Unit 1

Lesson 19: Assignment problem

Learning Objective :

• Recognize an Assignment problem.

• Convert an assignment problem into a transportation problem.
• State assignment problem in LP form.

Introduction
In the world of trade Business Organisations are
confronting the conflicting need for optimal utilization of
their limited resources among competing activities. When
the information available on resources and relationship
between variables is known we can use LP very reliably.
The course of action chosen will invariably lead to optimal
or nearly optimal results. The problems which gained much
importance under LP are :

Transportation problems (discussed in the previous

chapter)

Assignment problems (covered under this chapter)

The assignment problem is a special case of transportation

problem in which the objective is to assign a number of origins to
the equal number of destinations at the minimum cost(or maximum
profit). Assignment problem is one of the special cases of the
transportation problem. It involves assignment of people to projects,
jobs to machines, workers to jobs and teachers to classes etc.,
while minimizing the total assignment costs. One of the important
characteristics of assignment problem is that only one job (or
worker) is assigned to one machine (or project). Hence the number
of sources are equal the number of destinations and each
requirement and capacity value is exactly one unit.

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 Although assignment problem can be solved using
either the techniques of Linear Programming or the
transportation method, the assignment method is much
faster and efficient. This method was developed by D.
Konig, a Hungarian mathematician and is therefore known
as the Hungarian method of assignment problem. In order
to use this method, one needs to know only the cost of
making all the possible assignments. Each assignment
problem has a matrix (table) associated with it. Normally,
the objects (or people) one wishes to assign are expressed
in rows, whereas the columns represent the tasks (or
things) assigned to them. The number in the table would
then be the costs associated with each particular
assignment. It may be noted that the assignment problem
is a variation of transportation problem with two
characteristics.(i)the cost matrix is a square matrix, and
(ii)the optimum solution for the problem would be such that
there would be only one assignment in a row or column of
the cost matrix .

Mathematical Statement of Problem

An assignment problem is a special type of linear

programming problem where the objective is to minimize the
cost or time of completing a number of jobs by a number of
persons. Furthermore, the structure of an assignment
problem is identical to that of a transportation problem.

Application Areas of Assignment Problem.

Though assignment problem finds applicability in various diverse

business situations, we discuss some of its main application areas:
(i) In assigning machines to factory orders.
(ii) In assigning sales/marketing people to sales territories.
(iii) In assigning contracts to bidders by systematic bid-
evaluation.
(iv) In assigning teachers to classes.
(v) In assigning accountants to accounts of the clients.

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In assigning police vehicles to patrolling areas.

Jobs
Persons j1 j2 ------ jn
I1 X11 X12 ----- X1n
I2 X21 X22 ----- X2n
--- ----- ---- ----- -----
In ----- ---- ----- Xnn

Cij is the cost of performing jth job by ith worker.

Xij is the number ith individual assigned to jth job.

Total cost = X11 * C11 + X12 * C12 + ----- + Xnn * Cnn.

Mathematically the assignment problem can be

expressed as

The objective function is

Minimize C11X11 + C12X12 + ------- + CnnXnn.

This can also be written as:

n n
Z = ∑ ∑ Cij Xij
i=1 j=1

Subject to the constraints

n
∑ Xij = 1 for all i (resourse availability)
j=1

n
∑ Xij = 1 for all i (activity requirement)
i=1

and Xij = 0 or 1, for all i to activity j.

Solution Methods
The assignment problem can be solved by the following four
methods :

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 Enumeration method
Simplex method
Transportation method
Hungarian method

1. Enumeration method

In this method, a list of all possible assignments among

the given resources and activities is prepared. Then an
assignment involving the minimum cost, time or distance
or maximum profits is selected. If two or more
assignments have the same minimum cost, time or
distance, the problem has multiple optimal solutions. This
method can be used only if the number of assignments is
less. It becomes unsuitable for manual calculations if
number of assignments is large

2. Simplex method

As discussed in chapter no. 2

3. Transportation method

As assignment is a special case of transportation

problem it can also be solved using transportation model
discussed in previous chapter. But the degeneracy
problem of solution makes the transportation method
computationally inefficient for solving the assignment
problem.

4.Hungarian method
Algorithms for Solving

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There are various ways to solve assignment problems.
Certainly it can be formulated as a linear program (as we saw
above), and the simplex method can be used to solve it. In
addition, since it can be formulated as a network problem, the
network simplex method may solve it quickly.

However, sometimes the simplex method is inefficient for

assignment problems (particularly problems with a high
degree of degeneracy). The Hungarian Algorithm developed by
Kuhn has been used with a good deal of success on these
problems and is summarized as follows.

Step 1. Determine the cost table from the given problem.

(i) If the no. of sources is equal to no. of destinations, go to

step 3.
(ii) If the no. of sources is not equal to the no. of destination,
go to step2.

Step 2. Add a dummy source or dummy destination, so that the

cost table becomes a square matrix. The cost entries of the dummy
source/destinations are always zero.

Step 3. Locate the smallest element in each row of the given cost
matrix and then subtract the same from each element of the row.

Step 4. In the reduced matrix obtained in the step 3, locate the

smallest element of each column and then subtract the same from
each element of that column. Each column and row now have at
least one zero.

Step 5. In the modified matrix obtained in the step 4, search for the
optimal assignment as follows:

(a) Examine the rows successively until a row with a single zero
is found. Enrectangle this row ( )and cross off (X) all other
zeros in its column. Continue in this manner until all the rows
have been taken care of.
(b) Repeat the procedure for each column of the reduced matrix.
(c) If a row and/or column has two or more zeros and one cannot
be chosen by inspection then assign arbitrary any one of
these zeros and cross off all other zeros of that row / column.
(d) Repeat (a) through (c) above successively until the chain of
assigning ( ) or cross (X) ends.

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Step 6. If the number of assignment ( ) is equal to n (the order of
the cost matrix), an optimum solution is reached.

If the number of assignment is less than n(the order of the

matrix), go to the next step.

Step7. Draw the minimum number of horizontal and/or vertical

lines to cover all the zeros of the reduced matrix.

Step 8. Develop the new revised cost matrix as follows:

(a)Find the smallest element of the reduced matrix not covered

by any of the lines.

(b)Subtract this element from all uncovered elements and add the
same to all the elements laying at the intersection of any two lines.

Step 9. Go to step 6 and repeat the procedure until an optimum

solution is attained.

See diagrammatic Representation of Hungarian Approach

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 START

DRAW A COST MATRIX FOR THE PROBLEM

IS IT A CASE OF CONVERT THE MATRIX INTO

YES MINIMIZATION MATRIX BY
MAXIMISATION ?
SUBTRACTING ALL
ELEMENTS OUT OF THE
HIGHEST ELEMENT OF THE
NO MATRIX

IS IT A BALNCED
CASE ? NO ADD DUMMY COLUMNS OR
ROWS TO BALANCE IT.

YES

FIND THE OPPORTUNITY COST

A. SUBSTRACT THE SMALLEST ELEMENT IN EACH
ROW FROM EVERY ELEMENT IN THAT ROW
B. IN THE REDUCED MATRIX REPEAT THIS PROCESS
COLUMNWISE.

MAKE ASSIGNMENT ROWWISE HAVING ONLY ONE

ZERO & ELIMINATE ROW AND COLUMN ONCE THE
ASSIGNMENT IS MADE.
REPEAT SAME PROCESS COLUMNWISE.

IS THE REVISE OPPORTUNITY COST TABLE

NUMBER OF a. DRAW MINIMUM POSSIBLE LINES
ASSIGNMENTS ON COLUMNS AND/OR ROWS SO AS
EQUAL THE TO COVER ALL ZEROS.
NUMBER OF NO b. CHOOSE THE SMALLEST NUMBER
ROWS OR NOT COVERED BY THE LINES.
COLUMNS ? SUBTRACT IT FROM ITSELF AND
EVERY OTHER UNCOVERED
NUMBER.
c. ADD THIS NUMBER AT THE
INTERSECTION OF ANY TWO LINES.
YES

**THIS IS THE OPTIMUM SOLUTION **

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