Chapter III - 1.2 Solution of The Assignment Model

Solution of the
Assignment Model
Assignment model
The assignment model is a special form of a
linear programming model that is similar to the
transportation model. There are differences,
however. In the assignment model, the supply at
each source and the demand at each destination
are limited to one unit each.
The following example from the text
will be used to demonstrate the
assignment model and its special solution
method. The Atlantic Coast Conference
has four basketball games on a particular
night. The conference office wants to
assign four teams of officials to the four
games in a way that will minimize the
total distance traveled by the officials. The
distances in miles for each team of
officials to each game location are shown
in Table B-34.
Table B-34
The supply is always one team of officials, and the
demand is for only one team of officials at each game. Table
B-34 is already in the proper form for the assignment.
The first step in the assignment method of solution is to
develop an opportunity cost table. We accomplish this by
first subtracting the minimum value in each row from every
value in the row. These computations are referred to as row
reductions. We applied a similar principle in the VAM
method when we determined penalty costs. In other words,
the best course of action is determined for each row, and the
penalty or “lost opportunity” is developed for all other row
values. The row reductions for this example are shown in
Table B-35.
Table B-35
Next, the minimum value in each column is
subtracted from all column values. These
computations are called column reductions and
are shown in Table B-36, which represents the
completed opportunity cost table for our
example. Assignments can be made in this table
wherever a zero is present. For example, team A
can be assigned to Atlanta. An optimal solution
results when each of the four teams can be
uniquely assigned to a different game.
Table B-36
Notice in Table B-36 that the assignment of
team A to Atlanta means that no other team
can be assigned to that game. Once this
assignment is made, the zero in row B is
infeasible, which indicates that there is not a
unique optimal assignment for team B.
Therefore, Table B-36 does not contain an
optimal solution.
A test to determine whether four unique
assignments exist in Table B-36 is to draw the
minimum number of horizontal or vertical lines
necessary to cross out all zeros through the rows
and columns of the table. For example, Table B-
37 shows that three lines are
required to cross out all zeros.
Table B-37
The three lines indicate that there are only three
unique assignments, whereas four are required for
an optimal solution. (Note that even if the three
lines could have been drawn differently, the
subsequent solution method would not be affected.)
Next, subtract the minimum value that is not
crossed out from all values not crossed out. Then,
add this minimum value to those cells where two
lines intersect. The minimum value not crossed out
in Table B-37 is 15. The second iteration for this
model with the appropriate changes is shown in
Table B-38.
Table B-38
No matter how the lines are drawn in Table B-
38, at least four are required to cross out all the
zeros. This indicates that four unique
assignments can be made and that an optimal
solution has been reached. Now let us make the
assignments from Table B-38.
First, team A can be assigned to either the
Atlanta game or the Clemson game. We will
assign team A to Atlanta first. This means that
team A cannot be assigned to any other game,
and no other team can be assigned to Atlanta.
Therefore, row A and the Atlanta column can
be eliminated. Next, team B is assigned to
Raleigh. (Team B cannot be assigned to Atlanta,
which has already been eliminated.) The third
assignment is of team C to the Durham game.
This leaves team D for the Clemson game.
These assignments and their
respective distances (from Table B-34) are
summarized as follows:
Now let us go back and make the initial
assignment of team A to Clemson (the
alternative assignment we did not initially
make). This will result in the following set of
assignments:
These two assignments represent multiple
optimal solutions for our example problem. Both
assignments will result in the officials traveling a
minimum total distance of 450 miles.
Like a transportation problem, an assignment
model can be unbalanced when supply exceeds
demand or demand exceeds supply. For example,
assume that, instead of four teams of officials,
there are five teams to be assigned to the four
games. In this case a dummy column is added to
the assignment tableau to balance the model, as
shown in Table B-39.
Table B-39
In solving this model, one team of officials
would be assigned to the dummy column. If
there were five games and only four teams of
officials, a dummy row would be added instead
of a dummy column. The addition of a dummy
row or column does not affect the solution
method.
Prohibited assignments are also possible in
an assignment problem, just as prohibited routes
can occur in a transportation model. In the
transportation model, an M value was assigned
as a large cost for the cell representing the
prohibited route. This same method is used for a
prohibited assignment. A value of M is placed in
the cell that represents the prohibited
assignment.
The steps of the assignment solution
method are summarized here:
1. Perform row reductions by subtracting the
minimum value in each row from all row
values.
2. Perform column reductions by subtracting
the minimum value in each column from all
column values.
3. In the completed opportunity cost table,
cross out all zeros, using the minimum
number of horizontal or vertical lines.
The steps of the assignment solution
method are summarized here cont.:
4. If fewer than m lines are required
(where m = the number of rows or columns), subtract the
minimum uncrossed value from all uncrossed values, and
add this same minimum value to all cells where two lines
intersect. Leave all other values unchanged, and repeat
step 3.
5. If m lines are required, the tableau contains the optimal

solution and m unique assignments can be made. If fewer
than m lines are required, repeat step 4.
Thank
you!!!


Chapter III - 1.2 Solution of The Assignment Model

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Solution of the

5. If m lines are required, the tableau contains the optimal

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