Basics of Operations Research

Once voted as the outstanding professor of the year by The Women’s College students, Rotimi Aderohunmu is a retired associate professor of business information and analytics who taught at the Daniels College of Business, University of Denver. Professor Rotimi Aderohunmu, PhD, taught and performed research in subjects including mathematics for business, systems simulation, operations management, and operations research (OR).

An applied science, OR deals with decision-making that commonly involves the appropriation and management of limited resources. These problems are typically encountered in the operations of organizations, including financial institutions, health care entities, industrial firms, transportation networks, and government. OR is an analytical method of problem-solving. Problems are dissected into fundamental elements and then solved in prescribed procedures using mathematical analysis.

Operational research analysts develop a mathematical system model and then evaluate and forecast the outcomes of different approaches to running the system. The analysis may use probabilistic and statistical methods, mathematical optimization techniques, computer simulations, and experiments.

Operations Research and How Beneficial it is to Organizations

Dr. Rotimi Aderohunmu is a retired associate professor of business information and analytics who served at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business for over two decades before retiring. Dr. Rotimi Aderohunmu has a PhD in operations research from Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, Texas. His teaching courses covered numerous management subject areas including Operations Research.

Operations Research (OR) is a vital analytical technique used for decision-making and problem-solving in the management of organizations. Operations research involves breaking down of problems into basic segments which are then solved in steps using mathematical analysis. OR relies on various analytical methods such as mathematical logic, queuing theory, network analysis, game theory and simulation.

A large set of possible solutions to a problem is developed and various alternatives analyzed separately with an aim of narrowing down to the most effective solutions. After identifying the best solutions to a problem, they are subjected to simulated implementation and eventually tested in a real-world scenario.Operation research analysts also help managers to decide how resource allocation should be done, manage the supply chain and develop production schedules.