INFORMS Career FAQ: Question 4

Q. How do operations researchers arrive at their solutions?

A. In undergraduate and graduate courses, operations research students learn to analyze problems and break them down into components that can be solved mathematically. They also learn how to use computer modeling as a problem-solving tool and which models and techniques are appropriate for different kinds of problems.

• Queuing theory, for instance, involves dealing with a flow of people or goods in the most efficient manner, given limited resources. It's what Walt Disney World uses to keep the lines moving at Space Mountain and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - and how TV newsrooms decide how many editors they'll need to stay on deadline.

• Optimization, to take another example, focuses on finding the best solution to meet desired criteria: What's the best stock portfolio for a conservative investor...or how should timber of varying diameter be cut to maximize profits?

• An operations researcher might also use stochastic modeling to forecast personnel requirements over a five-year period. Network analysis to schedule routes for airline fleets or police patrol cars. Or computer simulations - which you might compare to giant video games - that show how systems perform under different conditions.Most solutions involve a combination of methods. And it's the operations researcher's job to figure out how they all fit together.

With the right tools, results are often dramatic. Like the $37 million a year Wrangler Jeans is saving using a seven-model approach to inventory reduction. Or the Medicare DRG classification system, which has not only cut the average patient stay and improved hospital profits - but saved U.S. taxpayers over $25 billion, with no reduction in the quality of care. Success stories like these abound. Which is why the operations researcher has become a key member of so many management teams...and a professional whose services are more and more in demand.