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Scheduling Committees with Graph Coloring

This scheduling problem involves assigning six committees (variables) to three available time slots (domain) so that all lecturers can attend the meetings of committees they serve on. The constraint graph shows overlaps between committees based on shared lecturers. A valid schedule (coloring of the graph) is found that assigns committees to different time slots using three colors, allowing all meetings to be held without conflicts.

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Sihem Belabbes - IUT Montreuil
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109 views2 pages

Scheduling Committees with Graph Coloring

This scheduling problem involves assigning six committees (variables) to three available time slots (domain) so that all lecturers can attend the meetings of committees they serve on. The constraint graph shows overlaps between committees based on shared lecturers. A valid schedule (coloring of the graph) is found that assigns committees to different time slots using three colors, allowing all meetings to be held without conflicts.

Uploaded by

Sihem Belabbes - IUT Montreuil
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

A scheduling problem

Twelve lecturers in a mathematics department serve on the following committees:

- Undergraduate Education (UE): Sineman, Limitson, Axiomus, Functionini

- Graduate Education (GE): Graphian, Vectorades, Functionini, Infinitescu

- Colloquium (C): Lemmeau, Randomov, Proofizaki

- Library (L): Van Sum, Sineman, Lemmeau

- Staffing (S): Graphian, Randomov, Vectorades, Limitson

- Promotion (P): Vectorades, Van Sum, Parabolton

The committees must all meet during the first week of classes, but there are only three time
slots available. The aim is to find a schedule that will allow all lecturers to attend the meetings
of all committees on which they serve. Answer the following questions.

1. Define the variables and their domains for this scheduling problem.

2. Provide the constraint graph for this problem.

3. Find a schedule that will allow all lecturers to attend the meetings of all committees on
which they serve.

Solution
1. Variables and domains
Choosing variables and domains in CSP problems can be somewhat tricky. You have to consider
the goal you are working towards. However, the best place to start is normally to regard the
limited resource as the starting point for the domains (and thus the thing needing the resource
as the variables). Another way of thinking about this is to say the items we are contending
for would be the domains, the items that would like to make use of them (contend for them)
would be the variables.
In the given problem, time slots are limited: the committees are contending for their use – so
we regard the time slots as the domain. Therefore the variables are the six committees.

- Let X be the set of variables. X = {UE, GE, C, L, S, P}.

- Let DX be the domain for the variables. DX = {T1 , T2 , T3 }, where Ti (for i = 1, 2, 3)


represents a time slot. All variables have the same domain.

2. Constraint graph
The nodes of the graph represent the variables, thus the committees. The constraints of the
graph represent the overlaps between committee members. So we draw an edge between two
committees if at least one lecturer is a member of both committees, as shown in the graph in
Figure 1.

1
UE GE
• •

P • • L

S • • C

Figure 1: The constraint graph for the scheduling problem

3. Solution to the problem


We would like to find a schedule that will allow all lecturers to attend the meetings of all
committees on which they serve. This amounts to finding an assignment of colours to the
nodes of the graph so that if there is an edge between nodes u and v, then the colours assigned
to nodes u and v are different. So if we can colour the constraint graph with the fewest number
of colours possible, we can schedule all committee meetings that have the same colour at the
same time.

UE GE

P L

S C

Figure 2: A colouring of the constraint graph for the scheduling problem

In Figure 2, we have a colouring of the constraint graph that satisfies the requirement we set.
That is, no two nodes that are linked by an edge have the same colour. In this colouring, we
have used three colours, which means we can hold the committee meetings in three time slots
so that there are no conflicts. Specifically we have:

• S = T1 , (yellow)

• UE = C = P = T2 , (red)

• GE = L = T3 , (blue).

Note that the order of assigning time slots to the committees does not really matter as long as
meetings with different colours are held at different times.

Common questions

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With more than three time slots, the scheduling problem would become less constrained, potentially allowing more flexible solutions. Each committee meeting could more easily be assigned a unique slot, reducing conflicts further. This could simplify the graph coloring, as fewer conflicts would need resolution, enhancing scheduling flexibility and ease .

To verify the chosen coloring, confirm that no two adjacent nodes (committees with shared members) have the same color, which would indicate a scheduling conflict. Additionally, ensure all committee meetings are assigned a slot, i.e., have a color, and check that the number of colors (time slots) is minimized consistent with avoiding overlaps. This validation confirms the solution meets the problem’s constraints and goals .

Regarding time slots as domains rather than variables is essential because time slots are limited resources being contended for by the committees, which should thus be considered the variables. This perspective ensures that the problem formulation properly reflects the constraints and goals for scheduling, allowing for an effective allocation of time slots to meet all committees' needs .

The process involves coloring the constraint graph using the fewest colors possible. Each color represents a different time slot. By ensuring no two adjacent nodes (committees with a common member) share the same color, meetings can be assigned to time slots without conflicts. In this problem, three colors are used, allowing assignment of time slots so that: S = T1, UE = C = P = T2, and GE = L = T3, ensuring no overlapping meeting attendance .

In defining variables and domains for the scheduling problem, one should consider the limited resources and the entities competing for those resources. The time slots, being limited, are treated as domains, while the committees, which are contending for the time slots, are treated as variables. Thus, each committee is a variable, and the three available time slots form the domain for each variable. This approach ensures the variables and domains are logically structured to address the goal of scheduling .

To construct the constraint graph, analyze the membership overlap between committees. Identify which lecturers serve on multiple committees, then draw edges between nodes representing committees sharing at least one member. This analysis ensures the graph accurately represents conflicts, guiding effective time slot allocation to avoid scheduling overlaps .

The scheduling issue is a CSP as it involves finding a time slot assignment for meetings that fulfills constraints: no overlapping attendance for members serving on multiple committees. Variables are the committees, domains are the time slots, and constraints are based on member overlaps. Solving the CSP involves satisfying these constraints by suitable variable-domain pairing, exemplified by coloring the constraint graph .

The constraint graph is structured with nodes representing the committees and edges representing conflicts due to common members. An edge is drawn between two nodes if there is at least one lecturer in both corresponding committees. This graph visually represents the scheduling conflicts by indicating which committees must not be scheduled at the same time .

A constraint graph must depict nodes for each committee and edges indicating conflicts due to shared members between committees. An edge signifies that two committees share at least one member, necessitating different time slots for their meetings. This accurately visualizes potential scheduling conflicts and guides the allocation of time slots to prevent overlaps .

Coloring the constraint graph facilitates finding a schedule by allocating time slots (represented by colors) to committees while preventing conflicts. In this specific case, colors are assigned to nodes such that no two adjacent nodes have the same color. This ensures committees with shared members are scheduled at different times. Here, the coloring used achieves this with three colors, where specific assignments are S = T1, UE = C = P = T2, and GE = L = T3 .

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