Editing Operations research (section)

{{Short description|Discipline concerning the application of advanced analytical methods}}
{{Distinguish|Operations management}}{{For|the academic journal|Operations Research (journal)}}
{{globalize|reason= US perspective completely neglected, George Dantzig gets a passing mention only|date=December 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
'''Operations research''' ({{langx|en-GB|'''operational research'''}}) (U.S. [[Air Force Specialty Code]]: Operations Analysis), often shortened to the [[initialism]] '''OR''', is a branch of applied mathematics that deals with the development and application of analytical methods to improve management and decision-making.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/operations-research |title=Operations research &#124; Definition, History, Examples, & Facts |publisher=Britannica}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.informs.org/Explore/What-is-O.R.-Analytics/What-is-O.R. |title=What is O.R.? |publisher=INFORMS.org |access-date=7 January 2012}}</ref> Although the term [[management science]] is sometimes used similarly, the two fields differ in their scope and emphasis.

Employing techniques from other mathematical sciences, such as [[mathematical model|modeling]], [[statistics]], and [[mathematical optimization|optimization]], operations research arrives at optimal or near-optimal solutions to [[decision-making]] problems. Because of its emphasis on practical applications, operations research has overlapped with many other disciplines, notably [[industrial engineering]]. Operations research is often concerned with determining the extreme values of some real-world objective: the [[Maxima and minima|maximum]] (of profit, performance, or yield) or minimum (of loss, risk, or cost). Originating in military efforts before [[World War II]], its techniques have grown to concern problems in a variety of industries.<ref name="hsor.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.hsor.org/what_is_or.cfm |title=What is OR |publisher=HSOR.org |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref>
<!--[[File:Operation research study 01.svg|thumb|480px|Model of Operation research study, based on Stafford Beer (1959).<ref>Stafford Beer (1959). ''Cybernetic and Management''. English Universities Press.</ref>]] -->