MS/OR implementation failure: A case study

A case study in project implementation failure is presented. Major factors in the implementation failure include the following. The project was not initiated by the manager ultimately responsible for implementation. The manager did not believe there was a real problem, did not appreciate the need for a model and did not understand the analysis. The project results conflicted with the manager’s intuition and operational experience. The case study corroborates some of the findings regarding the major impediments to implementation as cited in surveys of Management Science/Operational Research implementation problems.