Optimal clustering: A model and method

Classifying items into distinct groupings is fundamental in scientific inquiry. The objective of cluster analysis is to assign n objects to up to K mutually exclusive groups while minimizing some measure of dissimilarity among the items. Few mathematical programming approaches have been applied to these problems. Most clustering methods to date only consider lowering the amount of interaction between each observation and the group mean or median. Clustering used in information systems development to determine groupings of modules requires a model that will account for the total group interaction. We formulate a mixed‐integer programming model for optimal clustering based upon scaled distance measures to account for this total group interaction. We discuss an efficient, implicit enumeration algorithm along with some implementation issues, a method for computing tight bounds for each node in the solution tree, and a small example. A computational example problem, taken from the computer‐assisted process organization (CAPO) literature, is presented. Detailed computational results indicate that the method is effective for solving this type of cluster analysis problem.