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Assignment Problem

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35 views2 pages

Assignment Problem

Uploaded by

varshneypalak0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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4.

ASSIGNMENT PROBLEM

4.1 INTRODUCTION

Assignment problem is the special case of Transportation problem in which the objective is to find the
optimum allocation of a number of tasks (jobs) to an equal number of facilities (persons). Here we make
the assumption that each person can perform each job but with varying degree of efficiency. For example
a departmental head may have four persons available for assignment and four jobs to fill. Then his interest
is to find the best assignment which will be in the best interest of the department.

4.2 ASSIGNMENT PROBLEM

The problem can be stated in the form of n×n, matric [cij] called the cost or the effectiveness matrix,
where cij is the cost of assigning i-th facility (person) to the j-th job.

Given n facilities, n jobs and the effectiveness of each facility to each job, here the problem is to assign
each facility to one and only one job so that the measure of effectiveness if optimized. Here the
optimization means Minimized.

4.3 Difference Between a Transportation and an Assignment Problem

Transportation Problem Assignment Problem

 In transportation method,  In assignment problem


management is searching for a management aims at assignment
distribution route, which can lead jobs to various people.
to minimization of cost and  Number of sources and destinations
maximization of profit. needs to be equal. Hence the cost
 Number of sources and destinations matrix needs to be a square matrix.
need not be equal. Hence the cost  The values of supply and demand in
matrix is not necessarily to be a square 1 in assignment problem.
matrix.  The problem is unbalanced when
 Total supply and total demand is number of rows is not equal to
equal. number of columns.
 The problem is unbalanced when total  In an assignment problem only
of supply is not equal to total of one allocation can be made in
demand. particular row or a column
 In transportation problem many
allocations can be done in a
particular row or particular column.

4.4 Hungarian Method (Reduced Matrix Method)

The objective of this section is to examine a computational method – an algorithm - for deriving solutions
to the assignment problems. The following steps summarize the approach:
Steps in Hungarian Method

Step 1. Identify the minimum element in each row and subtract it from every element of that row.

Step 2. Identify the minimum element in each column and subtract it from every element of that column.

Step 3. Make the assignments for the reduced matrix obtained from steps 1 and 2 in the following way:

a. For each row or column with a single zero value cell that has not be assigned or eliminated,
box that zero value as an assigned cell.
b. For every zero that becomes assigned, cross out (X) all other zeros in the same row and the
same column.
c. If for a row and a column, there are two or more zeros and one cannot be chosen by
inspection, then you are at liberty to choose the cell arbitrarily for assignment.
d. The above process may be continued until every zero cell is either assigned or crossed (X).

Step 4. An optimal assignment is found, if the number of assigned cells equals the number of rows (and
columns). In case you have chosen a zero cell arbitrarily, there may be alternate optimal solutions.
If no optimal solution is found, go to step 5.

Step 5. Draw the minimum number of vertical and horizontal lines necessary to cover all the zeros in the
reduced matrix obtained from step 3 by adopting the following procedure:

a. Mark all the rows that do not have assignments.


b. Mark all the columns (not already marked) which have zeros in the marked rows.
c. Mark all the rows (not already marked) that have assignments in marked columns.
d. Repeat steps 5 (i) to (iii) until no more rows or columns can be marked.
e. Draw straight lines through all unmarked rows and marked columns.

Step 6. Select the smallest element from all the uncovered elements. Subtract this smallest element from
all the uncovered elements and add it to the elements, which lie at the intersection of two lines.
Thus, we obtain another reduced matrix for fresh assignment.

Step 7. Go to step 3 and repeat the procedure until you arrive at an optimal assignment.

4.5 Unbalanced Assignment Problem

When number of rows is not equal to the number of columns then the problem is said to be an unbalanced
assignment problem to make it a balanced assignment problem we add a row or column whichever is less
with the cost zero in each cell.

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