Chapter 5

Assignment Models
(Special cases of LP)
 The Assignment Algorithm
• The second special-purpose LP algorithm is the
assignment method.
• Each assignment problem has associated with it a table, or
matrix.
• Generally, the rows contain the objects or people we wish
to assign, and the columns comprise the tasks or things to
which we want them assigned.
• The numbers in the table are the costs associated with
each particular assignment.
• An assignment problem can be viewed as a transportation
problem in which the capacity from each source is 1 and
the demand at each destination is 1.
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 Assignment Model Approach
• The Fix-It Shop has three rush projects to repair.
• The shop has three repair persons with different talents
and abilities.
• The owner has estimates of wage costs for each worker
for each project.
• The owner’s objective is to assign the three project to the
workers in a way that will result in the lowest cost to the
shop.
• Each project will be assigned exclusively to one worker.

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 Assignment Model Approach
Estimated Project Repair Costs for the Fix-It Shop Assignment
Problem

PROJECT

PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $11 $14 $6

Brown 8 10 11

Cooper 9 12 7

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 Assignment Model Approach
Summary of Fix-It Shop Assignment Alternatives and Costs

PRODUCT ASSIGNMENT
LABOR TOTAL
1 2 3 COSTS ($) COSTS ($)
Adams Brown Cooper 11 + 10 + 7 28
Adams Cooper Brown 11 + 12 + 11 34
Brown Adams Cooper 8 + 14 + 7 29
Brown Cooper Adams 8 + 12 + 6 26
Cooper Adams Brown 9 + 14 + 11 34
Cooper Brown Adams 9 + 10 + 6 25

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 The Hungarian Method (Flood’s
Technique)
• The Hungarian method is an efficient method of finding
the optimal solution to an assignment problem without
having to make direct comparisons of every option.
• It operates on the principle of matrix reduction.
• By subtracting and adding appropriate numbers in the
cost table or matrix, we can reduce the problem to a
matrix of opportunity costs.
• Opportunity costs show the relative penalty associated
with assigning any person to a project as opposed to
making the best assignment.
• We want to make assignment so that the opportunity cost
for each assignment is zero.
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 Three Steps of the Assignment Method

1. Find the opportunity cost table by:

(a) Subtracting the smallest number in each row of the
original cost table or matrix from every number in
that row.
(b) Then subtracting the smallest number in each column
of the table obtained in part (a) from every number
in that column.
2. Test the table resulting from step 1 to see whether an
optimal assignment can be made by drawing the
minimum number of vertical and horizontal straight lines
necessary to cover all the zeros in the table. If the
number of lines is less than the number of rows or
columns, proceed to step 3.
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 Three Steps of the Assignment Method

3. Revise the opportunity cost table by subtracting the

smallest number not covered by a line from all numbers
not covered by a straight line. This same number is also
added to every number lying at the intersection of any
two lines. Return to step 2 and continue the cycle until
an optimal assignment is possible.

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Steps in the
Assignment
Method

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 The Hungarian Method (Flood’s
Technique)

• Step 1: Find the opportunity cost table.

– We can compute row opportunity costs and column
opportunity costs.
– What we need is the total opportunity cost.
– We derive this by taking the row opportunity costs and
subtract the smallest number in that column from each
number in that column.

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 The Hungarian Method (Flood’s
Technique)
Cost of Each Person-Project Row Opportunity Cost Table for the
Fix-it Shop Step 1, Part (a)
Assignment for the Fix-it Shop
Problem
PROJECT PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3 PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $11 $14 $6 Adams $5 $8 $0

Brown 8 10 11 Brown 0 2 3

Cooper 9 12 7 Cooper 2 5 0

The opportunity cost of assigning Cooper to project 2 is $12 – $7 = $5.

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 The Hungarian Method (Flood’s
Technique)
Derive the total opportunity costs by taking the costs in Table
above and subtract the smallest number in each column
from each number in that column.
Total Opportunity Cost Table for the Fix-it Shop Step 1, Part (b)

PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $5 $6 $0

Brown 0 0 3

Cooper 2 3 0

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 The Hungarian Method (Flood’s
Technique)
• Step 2: Test for the optimal assignment.
– We want to assign workers to projects in such a way
that the total labor costs are at a minimum.
– We would like to have a total assigned opportunity cost
of zero.
– The test to determine if we have reached an optimal
solution is simple.
– We find the minimum number of straight lines
necessary to cover all the zeros in the table.
– If the number of lines equals the number of rows or
columns, an optimal solution has been reached.

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 The Hungarian Method (Flood’s
Technique)
Test for Optimal Solution to Fix-it Shop Problem

PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $5 $6 $0

Brown 0 0 3 Covering line 1

Cooper 2 3 0

Covering line 2

This requires only two lines to cover the zeros so the solution is not optimal.

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 The Hungarian Method (Flood’s
Technique)
• Step 3: Revise the opportunity-cost table.
– We subtract the smallest number not covered by a line
from all numbers not covered by a straight line.
– The same number is added to every number lying at
the intersection of any two lines.
– We then return to step 2 to test this new table.

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 The Hungarian Method (Flood’s
Technique)
Revised Opportunity Cost Table for the Fix-it Shop Problem

PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $3 $4 $0

Brown 0 0 5

Cooper 0 1 0

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 The Hungarian Method (Flood’s
Technique)
Optimality Test on the Revised Fix-it Shop Opportunity Cost Table

PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $3 $4 $0

Brown 0 0 5 Covering line 2

Cooper 0 1 0

Table 9.27
Covering line 1 Covering line 3

This requires three lines to cover the zeros so the solution is optimal.

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 Making the Final Assignment
• The optimal assignment is Adams to project 3, Brown to
project 2, and Cooper to project 1.
• For larger problems one approach to making the final
assignment is to select a row or column that contains only one
zero.
– Make the assignment to that cell and rule out its row and column.
– Follow this same approach for all the remaining cells.

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 Making the Final Assignment
Total labor costs of this assignment are:

ASSIGNMENT COST ($)

Adams to project 3 6

Brown to project 2 10

Cooper to project 1 9

Total cost 25

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 Unbalanced Assignment Problems
• Often the number of people or objects to be assigned does
not equal the number of tasks or clients or machines listed in
the columns, and the problem is unbalanced.
• When this occurs, and there are more rows than columns,
simply add a dummy column or task.
• If the number of tasks exceeds the number of people
available, we add a dummy row.
• Since the dummy task or person is nonexistent, we enter
zeros in its row or column as the cost or time estimate.

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 Unbalanced Assignment Problems
• Suppose the Fix-It Shop has another worker available.
• The shop owner still has the same basic problem of
assigning workers to projects, but the problem now needs
a dummy column to balance the four workers and three
projects.

PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3 DUMMY
Adams $11 $14 $6 $0
Brown 8 10 11 0
Cooper 9 12 7 0
Davis 10 13 8 0
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• Reading Assignment
1. Transportation Problem with Maximization
objectives
2. Assignment Problem with Maximization
Objectives

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• End of Chapter 5

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