ASP, The Art and Science of Practice: Elements of a Theory of the Practice of Operations Research: A Framework

Abstract

The ultimate value of operations research (OR) is making real differences in organizations. Yet little has been written on how one becomes good at doing OR and successful in practice. I propose a framework for understanding what makes good practice and an expert practitioner that encompasses the technical skills required to do OR through the managerial and marketing skills necessary to run an OR enterprise. The potential for success with OR methods depends on the nature of the problem, whether the initial and goal states are well defined or ill defined. The tools of artificial intelligence are useful for organizing the expertise in being a successful practitioner.

Operations Research Capstone Courses for Business Majors with Analytical Backgrounds

“…Robinson (2006) said that the generic activities most central to OR practice are analysis and related consulting. Murphy (2005) lists the following 11 steps for building and using OR models:…”

A process for the development and application of simulation models in applied economics

“…Thus, the development and application of these skills by analysts are recommended (Ormerod 1996). Greater personal awareness and emotional intelligence -the general ability to perceive, understand and manage emotions in ourselves and others (Goleman 1996) -is at the core of maximising the benefits of personal relationships and hence is highly relevant (Murphy 2005a). Many projects will benefit from having specialist facilitators, but even modellers who are weak in this area can build strength in it.…”

“…Model development and interpretation can also benefit from previous modelling efforts if close similarities between model types are identified at an early stage (Polya 1945;Ackoff 1956;Murphy 2005a). For example, the economic theory of fishery management is based on the interpretation of a fish population as a capital stock, which allows the application of financial theory to identify key results (Clark 2010).…”

“…The importance of participatory modelling and the iterative nature of the modelling process is further highlighted by Jakeman et al (2006), who provided guidance in the context of the application of hydrological models. Various studies in operations research have also stressed the importance of interaction with system experts (Murphy 2005a), problem structuring (Rosenhead and Mingers 2001), conceptual models (Cedric 1994) and model validation (Olphert and Wilson 2004). Nevertheless, it appears that no general procedure has been developed for the development and application of models in applied economics.…”

Aprendizagem baseada em problemas no ensino de simulação aplicada à administração

“…Para Murphy (2005), além dos conhecimentos de Matemática e o conhecimento das ferramentas computacionais, as habilidades cognitivas para mapear problemas e transformá-los em modelos matemáticos por meio da modelagem e as habilidades de abstração para traduzir sintomas de um problema em uma definição significativa do que realmente é o problema são aspectos que deveriam ser mais valorizados no ensino de simulação, ou seja, tanto quanto os conhecimentos de Matemática e de Computação, é necessário maior entendimento do contexto administrativo dos problemas para facilitar a modelagem e resolução dos problemas, como…”