Assignment problems: A golden anniversary survey

• Published in: European journal of operational research Vol. 176; no. 2; pp. 774 - 793
• Main Author: Pentico, David W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 16-01-2007; Elsevier; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Series: European Journal of Operational Research
• Subjects: Anniversaries; Applied sciences; Assignment problem; Assignment problems; Exact sciences and technology; Integer programming; Mathematical problems; Operational research. Management science; Studies; Variance analysis; Integer programming; Assignment problems; Assignment problem
• ISSN: 0377-2217; 1872-6860
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2005.09.014

Having reached the 50th (golden) anniversary of the publication of Kuhn’s seminal article on the solution of the classic assignment problem, it seems useful to take a look at the variety of models to which it has given birth. This paper is a limited survey of what appear to be the most useful of the variations of the assignment problem that have appeared in the literature over the past 50
years. The intention here is not to identify every such paper (of which there have been hundreds) nor to identify the best solution procedure for each variation. Rather, the intention is to identify what these variations are and what they are called so as to make it easier for a researcher trying to develop some variation of the assignment problem for a particular application to find the relevant literature.