Optimal Staff Allocation using the Assignment Model. “A Cost Minimization Approach” (Assigning Lecturers to different Exams Venue in the Department of Statistics, Nasarawa State University, Keffi

The study applied the Assignment Model of Operations Research to optimize the allocation of examination invigilation duties in the Department of Statistics and Data Analytics, Nasarawa State University, keffi. The objective was to minimize the walking distance of academic staff to examination halls. Nine eligible staff and eight halls were considered, with a dummy hall added to balance the problem. Distances in metres from staff offices to halls served as the cost matrix, and the problem was solved using Microsoft Excel Solver. The optimized allocation produced a total minimized distance of 580 metres, compared to a baseline of 920 metres under non-optimized allocation. This represents a significant reduction in walking distance, ensuring more efficient and fair deployment of staff. The study demonstrates the usefulness of the Assignment Model as a practical decision-making tool for resource allocation in university administration.