Selecting Student Project Teams When it Really Matters: An Optimization-Based Approach Using Internet Resources

Abstract

This article presents an optimization-based approach to selecting student project teams. This approach is particularly useful when there are more projects available than can be staffed, the assignment of students to teams should be done at the same time that the projects to be conducted are selected, and the quality of the student teams is especially important. I have used this approach to select project teams in our required capstone MBA supply chain management project course for the past three years, and it has both simplified the selection process and improved the quality of the results. The approach also provides an easily understood practical illustration of the value of algebraic optimization modeling methods, and it demonstrates the use of Internet optimization resources. For instructors who need to assign project teams but who are not interested in the details of the optimization model, the approach can be applied as a “decision support system” without requiring the user to understand the specifics of the optimization model.

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