MS/OR enabled systems design

Management (at least as reflected by popular management culture) is now more interested in redesigning systems completely than in marginal or continuing improvements. Some practical MS/OR work has recognized this and produced new systems that have changed their sponsoring organizations and provided them with competitive advantages. This paper considers the importance for MS/OR workers of focusing on system design rather than analysis aimed at supporting improvements in existing systems. It notes that MS/OR has traditionally perceived itself predominantly as analysis in this latter sense, and discusses the difference between design and this form of analysis. It then uses some Edelman prize finalist papers to illustrate the cycle of design-oriented MS/OR projects. Finally, this paper considers the opportunities and challenging problems afforded by system design, with particular reference to techniques, education, and the future success of MS/OR.