Assignment

(A Special Case of Transportation Problem)

Linear Programming
Assignment Problem
involves determining the most efficient
assignment of people to projects, salespeople to
territories, contracts to bidders, jobs to
machines, and so on.
Objective: to minimize total costs or time of
performing the tasks at hand.
One important characteristic of assignment
problems is that only one job (or worker) is
assigned to one machine (or project).


Assignment Problem /
Hungarian Method
2 characteristics
Number of rows = number of columns
In the optimal solution, there will be one and only one
assignment in a given row or column of the given
assignment table

Assignment Problem
Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
The Kellum Machine Shop does custom metalworking for a
number of local plants. Kellum currently has 3 jobs to be done.
Kellum also has 3 machines on which to do the work. Any one of
the jobs can be processed completely on any one of the
machines. Furthermore, the cost of processing any job on any
machine is known. The assignment of jobs to machines must
be a one-to-one basis; that is, each job must be assigned
exclusively to one and only one machine. The objective is to
assign the jobs to the machines so as to minimize total cost.
Assignment Problem (Nave Solution)
Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
62 Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
68 Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
69 Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
77 Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
77 Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
63 Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
Possible Solutions
3 Steps Using the
Assignment Method
Step 1. Determine the opportunity-cost table.
Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
Computations
X Y Z
25 15 = 10 31 19 = 12 35 17 = 18
15 15 = 0 20 19 = 1 24 17 = 7
22 15 = 7 19 19 = 0 17 17 = 0
Step 1. Determine the opportunity-cost table.

Computations Minimums
X Y Z
10 12 18 10
0 1 7 0
7 0 0 0
Machine
Job X Y Z
A 0 2 8
B 0 1 7
C 7 0 0
Computations
X Y Z
10 10 = 0 12 10 = 2 18 10 = 8
0 0 = 0 1 0 = 1 7 0 = 7
7 0 = 7 0 0 = 0 0 0 = 0
Step 2: Determine whether an
optimal assignment can be made
Assign jobs to the machines so as to
minimize total costs.
Straight line method
Optimal assignment: number of lines = number of rows / columns

Machine
Job X Y Z
A 0 2 8
B 0 1 7
C 7 0 0
Note: Highlight all zeros.
Cover all the zeros using as minimum lines as possible.
Step 3: Revise the total
opportunity-cost table.
a.) All numbers not covered by a straight line LESS
the smallest number not covered by a straight line
b.) ADD this same lowest number to the numbers
lying at the intersection of any two lines
Machine
Job X Y Z
A 0 2 8
B 0 1 7
C 7 0 0
Machine
Job X Y Z
A 0 1 7
B 0 0 6
C 8 0 0
As the minimum number of lines necessary to cover all
zeros is three, and as the number is equal to the number
of rows, an optimal assignment can be made.
Step 3: Revise the total
opportunity-cost table.
Machine
Job X Y Z
A 0 1 7
B 0 0 6
C 8 0 0
Step 3: Revise the total
opportunity-cost table.
Machine
Job X Y Z
A 0 1 7
B 0 0 6
C 8 0 0
Machine
Job X Y Z
A $25 $31 $35
B 15 20 24
C 22 19 17
Assignment Cost
A to X $ 25
B to Y 20
C to Z 17
Total $ 62
Maximization Problem
Automobile
Buyer Ford Dodge Buick Volkswagen Toyota
Amy $ 3, 000 $ 2, 500 $ 3, 300 $ 2, 600 $ 3, 100
Bert 3, 500 3, 000 2, 800 2, 800 3, 300
Carl 2, 800 2, 900 3, 900 2, 300 3, 600
Dolly 3, 300 3, 100 3, 400 2, 900 3, 500
Edgar 2, 800 3, 500 3, 600 2, 900 3, 000
Heidi wishes to determine which bid to accept from each of the five
bidders so that each of them can purchase one vehicle while the total
of the five accepted bids is a maximum.
Identical to the minimization problem
We need to convert each of the bids into a regret value.
Convert each of the bids into a
regret value.

Automobile
Buyer Ford Dodge Buick Volkswagen Toyota
Amy $ 3, 000 $ 2, 500 $ 3, 300 $ 2, 600 $ 3, 100
Bert 3, 500 3, 000 2, 800 2, 800 3, 300
Carl 2, 800 2, 900 3, 900 2, 300 3, 600
Dolly 3, 300 3, 100 3, 400 2, 900 3, 500
Edgar 2, 800 3, 500 3, 600 2, 900 3, 000
Automobile
Buyer Ford Dodge Buick Volkswagen Toyota
Amy 500 1000 600 300 500
Bert 0 500 1100 100 300
Carl 700 600 0 600 0
Dolly 200 400 500 0 100
Edgar 700 0 300 0 600
Note: Highlight all zeros.
Cover all the zeros using as minimum lines as possible.
Convert each of the bids into a
regret value. (contd.)
Automobile
Buyer Ford Dodge Buick Volkswagen Toyota
Amy 500 1000 600 300 500
Bert 0 500 1100 100 300
Carl 700 600 0 600 0
Dolly 200 400 500 0 100
Edgar 700 0 300 0 600
Automobile
Buyer Ford Dodge Buick Volkswagen Toyota
Amy 500 1000 500 300 400
Bert 0 500 1000 100 200
Carl 800 700 0 700 0
Dolly 200 400 400 0 0
Edgar 700 0 200 0 500
a.) All numbers not covered by a straight line LESS the smallest number not covered by a straight line

ADD this same lowest number to the numbers lying at the intersection of any two lines



Revise the Regret Value-Table
Automobile
Buyer Ford Dodge Buick Volkswagen Toyota
Amy 500 1000 500 300 400
Bert 0 500 1000 100 200
Carl 800 700 0 700 0
Dolly 200 400 400 0 0
Edgar 700 0 200 0 500
Automobile
Buyer Ford Dodge Buick Volkswagen Toyota
Amy 200 700 200 0 100
Bert 0 500 1000 100 200
Carl 800 700 0 700 0
Dolly 200 400 400 0 0
Edgar 700 0 200 0 500
Revise the Regret Value-Table
Automobile
Buyer Ford Dodge Buick Volkswa
gen
Toyota
Amy $ 3, 000 $ 2, 500 $ 3, 300 $ 2, 600 $ 3, 100
Bert 3, 500 3, 000 2, 800 2, 800 3, 300
Carl 2, 800 2, 900 3, 900 2, 300 3, 600
Dolly 3, 300 3, 100 3, 400 2, 900 3, 500
Edgar 2, 800 3, 500 3, 600 2, 900 3, 000
Original Data
Buyer Bid
accepted
Bid Price
Amy Volkswagen $ 2, 600
Bert Ford 3, 500
Carl Buick 3, 900
Dolly Toyota 3, 500
Edgar Dodge 3, 500
Total $ 17, 000
Automobile
Buyer Ford Dodge Buick Volkswagen Toyota
Amy 200 700 200 0 100
Bert 0 500 1000 100 200
Carl 800 700 0 700 0
Dolly 200 400 400 0 0
Edgar 700 0 200 0 500
Thank you!