Scheduling with constraints
-
A colleague has asked for assistance with the problem stated below. I have searched and tried to create a solution without success. Another colleague suggested I post on this forum. The preferred approach would be in msAccess/vba, but any advice appreciated. The problem: Given a set of N participants, divide the participants into teams of m members. There are a number of Activities that take place in Sessions. Assign Teams to each session*activity such that no participant/member is assigned more than once in session, and no participant/member is in same activity more than once. Each team can only participate in 1 activity.
For testing suppose there a 4 activities that occur in 4 sessions, and 8 participants in teams of 2.Is there an algorithmic solution for 4x4 and 2. The underlying question is--is there a scalable solution beyond 4x4 and 2?
Manually, with 8 participants A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H - there is a solution
......... Activities
......... 1 2 3 4
Session 1 AE-CF-DG-BH
Session 2 CG-AH-BE-DF
Session 3 DH-BG-AF-CE
Session 4 BF-DE-CH-AG -
A colleague has asked for assistance with the problem stated below. I have searched and tried to create a solution without success. Another colleague suggested I post on this forum. The preferred approach would be in msAccess/vba, but any advice appreciated. The problem: Given a set of N participants, divide the participants into teams of m members. There are a number of Activities that take place in Sessions. Assign Teams to each session*activity such that no participant/member is assigned more than once in session, and no participant/member is in same activity more than once. Each team can only participate in 1 activity.
For testing suppose there a 4 activities that occur in 4 sessions, and 8 participants in teams of 2.Is there an algorithmic solution for 4x4 and 2. The underlying question is--is there a scalable solution beyond 4x4 and 2?
Manually, with 8 participants A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H - there is a solution
......... Activities
......... 1 2 3 4
Session 1 AE-CF-DG-BH
Session 2 CG-AH-BE-DF
Session 3 DH-BG-AF-CE
Session 4 BF-DE-CH-AGReminds of some companies: send you on courses you don't need to fulfill the "educational quota". May as well be talking colored marbles.
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
-
A colleague has asked for assistance with the problem stated below. I have searched and tried to create a solution without success. Another colleague suggested I post on this forum. The preferred approach would be in msAccess/vba, but any advice appreciated. The problem: Given a set of N participants, divide the participants into teams of m members. There are a number of Activities that take place in Sessions. Assign Teams to each session*activity such that no participant/member is assigned more than once in session, and no participant/member is in same activity more than once. Each team can only participate in 1 activity.
For testing suppose there a 4 activities that occur in 4 sessions, and 8 participants in teams of 2.Is there an algorithmic solution for 4x4 and 2. The underlying question is--is there a scalable solution beyond 4x4 and 2?
Manually, with 8 participants A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H - there is a solution
......... Activities
......... 1 2 3 4
Session 1 AE-CF-DG-BH
Session 2 CG-AH-BE-DF
Session 3 DH-BG-AF-CE
Session 4 BF-DE-CH-AG -
So, you want us to do your homework for you; sorry, that's not what this site is for. And looking at your profile you have been a member long enough to know that.
I'm not asking for you or anyone to do homework. My interest is really whether this is a problem that fits a "family of problem types with an algorithmic solution". I have seen picking marbles etc and how many ways can you do X, but I found this particular problem more complex. Any advice as to how to approach the problem would be helpful. I do recognize there are 16 teams (4x4) in a solution and that with 8 participants, there are 28 unique teams. But it's not just selecting 16 out of 28.
-
I'm not asking for you or anyone to do homework. My interest is really whether this is a problem that fits a "family of problem types with an algorithmic solution". I have seen picking marbles etc and how many ways can you do X, but I found this particular problem more complex. Any advice as to how to approach the problem would be helpful. I do recognize there are 16 teams (4x4) in a solution and that with 8 participants, there are 28 unique teams. But it's not just selecting 16 out of 28.
You have all the information you need in the question. It even provides you with sample data to work out first (4x4 and 2). S otry to draw some diagrams to see how you can fit the respective teams into the different activitie, and if there is a common thread to get to the answer.
-
Reminds of some companies: send you on courses you don't need to fulfill the "educational quota". May as well be talking colored marbles.
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I