OR Society – 28 th Annual Careers Open Day Experiences in OR Dougal Beard

Presentation Overview My Route into Operational Research My View of OR OR experiences Current position – Lanner Group Conclusion

My Route into Operational Research University of Aberdeen –BSc (Hons) Mathematics with French 3 rd Year - Techniques of Operational Research class –Optimisation How many blue gnomes… 4 th Year – what now?! –Careers fairs, company websites… University of Strathclyde –MSc Operational Research

My View of OR (1) Problem understanding Problem solving Decision making In a business context, OR can be used as an aid to:

My View of OR (2) Two sides: Soft –Ill-defined, unstructured problems –Qualitative, intangible aspects –Strategic Level Hard –Well-defined, structured problems –Quantitative, tangible aspects –Operational Level Need both techniques to fully understand the problem

MSc Placement - Dstl The Project –2 weeks –Bradford race riots Determine key issues Study causes & effects E.g. lack of communication ignorance of other cultures segregation in schools feelings of racial tension Presentation of findings –Soft OR The Outcomes –Greater understanding of situation –Appreciation of difficulties involved –No immediate answer –Difficult to measure progress - cant measure feelings!

MSc Dissertation – Ayrshire & Arran Health Board simulation study The Project –3 months –Merging of two orthopaedic A&E departments – what are the effects? bed occupancy, theatre times, admission rates –Microsoft Excel based simulation –Written client report –Hard OR The Outcomes –15% potential saving on theatre times –Potential of reduced waiting lists –Scientific proof isnt enough!

Current Position (1) CV to Prospect recruitment agency Lanner Group –Simulation specialists –Based in Redditch –Offices worldwide –Variety of industries

Current Position (2) What is simulation? –Dynamic representation of real-life system How do we use it? –WITNESS software –Computer model of business process –What-if scenarios –Better understanding of process –Reduced risk in decision making –Increase profitability

Current Position (3) Clients include: Oil & Gas – BP, Shell –Deliverability, feasibility Automotive – Ford –Production line issues Leisure - Madame Tussauds –Customer flow Public Sector – Police, NHS –Resource utilisation, bed occupancy Food & Drink – Guinness, Golden Wonder –Increased capacity

Current Position (4) My contribution: Oil & Gas industry –Feasibility of LNG shipping terminal Can they meet demand? –Petrol station forecourt layout Maximise customer throughput Next: Pharmaceutical Industry

Conclusion Operational Research General –Very powerful discipline –Wide variety of applications Personal –Increased knowledge of different industry sectors –Prefer technical side of things - need both! –Presentation & report writing skills are important –Need to understand problem before a solution can be reached –I can make a difference!

Thank you