OPERATIONAL RESEARCH: INTRODUCTION AND PHASES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 2
SOME OTHER DEFINITIONS OF OR ................................................................................. 2
PHASES AND PROCESSES OF O.R. ................................................................................... 3
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INTRODUCTION
Operational research (OR) is a scientific approach or contains a group of scientific methods which
help in providing solutions to numerous number of complex problems.
The term operations / operational research (O.R.) was coined during World War II, when British
military management called upon a group of scientists from different academic disciplines
together to apply scientific approaches in the study of military operations to win the battle. The
main objective was to allocate scarce resources in an effective / optimal manner to various
military operations for the purpose of getting their maximum use.
Due to the availability of faster and flexible computing facilities and the number of qualified O.R.
professionals, it is now widely used in military, business, industry,transportation, public health,
and many alike.
O.R takes tools from subjects like mathematics, statistics, engineering, economics, psychology,
computer sciences etc. and uses them to know the consequences of possible alternative actions.
Numerous synonyms for operations research are in common use. The British like operational
research and the Americans like management science, but a preferable term to describe this
subject is decision analysis.
SOME OTHER DEFINITIONS OF OR
O.R. is the art of winning wars without actually fighting. - Aurther Clarke
O.R. is concerned with scientifically deciding how to best design and operate man
machine systems usually under conditions requiring the allocation of scarce resources.
O.R. Society of America
O.R. is the application of the theories of Probability, Statistics, Queuing, Games, Linear
Programming, etc. to the problems of war, govt. and industry.
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PHASES OF O.R.
1. Identification and Formulation of problem: This is the most important process, it is
generally lengthy and time consuming. The activities that constitute this phase are
visits, observations, research etc. With the help of such activities, the O.R. scientist
gets sufficient information and support to proceed and becomes better prepared to
formulate the problem. This process starts with understanding of objectives and
expectations. Further, the alternative courses of action are discovered in this step.
2. Develop a model: Once a problem is formulated, the next step is to express the
problem as a mathematical model that represents the problem, processes or
environment in the form of equations, relationships or formulas. We have to
identify both the static and dynamic structural elements, and devise mathematical
formulas to represent the interrelationships among elements.
3. Select appropriate data input: Garbage in and garbage out is a famous saying. No
model will work appropriately if data input is not appropriate. The purpose of this
step is to have sufficient input to operate and to test the model.
4. Solution of the model: After selecting the appropriate data input, the next step is to
find a solution. If the model is not behaving properly, then updation and
modification is considered at this stage.
5. Validation of the model: A model is said to be valid if it can provide a reliable
prediction of the system’s performance. A model must be applicable for a longer
time and can be updated from time to time taking into consideration the past,
present and future aspects of the problem.
6. Implementation of the solution: The implementation of the solution involves so
many behavioural issues and the implementing authority is responsible for resolving
these issues. The gap between one who provides a solution and the one who wishes
to use it should be eliminated. To achieve this, O.R. scientist as well as management
should play a positive role.
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