Task Assignment with Autonomous and Controlled Agents was the topic of an interactive seminar given by Dr. Florian Biermann at ISET on November 20, 2013. The assignment problem is one of the most famous branches of operational research. The general problem concerns a situation whereby one has a number of tasks that should be divided among employees. The purpose of the seminar was to show an algorithm for optimal task allocation among autonomous and controlled agents.

Dr. Biermann immediately attracted the attention of the audience by introducing an interesting and very suitable example concerning ISET. The example was as follows: four tasks need to be divided among four agents (four ISET faculty members), the efficiency of the different tasks done by different faculty members is different. The aim was to find the way that the tasks should be divided in order to maximize the outcome for the institution.

Dr. Biermann considered several possibilities of task allocation as suggested by the audience and showed them that it was not as easy as it first seems to find optimal allocation. To solve the assignment problem, Dr. Biermann presented the Hungarian algorithm and indicated its application to the marriage market. He then linked this to the initial assignment problem and showed the solution.

ISET would like to thank Dr. Florian Biermann for presenting a very interesting, informative, and useful seminar to the ISET community.