Fuzzy optimization approach to the assignment problem: A triangular fuzzy model with defuzzification technique

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a fuzzy optimization-based approach to solve the classical assignment problem where cost coefficients are modeled as triangular fuzzy numbers. We adopt the centroid-based defuzzification technique to transform fuzzy costs into crisp values. The resulting crisp assignment problem is then solved using the Hungarian algorithm. A step-by-step numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. This approach is particularly useful in real-life scenarios involving uncertainty and imprecision in cost evaluations, such as human-centered decision-making, expert systems, and uncertain resource allocation tasks.