ASP, the art and science of practice: Elements of a theory of the practice of operations research: A framework

The ultimate value of operations research (OR) is making real differences in organizations. Yet little has been written on how one becomes good at doing OR and successful in practice. I propose a framework for understanding what makes good practice and an expert practitioner that encompasses the technical skills required to do OR through the managerial and marketing skills necessary to run an OR enterprise. The potential for success with OR methods depends on the nature of the problem, whether the initial and goal states are well defined or ill defined. The tools of artificial intelligence are useful for organizing the expertise in being a successful practitioner.