ASSIGNMENT MODEL

Introduction
• Assignment problem is one of the optimisation tool that management
expert use in making Managerial Decision.

• It addresses problems that involve determining the Most Efficient

Assignment of People to Project.

• The objective is most often to Minimise Total Cost Or Total Time of

performing the tasks at hand.

• One important characteristics of assignment problems is that Only

One Job Or Worker Is Assigned To One Machine Or Project.
 Variants of Assignment Model

There are some types in assignment problem. They are:

1. Minimization Problem:
Assigning the jobs to machines when the problem has “Square
Matrix” to minimize the time required to complete the jobs

2. Maximization Problem:
The second type is maximization type of assignment problem.
Here, we have to “Assign certain jobs to certain facilities to
maximize the returns or maximize the effectiveness.
Variants of Assignment Model (Con’t)
3. Unbalance Problem:
This is an “Assignment Problem having Non-Square Matrix”

4. Assignment Problem with Restrictions:

Here restrictions such as a job cannot be done on a certain
machine or a job cannot be allocated to a certain facility may be
specified.

For the sake of our class, we will focus on maximization and minimization
problem
 Application of Assignment Model
Assignment Problem can be applied but not limited
to:
Assignment of Effectiveness of Salesmen in Clerks to
Employees to Teachers and Different Sales Various
Machine Subjects. Areas Counters

Recall, the objective is to minimize the total time and cost

or otherwise maximize the sales, contribution, returns,
profit etc.
 Procedure for Solving Assignment Problems –
The Hungarian Method/Algorithm

• The Hungarian Method of assignment provides us with an efficient means of

finding the optimal solution without having to make a direct comparison of
every option.
• The following are the steps of Hungarian Method:

 Step 1: In a given problem, if the number of rows is not equal to the

number of columns and vice versa, then add a dummy row or a dummy
column.
 Step 2: Reduce the matrix by selecting the smallest element in each
row and subtract with other elements in that row.
 Cont.
Step 3: Reduce the new matrix (Row Opportunity Cost Matrix,
ROCM) column wise using the same method as given in step 2. That
is, deduct the smallest element in each column from other elements of
the column.

Step 4: Draw minimum number of lines to cover all zeroes. First,

cover row or column, which is having maximum number of zeroes
and then next row or column having next highest number of zeroes
and so on until all zeroes are covered. Remember, only horizontal
and vertical lines are to be drawn.
• Example 1: Bityok Ltd has just been awarded a rocket engine development
contract. The contract terms require that at least five other smaller companies be
awarded sub-contracts for a portion of the total work. So, Bityok Ltd requested
bids from five sub-contract work in five areas, V, W, X, Y, and Z. The bids are as
follows:
Company V W X Y Z

A 45000 60000 75000 100000 30000

B 50000 55000 40000 100000 45000
C 60000 70000 80000 110000 40000
D 30000 20000 60000 55000 25000
E 6000 25000 65000 185000 35000

a. Which bids should Bityok Ltd accept in order to fulfil the contract terms at the
Note: Once you see time and cost, the objective is to minimize. While
sales, or revenue, the objective is to maximize. Both minimization and
maximization are subset of optimization.

Soln:

Step 1: The given matrix is a “Square Matrix” and it is not

necessary to add a dummy row/column.

Step 2: Reduce the matrix by selecting the smallest value

in each row and subtracting from other values in that
corresponding row.
 Row Opportunity Cost Table
Company V W X Y Z
A 15000 30000 45000 70000 0

B 10000 15000 0 60000 5000

C 20000 30000 40000 70000 0

D 10000 0 40000 35000 5000

E 35000 0 40000 160000 10000

• Next, you operationalize the table column-wise

Step 3: Reduce the new matrix given in the row opportunity cost table by
selecting the smallest value in each column and subtract from other values in
that corresponding column.
Column Opportunity Cost Table

Company V W X Y Z
A 5000 30000 45000 35000 0
B 0 15000 0 25000 5000
C 10000 30000 40000 35000 0
D 0 0 40000 0 5000
E 25000 0 40000 125000 10000
• Next, testing for Optimality. Ruling the Straight Line. (The objective is to
eliminate zeroes as much as possible)

Step 4: Drawing minimum number of lines possible to cover all the zeros in
the matrix given in the next table.
Company V W X Y Z
(000) (000) (000) (000) (000)

A 5 30 45 35 0
B 0 15 0 25 5
C 10 30 40 35 0
D 0 0 40 0 5
E 25 0 40 125 10
 We have four (4) straight lines but the dimension of Matrix is 5x5,
suggesting that the solution is not yet optimal. So, there is need to revise
the table. Look for the smallest number carefully (5000) and subtract it from all
the numbers that are not touch by the straight lines.

Revise Table
Company V W X Y Z
A 0 30 40 30 0
B 0 20 0 25 10
C 5 30 35 30 0
D 0 5 40 0 10
E 20 0 35 120 10

 How do we know that we have arrive at the optimal solution? Is when the
straight lines equals the number of the matrix
Step 6: Now, draw minimum number of lines to cover all the zeros and check
for optimality. Here, the minimum number of lines drawn is five (5) which is equal to
the order of matrix. Hence, optimality is reached.
Step 7: Assign the tasks to the operators. Select a row that has a single zero
and assign by squaring it. Strike off remaining zeros if any in that row or column.
Repeat the assignment for other tasks.

Revise Table
Company V W X Y Z
A
A=V 0 30 40 30 0
B 0 20 B=X
0 25 10
C 5 30 35 30 C=Z 0
D 0 5 40 0 10
D=Y
E 20 0 35 120 10
E=W
Final Assignment

FINAL ASSIGNMENT
Assignment Costs (#)
A=V 45000
B=X 40000
C=Z 40000
D=Y 55000
E=W 25000
TOTAL COST 205000

Go to the original cost matrix. Contract V should be assign to contractor

A. When a contract is assign to a particular operator, that task cannot be
assign to any person again.
 MAXIMIZATION PROBLEM
 In a maximization problem, the objective is to maximize
outcomes such as profit, revenue, or effectiveness. Such
problems can be solved by converting the given maximization
problem into a minimization problem.

 In contrast to the earlier minimization problem, some

assignments are expressed in terms of maximizing payoffs,
profits, or effectiveness instead of minimizing costs.
 This transformation is achieved by subtracting each value in
the original payoff table from the largest value in
that table. This process is known as “Polishing the
Matrix.”

 The transformed entries represent Opportunity Costs. It

turns out that minimizing these opportunity costs yields the
same optimal assignment as the original maximization
problem.
• Example 2: Bityok Pharmacy has four Salesmen who have to
visit four clients. The profit records from previous visits are shown in
the table below and you are required to help the Pharmacy to find
the optimal assignment.

Clients/Salesmen A B C D
(000) (000) (000) (000)
W 6 12 20 12
X 22 18 15 20
Y 12 16 18 15
Z 16 8 12 20
• Solution: The given maximization problem is converted into
maximization problem by subtracting from the highest sales value
(i.e., 22) with all elements in the given table.

Clients/Salesmen A B C D
(000) (000) (000) (000)
W 16 10 2 10
X 0 4 7 2
Y 10 6 4 7
Z 6 14 10 (2)
Then, continue with the steps of minimization:

Row Opportunity Cost

Clients/Salesmen A B C D
(000) (000) (000) (000)
W 14 8 0 8
X (0) 4 7 2
Y 6 (2) (0) 3
Z 4 12 8 (0)
 Column Opportunity Cost
Clients/Salesmen A B C D
(000) (000) (000) (000)

W 14 6 0 8
X 0 0 7 2
Y 6 2 0 3
Z 4 10 8 0
 Optimal Assignment
Assignment Profits (#) (000)
W => C 20
X => A 22
Y => B 16
Z => D 20
Total Profit 78
 Unbalanced Assignment problem
• The previous two examples are based on balanced assignment
problems which often not the case. In some problem, the number
of rows is not always equal to the number of column.

• In such case, the given matrix is not a square matrix, the

assignment problem is called “Unbalanced Problem”.

• In such type of problems, add dummy row (s) or column (s) with
the cost elements as zero to convert the matrix as square matrix.
Then, the assignment problem is solved by the Hungarian
Method.
 Clients/Salesmen A
(000)
B
(000)
C
(000)
D
(000)
E
(000)

W 6 12 20 12 10
X 22 18 15 20 16
Y 12 16 18 15 20
Z 16 8 12 20 18
Dummy 0 0 0 0 0

• In summary - Thus far, we have been able to:

 Explain the concept of Assignment Model
 Application of Assignment Model in problem that involves
determining the most efficient assignment of people to project
management
 In our next class, we shall be considering “Transportation
Model”.
ASSIGNMENT
• A company is relocating four (4) employees to four (4) cities. Ea