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Sources of Operations Research Expertise

There's more than one way to engage O.R. professionals who have the expertise you need.

Inside your organization: You may find employees with O.R. training in one or more departments – engineering, R&D, IT, scheduling, planning, logistics, pricing, etc. If you don't, consider hiring an O.R. professional and adding him or her to the mix, or even creating a new department.

Outside your organization: There are many qualified O.R. professionals offering their services as independent consultants or members of consulting firms. There are also companies delivering O.R. solutions like optimization software and services. To search for O.R. professionals or companies, go to Find an O.R. Professional.

Inside and outside: Combining both internal and external resources has its advantages. You can leverage external specialties beyond your own resources, while building solution and system expertise internally for long-term support after the outside resources are gone.

Inside or outside resources–which are better?
To determine what arrangement fits your organization, consider some probing questions:

• As you look to the future, how will your organization appear in three years – generally the way it does today, or very different from the perspectives of employees, customers, and shareholders? If you foresee an extended period of change in your organizational structure, internal O.R. should become a core competency because it can help you perform best-available analysis to inform key management decisions, design new processes, and plan the most promising future path.
• Is your company rapidly adding new processes and technologies? Or are traditional ways stable? If your company's structure is not evolving rapidly yet within the current structure you are adding processes and technologies, an internal O.R. department can help you make the new systems and processes highly effective and efficient.
• Can an operations researcher build a model and leave you in charge – or do you need follow-up expertise? If you plan to embark on a one-time project with a finite end, outsourcing probably is the way to go. But if a project results in future activity that calls for O.R. expertise, you may want to bring operations research in-house.

For tips on ensuring the success of your O.R. engagement, go to Working with an O.R. Professional.