We get
Assignment Problems
9
A B C D
1 30 10 0 10
2 0 10 40 0
3 0 30 20 0
4 0 0 0 10
In the second, third and fourth row, there is no single zero. Hence, we
move column-wise. In the second column, we have a single zero. Hence, we
draw a rectangle around it and cross all other zeroes in the corresponding row.
We get
A B C D
1 30 10 0 10
2 0 10 40 0
3 0 30 20 0
4 0 0 0 10
In the matrix above, there is no row or column, which has a single zero.
Therefore, we first move row-wise to locate the row having more than one
zero. The second row has two zeroes. So, we draw a rectangle arbitrarily
around one of these zeroes and cross the other one. Let us draw a rectangle
around the zero in the cell (2, A) and cross the zero in the cell (2, D). We
cross out the other zeroes in the first column. Note that we could just as well
have selected the zero in the cell (2, D), drawn a rectangle around it and
crossed all other zeroes. This would have led to an alternative solution.
In this way, we are left with only one zero in every row and column around
which a rectangle has been drawn. This means that we have assigned only
one operation to one operator. Thus, we get the optimum solution as follows:
A B C D
1 30 10 0 10
2 0 10 40 0
3 0 30 20 0
4 0 0 0 10
Note that the assignment of jobs should be made on the basis of the cells
corresponding to the zeroes around which rectangles have been drawn.
Therefore, the optimum solution for this problem is:
1  C, 2  A, 3  D, 4  B
This means that programmer 1 is assigned programme C, programmer 2 is
assigned programme A, and so on. The minimum time taken in developing the
programmes is
= 80 + 80 + 100 + 90 = 350 min.
Example 2: A company is producing a single product and selling it through
five agencies situated in different cities. All of a sudden, there is a demand for
the product in five more cities that do not have any agency of the company.

 




Optimisation Techniques-II
10
The company is faced with the problem of deciding on how to assign the
existing agencies to dispatch the product to the additional cities in such a way
that the travelling distance is minimised. The distances (in km) between the
surplus and deficit cities are given in the following distance matrix.
Deficit City
Surplus city
I II III IV V
A 160 130 175 190 200
B 135 120 130 160 175
C 140 110 155 170 185
D 50 50 80 80 110
E 55 35 70 80 105
Determine the optimum assignment schedule.
Solution: Subtracting the minimum element of each row from every element
of that row, we have
I II III IV V
A 30 0 45 60 70
B 15 0 10 40 55
C 30 0 45 60 75
D 0 0 30 30 60
E 20 0 35 45 70
Subtracting the minimum element of each column from every element of that
column, we have
I II III IV V
A 30 0 35 30 15
B 15 0 0 10 0
C 30 0 35 30 20
D 0 0 20 0 5
E 20 0 25 15 15
We now assign zeroes by drawing rectangles around them as explained in
Example 1. Thus, we get
I II III IV V
A 30 0 35 30 15
B 15 0 0 10 0
C 30 0 35 30 20
D 0 0 20 0 5
E 20 0 25 15 15
Since the number of assignments is less than the number of rows (or columns),
we proceed from Step 5 onwards of the Hungarian method as follows:
i) we tick mark (  ) the rows in which the assignment has not been made.
These are the 3
rd and 5
th rows.






Assignment Problems
11
ii) we tick mark (  ) the columns which have zeroes in the marked rows.
This is the 2nd column.
iii) we tick mark (  ) the rows which have assignments in marked columns.
This is the 1
st row.
iv) again we tick mark (  ) the column(s) which have zeroes in the newly
marked row. This is the 2nd column, which has already been marked.
There is no other such column. So, we have
I II III IV V
A 30 0 35 30 15 
B 15 0 0 10 0
C 30 0 35 30 20 
D 0 0 20 0 5
E 20 0 25 15 15 

We draw straight lines through unmarked rows and marked columns as
follows:
I II III IV V
A 30 0 35 30 15 
B 15 0 0 10 0
C 30 0 35 30 20 
D 0 0 20 0 5
E 20 0 25 15 15 

We proceed as follows, as explained in step 6 of the Hungarian method:
i) We find the smallest element in the matrix not covered by any of the
lines. It is 15 in this case.
ii) We subtract the number ‘15’ from all the uncovered elements and add it
to the elements at the intersection of the two lines.
iii) Other elements covered by the lines remain unchanged.
Thus, we have
I II III IV V
A 15 0 20 15 0
B 15 15 0 10 0
C 15 0 20 15 5
D 0 15 20 0 5
E 5 0 10 0 0












Optimisation Techniques-II
12
We repeat Steps 1 to 4 of the Hungarian method and obtain the following
matrix:
I II III IV V
A 15 0 20 15 0
B 15 15 0 20 0
C 15 0 20 15 5
D 0 15 20 0 5
E 5 0 10 0 0
Since each row and each column of this matrix has one and only one assigned
0, we obtain the optimum assignment schedule as follows:
A  V, B  III, C  II, D  I, E  IV
Thus, the minimum distance is 200 + 130 + 110 + 50 + 80 = 570 km.
You should pause here and try to solve the following assignment problem to
check your understanding.
E1) A solicitor’s firm employs typists on an hourly piece-rate basis for
their daily work. There are five typists for service and their charges and
speeds are different. According to the contract, only one job is given to
one typist. Find the least cost allocation for the following data:
P Q R S T
A 85 75 65 85 75
B 90 180 66 90 78
C 75 66 57 75 69
D 80 72 60 80 72
E 76 64 56 72 68
5.3 SOME SPECIAL CASES
In this section, we consider some special cases of the assignment problem such
as the maximisation problem, unbalanced assignment problem, alternative
optimal solutions and restriction on assignments and discuss the techniques to
solve them.
5.3.1 Maximisation Problem
There may be an assignment problem in the form of maximisation problem.
For example, profits (or anything else like revenues), which need
maximisation may be given in the cells instead of costs/times. To solve such a
problem, we find the opportunity loss matrix by subtracting the value of each
cell from the largest value chosen from amongst all the given cells. When the
value of a cell is subtracted from the highest value, it gives the loss of amount
caused by not getting the opportunity which would have given the highest
value. The matrix so obtained is known as the opportunity loss matrix and is
handled in the same way as the minimisation problem. Let us explain this case
with the help of an example.
Example 3: Five salesmen are to be assigned to five districts. Estimates of
sales revenue (in thousands) for each salesman are given as follows:




Assignment Problems
13
A B C D E
1 32 38 40 28 40
2 40 24 28 21 36
3 41 27 33 30 37
4 22 38 41 36 36
5 29 33 40 35 39
Find the assignment pattern that maximises the sales revenue.
Solution: Since we are to maximise the sales revenue, we need to convert it
into minimisation form before applying the Hungarian method. For this, we
obtain the opportunity loss matrix by subtracting every element in the given
table from the largest element in it. In this case, the largest element is 41.
Thus, we obtain the following opportunity loss matrix:
9 3 1 13 1
1 17 13 20 5
0 14 8 11 4
19 3 0 5 5
12 8 1 6 2
Now, we apply the Hungarian method (Steps 1 to 4) and finally obtain the
following result matrix:
A B C D E
1 8 0 0 7 0
2 0 14 12 14 4
3 0 12 8 6 4
4 19 1 0 0 5
5 11 5 0 0 1
Since the number of assigned zeroes is less than the number of rows, we apply
Step 5 of the Hungarian method and draw the minimum number of
horizontal/vertical lines that cover all the zeroes as shown in the following
table:
A B C D E
1 8 0 0 7 0
2 0 14 12 14 4 
3 0 12 8 6 4 
4 19 1 0 0 5
5 11 5 0 0 1

Let us now, select the minimum element from amongst the uncovered
elements, which is 4 in this case. We subtract the element 4 from each of the
uncovered elements and add it to the elements which lie at the intersection of
the horizontal and vertical lines. Other covered elements remain unaltered.
Then applying the Hungarian method to the resulting matrix, we get





 



Optimisation Techniques-II
14
A B C D E
1 12 0 0 7 0
2 0 10 8 10 0
3 0 8 4 2 0
4 23 1 0 0 5
5 15 5 0 0 1
Since the number of assigned zeroes is equal to the number of rows, the
optimum assignment has been attained and is given as:
1  B, 2  A, 3  E, 4  C, 5  D
Thus, the maximum sales revenue = 38 + 40 + 37 + 41 + 35 thousand rupees
= 191 thousand rupees.
5.3.2 The Unbalanced Assignment Problem
The assignment problem wherein the number of rows is not equal to the
number of columns is said to be an unbalanced assignment problem. Such a
problem is handled by introducing dummy row(s) if the number of rows is less
than the number of columns and dummy column(s) if the number of columns
is less than the number of rows. All the elements of such a dummy
row/column are taken as zero. The augmented problem is then solved by the
Hungarian method as explained earlier.
Example 4: To stimulate interest and provide an atmosphere for intellectual
discussion, the faculty of mathematical sciences in an institute decides to hold
special seminars on four contemporary topics – Statistics, Operations
Research, Discrete Mathematics, Matrices. Each such seminar is to be held
once a week. However, scheduling these seminars (one for each topic and not
more than one seminar per day) has to be done carefully so that the number of
students unable to attend is kept to a minimum. A careful study indicates that
the number of students who cannot attend a particular seminar on a specific
day is as follows:
Statistics Operations Discrete Matrices
Research Mathematics
Monday 50 40 60 20
Tuesday 40 30 40 30
Wednesday 60 20 30 20
Thursday 30 30 20 30
Friday 10 20 10 30
Find an optimal schedule for the seminars. Also find the number of students
who will be missing at least one seminar.
Solution: Here the number of rows is 5 and the number of columns is 4.
Therefore, the given assignment problem is unbalanced. As the number of
columns is one less than the number of rows, we introduce one dummy
column to convert the given assignment problem into a balanced problem. The
number of students in each cell of this column is taken as zero. Thus, the
problem takes the following form:
 




Assignment Problems
15
Statistics Operations
Research
Discrete
Mathematics
Matrices Dummy
Monday 50 40 60 20 0
Tuesday 40 30 40 30 0
Wednesday 60 20 30 20 0
Thursday 30 30 20 30 0
Friday 10 20 10 30 0
Now, on applying the Hungarian method (Steps 1 to 4), we get
Statistics Operations
Research
Discrete
Mathematics
Matrices Dummy
Monday 40 20 50 0 0
Tuesday 30 10 30 10 0
Wednesday 50 0 20 0 0
Thursday 20 10 10 10 0
Friday 0 0 0 10 0
Since the number of assigned zeroes < number of rows, we apply Step 5 of the
Hungarian method and draw the minimum number of horizontal/vertical lines
that cover all the zeroes as shown in the following table:
Statistics Operations
Research
Discrete
Mathematics
Matrices Dummy
Monday 40 20 50 0 0
Tuesday 30 10 30 10 0
Wednesday 50 0 20 0 0
Thursday 20 10 10 10 0
Friday 0 0 0 10 0
We select the minimum element from amongst the uncovered elements, which
is 10 in this case. We subtract this element, i.e., 10 from each uncovered
element and add it to the elements which lie at the intersection of the
horizontal/vertical lines. Other covered elements will remain unaltered. Thus,
the resulting matrix is:
40 20 50 0 10
20 0 20 0 0
50 0 20 0 10
10 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 10 10
Now, on applying the Hungarian method, we have
40 20 50 0 10
20 0 20 0 0
50 0 20 0 10
10 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 10 10

 

 







 





 
Optimisation Techniques-II
16
Since each row and each column of the matrix has one and only one assigned
0, optimum assignment is made in the cells containing those zeroes around
which rectangles have been drawn as
Monday  Matrices, Wednesday  Operations Research,
Thursday  Discrete Mathematics, Friday  Statistics
The total number of students who will be missing at least one seminar
= 20 + 20 + 20 + 10 = 70
5.3.3 Alternative Optimal Solutions
Such solutions exist if while assigning zeroes, i.e., while carrying out Step 4 of
the Hungarian method, we neither find any row nor any column, which has a
single zero. Then we first move row-wise and then column-wise to locate a
row/column having two zeroes. We draw a rectangle arbitrarily around any
one of these zeroes and cross the other. Alternatively, the zero around which
rectangle has been drawn could have been crossed and the rectangle could
have been drawn around the other zero. This will lead to two alternative
optimum solutions. While assigning zeroes, i.e., while carrying out Step 4 of
the Hungarian method, we may neither find any row nor any column, which
has single or two zeroes. Then we first move row-wise and then column-wise
to locate a row/column having three or more zeroes. This will lead to three or
more alternative solutions.
Note that there are two alternative solutions in Example 1.
5.3.4 Restriction on Assignments
Sometimes, in an assignment problem, there may be a case when a particular
resource (say, a person) cannot be assigned a particular activity (say, a job). To
handle such a problem, we assign a very large cost (or time or anything else
which is to be minimised) to that case and represent it by ∞ or M, where M
denotes a very high cost. This is done to restrict the entry of this pair of
resource-activity in the final solution.
Example 5: A company has taken the third floor of a multi-storied building
for rent to locate one of its zonal offices. There are five main rooms in this
floor to be assigned to five managers. Each room has its own advantages and
disadvantages. Some have two cupboards, some are closer to the washrooms
or to the canteens, some are of big sizes and are on different floors, etc. Each
of the five managers were asked to rank their room preferences amongst the
rooms 201, 302, 103, 304 and 205. Their preferences were recorded in a table
as indicated below:
MANAGERS
M1 M2 M3 M4 M5
302 302 103 302 201
ROOMS 103 304 201 205 302
304 205 304 304 304
201 205 103
302
Most of the managers did not include all five rooms in the list since they were
not satisfied with some of them. Assuming that their preferences can be
quantified by numbers, find out which manager should be assigned which
room so that their total preference ranking is minimum.
Assignment Problems
17
Solution: Let us give the ranks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the first, second, third,
fourth
and fifth preferences. We assign  to the cells for which no preference is
given. Thus, the given problem can be represented by the following
assignment table:
201 302 103 304 205
M1  1 2 3 
M2 4 1  2 3
M3 2 5 1 3 4
M4  1 4 3 2
M5 1 2  3 
Let us now solve this assignment problem using the Hungarian method.
Following Steps 1 to 4, we get
201 302 103 304 205
M1  0 1 1 
M2 3 0  0 1
M3 1 4 0 1 2
M4  0 3 1 0
M5 0 1  1 
Now, since each row and each column has one and only one assigned zero, the
optimum assignment, i.e., the assignment with maximum satisfaction is made
and is given by:
M1  302, M2  304, M3  103, M4  205, M5  201.
5.4 TRAVELLING SALESMAN PROBLEM
Consider a travelling salesman who has to visit a certain number of cities in
his assigned territory. For each city of his territory, he wishes to visit each
city
once and only once and arrive back in the city from where he started. He
knows the distances (or cost or time) of journey between every pair of cities,
and wishes to determine the tour schedule that represents the least
distance/cost/time. Such types of problems can be solved by the assignment
algorithm. The difference between a travelling salesman problem and an
assignment problem is that in an assignment problem, different destinations
are assigned to different sources but in a travelling salesman problem, a
destination is assigned to a source. Then this destination becomes another
source to which we assign another destination, which in turn becomes another
source, and so on. Let us explain this point further with the help of an
example.
Example 6: A travelling salesman has to visit five cities. He wishes to start
from a particular city, visit each city once and then return to his starting point.
The travelling time (in hours) for each city from a particular city is given
below:


Optimisation Techniques-II
18
To
From
A B C D E
A ∞ 5 8 4 5
B 5 ∞ 7 4 5
C 8 7 ∞ 8 6
D 4 4 8 ∞ 8
E 5 5 6 8 ∞
What is the sequence of visits of the salesman so that the total travelling time
is minimised?
Solution: Applying the Hungarian method to this problem, we get
A B C D E
A  0 2 0 0
B 0  1 0 0
C 2 1  3 0
D 0 0 3  4
E 0 0 0 4 
As per the above assignment, the salesman should travel from A to D,
D to B, B to A, i.e., A  D  B  A.
The above solution is not a complete solution of the travelling salesman
problem as the salesman returns to A without travelling through all the cities.
So, we proceed as follows:
Since the assignment of zeroes has not given the solution of the travelling
salesman problem, we bring the next minimum non-zero element into the
solution. Thus, we obtain the next best solution by bringing 1 into the solution.
Had there not been 1 in any cell, we would have taken the minimum, but
greater than 1 value from amongst all the values of the table. Here, we have 1
and it appears in two places in this problem. One of these is chosen arbitrarily.
Let us choose the cell (B, C) and form a rectangle around the value in this cell
and cross out the zeroes in its row and column. Now, we apply the Hungarian
method for the assignment of zeroes. Thus, we have
A B C D E
A  0 2 0 0
B 0  1 0 0
C 2 1  3 0
D 0 0 3  4
E 0 0 0 4 
Alternatively, we get
A B C D E
A  0 2 0 0
B 0  1 0 0
C 2 1  3 0
D 0 0 3  4
E 0 0 0 4 

 
 








 








Assignment Problems
19
In the case of the first alternative, the optimum assignment is A  D  A,
but this is not the solution of the travelling salesman problem.
In the case of the second alternative, the optimum assignment is
A  E  C  B D  A
This is the complete solution for the problem as starting from A, the salesman
returns to A visiting all the other cities. The minimum time taken by him to
travel to all the cities is 5 + 6 + 7 + 4 + 4 = 26 hrs.
You may like to solve the following exercise to check your understanding.
E2) Solve the following travelling salesman problem so as to minimise the
cost per cycle:
To
From
A B C D E
A ∞ 3 6 2 3
B 3 ∞ 5 2 3
C 6 5 ∞ 6 4
D 2 2 6 ∞ 6
E 3 3 4 6 ∞
What is the sequence of visits of the salesman so that total travelling
time is minimised?
Let us now summarise the main points which have been covered in this unit.
5.5 SUMMARY
1. In an assignment problem, the number of operations is assigned to an
equal number of operators where each operator performs only one
operation. So, an assignment problem may be considered as a special type
of transportation problem in which the capacity of each of the sources as
well as the requirement of each of the destinations is taken as 1. In an
assignment problem, the given matrix must necessarily be a square matrix,
which is not the condition for a transportation problem. Such problems are
solved using the Hungarian method, which is shorter and easier
compared to any other method of finding the optimal solution.
2. There may be assignment problems where maximisation is required to be
done instead of minimisation. To handle such a problem, we find the
opportunity loss matrix by subtracting the value of each cell from the
largest value chosen from amongst all the given cells. When the value of a
cell is subtracted from the highest value, it gives the loss of amount caused
by not getting the opportunity which would have given the highest value.
The matrix so obtained is known as the opportunity loss matrix and is
handled in the same way as the minimisation problem.
3. The assignment problem wherein the number of rows is not equal to the
number of columns is said to be an unbalanced problem. Such a problem
is handled by introducing dummy row(s) if the number of rows is less than
the number of columns and dummy column(s) if the number of columns is
less than the number of rows. All elements for such a dummy row/column
are taken as zero. The augmented problem is then solved by the Hungarian
method.
Optimisation Techniques-II
20
4. While assigning zeroes in an assignment problem, if we neither find any
row nor any column which has single zero, then we first move row-wise
and then column-wise to locate a row/column having two (if not two, then
three or more) zeroes. Then a rectangle is formed arbitrarily around one of
these zeroes and the others are crossed. Alternatively, the zero around
which the rectangle has been made could have been crossed and the
rectangle could have been formed around any of the other zeroes. This
leads to alternative optimum solutions.
5. Sometimes, there may be restriction on assigning a particular activity to a
particular resource. Then a very large cost (or time or anything else which
is to be minimised) is considered and represented by ∞ or M for such a
restricted pair.
6. The travelling salesman problem wherein there are a certain number of
cities to be visited by a salesman in his assigned territory can also be
solved as an assignment problem. The only difference between the
travelling salesman problem and an assignment problem is that in an
assignment problem different destinations are assigned to different
sources.
But in a travelling salesman problem, a destination is assigned to a source
and then that destination becomes another source to which another
destination is assigned, and so on. This is because, in a travelling salesman
problem, for each city of his territory, the salesman wishes to visit each city
once and only once and arrive back at the city from where he started. He
wishes to determine the tour schedule that represents the least
distance/cost/time.
5.6 SOLUTIONS /ANSWERS
E1) Applying the Hungarian method of solving an assignment problem, we
finally get
P Q R S T
A 2 4 2 4 0
B 4 106 0 6 0
C 0 0 2 2 2
D 0 4 0 2 0
E 2 2 2 0 2
Thus, the least cost allocation is given by :
A  T, B  R, C  Q, D  P, E  S
and the total minimum cost is ` (75 + 66 + 66 + 80 + 72
= `359.
E2) Applying the Hungarian method of solving an assignment problem, we
reduce the cost matrix and make assignments in rows and columns
having single zeroes.



Assignment Problems
21
A B C D E
A  1 3 0 1 √
B 1  2 0 1 √
C 2 1  2 0
D 0 0 3  4
E 0 0 0 3 
√
Now, we draw the minimum number of lines to cover all the zeroes. Then
we subtract the lowest element from all the elements not covered by any
of lines and add the same at the intersection of two lines. We have
A B C D E
A  0 2 0 0 √
B 0  1 0 0 √
C 2 1  3 0
D 0 0 3  4
E 0 0 0 4 
√
As per the above assignment, the salesman should travel from A to D,
D to B, B to A , i.e., A  D  B  A.
The above solution is not a complete solution of the travelling salesman
problem as the salesman returns to A without travelling through all the
cities. So, we proceed as follows:
Since the assignment of zeroes has not given the solution of the
travelling salesman problem, we bring the next minimum non-zero
element in the solution. Thus, we obtain the next best solution by
bringing 1 into the solution. Had there not been 1 in any cell, we would
have taken the minimum, but greater than 1 value from amongst all the
values of the table. Here, we have 1 and it appears in two places in this
problem. One of these is chosen arbitrarily.
Let us choose the cell (B, C) and form a rectangle around the value in
this cell and cross out the zeroes in its row and column. Now, we apply
the Hungarian method for the assignment of zeroes. Thus, we have
A B C D E
A  0 2 0 0
B 0  1 0 0
C 2 1  3 0
D 0 0 3  4
E 0 0 0 4 





 
 



 
 



 
Optimisation Techniques-II
22
Alternatively, we get
A B C D E
A  0 2 0 0
B 0  1 0 0
C 2 1  3 0
D 0 0 3  4
E 0 0 0 4 
In the case of the first alternative, the optimum assignment is A  D  A,
but this is not the solution of the travelling salesman problem.
In the case of the second alternative, the optimum assignment is
A  E  C  B D  A, i.e., 3 + 4 + 5 + 2 + 2 = 16 hr


 




