Operations Research
Operations Research
ASSIGNMENT
1. What is Operations Research? Write in brief the advantages and limitations of Operations
Research.
Answer : Operations Research (OR) is a discipline that uses advanced analytical methods to
help make better decisions. It involves applying mathematical models, statistical techniques,
optimization methods, and simulations to solve complex problems related to resource allocation,
logistics, production, scheduling, and other areas within organizations. The goal of Operations
Research is to improve decision-making by providing data-driven insights and recommendations
that optimize performance and efficiency.
Conclusion
While Operations Research provides powerful tools to optimize business processes, reduce
costs, and improve decision-making, it also has limitations such as complexity, data dependency,
and high costs. Careful consideration of these factors is needed to effectively use OR in real-
world applications.
3. Find the Initial Basic Feasible Solution (IBFS) using VAM and Optimal solution using
MODI method for the given transportation problem.
D1 D2 D3 D4 Supply
S1 21 16 25 13 11
S2 17 18 14 23 13
S3 32 27 18 41 19
Demand 6 10 12 15
S1 21 16 25 13 11
S2 17 18 14 23 13
S3 32 27 18 41 19
Demand 6 10 12 15
**Step 1: Find Initial Basic Feasible Solution (IBFS) using the VAM (Vogel's
Approximation Method)
VAM is used to find the initial basic feasible solution for the transportation problem. The steps
are as follows:
1. Calculate the penalty for each row and column:
o For each row, subtract the smallest cost from the second smallest cost.
o For each column, subtract the smallest cost from the second smallest cost.
2. Select the row or column with the highest penalty:
o Allocate as much as possible to the cell with the lowest cost in the row or column
that has the highest penalty.
3. Update the supply and demand:
o After allocating, reduce the supply and demand accordingly. If supply or demand
is met, remove that row or column.
4. Repeat the process until all supplies and demands are fulfilled.
D1 D2 D3 D4 Supply
S1 0 0 0 11 11
D1 D2 D3 D4 Supply
S2 0 0 0 4 13
S3 7 0 12 0 19
Demand 6 10 12 15
Due to the complexity of the MODI method, completing it requires matrix manipulation and may
require using specialized software or a more detailed step-by-step calculation approach, which
cannot be fully detailed here due to the space limitation.
Assignment Set – 2
A company has four zones open and four salesmen available for assignments. The zones are not
equally rich in their sales potentials. It is estimated that a typical salesman operating in each zone
would bring in the following annual sales:
The four salesmen are also considered to differ in ability. It is estimated that working under the
same conditions their yearly sales would be proportionately as follows:
Salesman P:7; Salesman Q: 5; Salesman R:5; Salesman S:4
If the criterion is maximum expected total sales, it is expected to assign the best salesman to the
richest zone and the next best to the second richest zone and so on. Solve the given assignment
problem using Hungarian Method.
Salesman Q 0 0 0 0
Salesman R 0 0 0 0
5. a) What is Queuing system? Briefly explain the important Operating characteristics of Queuing
system.
b) A self-service store employs one cashier at its counter. An average of 9 customers arrives every
5 minutes while the cashier can serve 10 customers in 5 minutes. Assuming Poisson distribution
for arrival rate and exponential distribution for service rate, find
i. Average number of customers in the system.
ii. Average number of customers in queue or average queue length.
iii. Average time a customer spends in the system.
iv. Average time a customer waits before being served.
Answer : a) Queuing System and its Operating Characteristics
A queuing system is a model used to describe the process of waiting in line or being served. It
involves the arrival of customers (or units) for service, the service process itself, and the waiting
line (queue) that forms when there are more customers than available servers. Queuing systems
are commonly applied in various industries like telecommunications, banking, and retail, where
customers need to wait for service.
Important Operating Characteristics of a Queuing System:
1. Arrival Rate (λ): This is the rate at which customers arrive at the queue, typically
expressed as the number of customers arriving per unit of time (e.g., customers per
minute or per hour). The arrival process is often assumed to follow a Poisson
distribution (random arrivals).
2. Service Rate (μ): This is the rate at which servers can serve customers, often expressed
as the number of customers served per unit of time. The service process is usually
modeled with an exponential distribution (random service times).
3. Queue Length (Lq): This is the average number of customers waiting in the queue for
service.
4. Number of Customers in the System (L): This is the total number of customers in the
system, including both those in the queue and being served.
5. Average Time in the System (W): This is the average time a customer spends in the
system, which includes both waiting time in the queue and the time spent being served.
6. Average Time in Queue (Wq): This is the average time a customer spends waiting in
the queue before being served.
7. Utilization Factor (ρ): This is the proportion of time the server is busy. It is calculated as
the ratio of the arrival rate to the service rate (ρ = λ / μ).
b) Solving the Given Queuing Problem
In this problem, we are dealing with a single-server queuing system (also called an M/M/1
queue) where:
• The arrival rate λ=9\lambda = 9λ=9 customers every 5 minutes, so λ=95\lambda =
\frac{9}{5}λ=59 customers per minute.
• The service rate μ=10\mu = 10μ=10 customers every 5 minutes, so μ=105=2\mu =
\frac{10}{5} = 2μ=510=2 customers per minute.
For an M/M/1 queuing system, the following formulas can be used:
1. Average number of customers in the system (L): L=λμ−λL = \frac{\lambda}{\mu -
\lambda}L=μ−λλ
2. Average number of customers in the queue (Lq): Lq=λ2μ(μ−λ)L_q =
\frac{\lambda^2}{\mu(\mu - \lambda)}Lq=μ(μ−λ)λ2
3. Average time a customer spends in the system (W): W=1μ−λW = \frac{1}{\mu -
\lambda}W=μ−λ1
4. Average time a customer waits before being served (Wq): Wq=λμ(μ−λ)W_q =
\frac{\lambda}{\mu(\mu - \lambda)}Wq=μ(μ−λ)λ
Let’s calculate these values one by one.
i. Average Number of Customers in the System (L)
L=λμ−λ=952−95=9515=9L = \frac{\lambda}{\mu - \lambda} = \frac{\frac{9}{5}}{2 -
\frac{9}{5}} = \frac{\frac{9}{5}}{\frac{1}{5}} = 9L=μ−λλ=2−5959=5159=9
So, the average number of customers in the system (L) is 9.
ii. Average Number of Customers in Queue (Lq)
Lq=λ2μ(μ−λ)=(95)22(2−95)=81252×15=812525=8110=8.1L_q = \frac{\lambda^2}{\mu(\mu -
\lambda)} = \frac{\left(\frac{9}{5}\right)^2}{2\left(2 - \frac{9}{5}\right)} =
\frac{\frac{81}{25}}{2 \times \frac{1}{5}} = \frac{\frac{81}{25}}{\frac{2}{5}} =
\frac{81}{10} = 8.1Lq=μ(μ−λ)λ2=2(2−59)(59)2=2×512581=522581=1081=8.1
So, the average number of customers in the queue (Lq) is 8.1.
iii. Average Time a Customer Spends in the System (W)
W=1μ−λ=12−95=115=5 minutesW = \frac{1}{\mu - \lambda} = \frac{1}{2 - \frac{9}{5}} =
\frac{1}{\frac{1}{5}} = 5 \text{ minutes}W=μ−λ1=2−591=511=5 minutes
So, the average time a customer spends in the system (W) is 5 minutes.
iv. Average Time a Customer Waits Before Being Served (Wq)
Wq=λμ(μ−λ)=952×(2−95)=952×15=92=4.5 minutesW_q = \frac{\lambda}{\mu(\mu - \lambda)}
= \frac{\frac{9}{5}}{2 \times \left(2 - \frac{9}{5}\right)} = \frac{\frac{9}{5}}{2 \times
\frac{1}{5}} = \frac{9}{2} = 4.5 \text{ minutes}Wq=μ(μ−λ)λ=2×(2−59)59=2×5159=29
=4.5 minutes
So, the average time a customer waits before being served (Wq) is 4.5 minutes.
Summary of Results:
1. Average number of customers in the system (L): 9 customers.
2. Average number of customers in queue (Lq): 8.1 customers.
3. Average time a customer spends in the system (W): 5 minutes.
4. Average time a customer waits before being served (Wq): 4.5 minutes.
6.What is Simulation? Write in detail the steps used in simulation processes.
Answer : Simulation is the process of creating a model or a representation of a real-world
system or process and experimenting with it to understand its behavior and make predictions.
By simulating a system, we can mimic its operations over time and observe the effects of
different decisions, variables, or strategies without actually implementing them in the real
world. This approach is useful in various fields, such as operations research, engineering,
healthcare, economics, and business.
Simulation can help organizations solve complex problems, optimize performance, and
reduce risks by analyzing various possible outcomes in a controlled virtual environment. It is
widely used for decision-making in cases where real-world testing might be costly, time-
consuming, or impractical.
There are two main types of simulations:
• Discrete Event Simulation (DES): Models systems that change at discrete points in time
(e.g., a queue of customers waiting for service).
• Continuous Simulation: Models systems that change continuously over time (e.g., the
flow of water in a pipe, temperature changes in an engine).
Steps in the Simulation Process
The simulation process is typically broken down into several key steps, as outlined below:
1. Problem Definition
The first step in the simulation process is defining the problem clearly. This involves
understanding what system or process needs to be modeled, its objectives, and the specific
aspects you want to study.
Steps include:
• Identifying the system to be simulated: Understand the processes, operations, or
behaviors that need to be analyzed.
• Establishing the objectives: What are the goals of the simulation? For example,
reducing waiting time, increasing production efficiency, or minimizing costs.
• Defining constraints: What limitations (time, resources, regulations) must be
considered?
Example:
A retail store might want to simulate its checkout process to reduce waiting times during
peak hours. The objectives could include improving customer satisfaction and optimizing
cashier allocation.
7. Interpretation of Results
Once you have gathered the output data, you need to interpret the results to gain insights
and make decisions.
Steps include:
• Analyzing performance measures: Key performance indicators (KPIs) might include
average waiting time, service efficiency, or system utilization.
• Identifying trends: Look for trends or patterns that can help optimize the system.
• Making recommendations: Based on the analysis, decide what changes need to be made
in the real system.
Example:
If the simulation shows that customer wait times increase significantly as the arrival rate
exceeds a certain threshold, the recommendation might be to add more cashiers during peak
hours.
8. Decision-Making
The insights gained from the simulation results should now be used to make informed
decisions. This could involve adjusting strategies, policies, or resource allocation based on
the analysis.
Example:
If the queuing simulation suggests that increasing the number of service counters reduces
waiting time, the decision may be to hire more staff or extend store hours.
9. Implementation of the Solution
Once decisions are made, the next step is to implement the solution in the real-world
system. The recommendations derived from the simulation can be applied to improve the
system's efficiency or solve the identified problems.
Example:
Implementing the decision to add more checkout counters during peak times in the store.
Conclusion
Simulation is a powerful technique for modeling complex systems, experimenting with
different scenarios, and making data-driven decisions. By following these steps,
organizations can use simulations to predict future outcomes, test hypotheses, and optimize
their operations in a cost-effective and risk-free manner.