Operations research

Operations research, operational research, or simply OR, is the use of mathematical models, statistics and algorithms to aid in decision-making. It is most often used to analyze complex real-world systems, typically with the goal of improving or optimizing performance. It is one form of applied mathematics.

Operations research in context

The terms operations research and management science are often used synonymously. When a distinction is drawn, management science generally implies a closer relationship to the problems of business management.

Related Topics:
Management science - Business - Management

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Operations research also closely relates to industrial engineering. Industrial engineering takes more of an engineering point of view, and industrial engineers typically consider OR techniques to be a major part of their toolset.

Related Topics:
Industrial engineering - Engineering

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of the primary tools used by operations researchers are statistics, optimization, stochastics, queueing theory, game theory, graph theory, and simulation. Because of the computational nature of these fields OR also has ties to computer science, and operations researchers regularly use custom-written or off-the-shelf software.

Related Topics:
Statistics - Optimization - Stochastic - Queueing theory - Game theory - Graph theory - Simulation - Computer science - Software

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Operations research is distinguished by its ability to look at and improve an entire system, rather than concentrating only on specific elements (though this is often done as well). An operations researcher faced with a new problem is expected to determine which techniques are most appropriate given the nature of the system, the goals for improvement, and constraints on time and computing power. For this and other reasons, the human element of OR is vital. Like any other tools, OR techniques cannot solve problems by themselves.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~