c








1. The name assignment problem originates from the classified problems where the
objectives are to assign a no. of origins to equal no. of destinations at a minimum
cost.

2. The nature of assignment problem, suppose there are µn¶ jobs to be performed
and µn¶ persons are available for doing the jobs.

3. Assume that each person can do each job at a time through with varying degree
of efficiency.

4. Let cij is the cost, if the ith person is assigned the jth job.

5. The problem is to find an assignment so that the total cost for performing all
jobs is minimum.


 

1 C C c
 c

2 C C «c c
 

 

 i  
C
 C
 c
 c

  
 
  
C C c c
n
5. Such types of problems may consist of assigning men to officer, classes to
rooms, drivers to trucks, trucks to delivery routes or problems to research teams
etc.

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1. Mathematically, the assignment problem can be stated as, minimize the total
cost:-

Z= Ȉ n i=1 Ȉ n j=1 c I j x I j, i =1, 2, «, n, J=1,2,«,n

Subject to restrictions of the form

Xij= {1 if ith person is assigned jth job

O if not}

Ȉj=1n xij=1 (one job is gone by the ith person i=1,2,«,n)

Ȉi=1n xij=1 (only one person should be assigned the jth job, j=1,2,«, n)

2. Where xij denotes that jth job is to be assigned to the ith person.

3. This special structure of assignment problem allows a more convenient method

of solution in comparison is simple method.

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1. The assignment problem is seen to be the special case of transportation problem.

2. When each origin is associated with one end only one destination.

3. In such a case, m=n, and the numerical evaluations of such associations are
called effectiveness instead of transportation costs.
4. Mathematically, all ai and bj are unity and each xij is limited to one of the two
values 0 and 1.

5. In such circumstances, exactly not the xij can be non zero, one for each origin
and one for each destination.

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A department head has four sub ordinates and four tasks have to be performed.
Subordinates differ in efficiency and task differs in their intrinsic difficulty. Time
each man would take to perform each cost is given in effectiveness matrix, now the
task should be allocated to each person, so as to minimize total man hours.



  

I II III IV

A
   ! 
   B "  #  

C " #  $

#   % &

D






 

Subtract the smallest element in the each row from every element of that row,
then we get reduced matrix. This is also called as row operation.




  

    '

c &  # "

#
( % & 
" % " &
  )
#   % &
*





Subtract the smallest element in the each column from every elements of that
column, we get reduced matrix. This is also called as column operation.



  

    '

c  % # "
]

  ( # & ]  

) " ]
 " &

#  % ]
*

Here, A -> I

B ->II

C ->III

D ->IV

Optimum solution (min hours) = 8+4+19+10=41.