Operations Research

Information Technology Dr S M Junaid Zaidi Rector COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

Operations Research Lecture 1

OR The art of winning war without actually fighting it

IN WORLD WAR II British Government employed a number of teams of eminent scientists to apply their expertise to management and operational problems rather on technical problems

Radar Oprerational Research Team

OR Emerged !

Another team was set up to examine the relative ineffectiveness of the allied forces at destroying the German u-boats which were sinking the food convoys ships supplying Britain.

AFTER WORLD WAR II The same approach was used in industrial and commercial field. First developed in Britain and simultaneously in USA followed by Europe and rest of the world. But not yet in Pakistan! Why?

Definition of OR

OR SOCIETY OF UK DEFINES Operational Research is the application of the methods of science to complex problems arising in the direction and management of large systems of men, machine, materials and money in industry, business, government and defense. …

Cont ! The distinctive approach is to develop a scientific model of the system incorporating measurements of factor, such as chance and risk, with which to compare the outcome of alternative decisions, strategies and controls. The purpose is to help management determine its policies and actions scientifically.

OR SOCIETY OF USA DEFINES Operations Research is concerned with scientifically deciding how to best design and operate man-machine system usually under conditions requiring the allocation of scarce resources

Shorter Definition Operations Research is the application of quantitative methods to decision making

Operations Research: Science applied to management Management: Decision making and control Management science: Study of problems as abstraction and application of the resulting theory to practical situation

OR PROCESS OBSERVATION PROBLEM DEFINITION MODEL CONSTRUCTION SOLUTION IMPLEMENTATION

OR PROCESS OBSERVATION PROBLEM DEFINITION MODEL CONSTRUCTION SOLUTION H N I Q U S MODEL CONSTRUCTION SOLUTION IMPLEMENTATION

OR PROCESS OBSERVATION PROBLEM DEFINITION MODEL CONSTRUCTION SOLUTION FEEDBACK MODEL CONSTRUCTION OR PROCESS SOLUTION INFORMATION IMPLEMENTATION

OR PROCESS OBSERVATION PROBLEM DEFINITION MODEL CONSTRUCTION SOLUTION IMPLEMENTATION

Applications

Operations Research Lecture 1