Some Aspects of Managing O.R. Projects

This paper presents views based on experiences as team member, project leader and Director of a large O.R. group, followed by observing the performance of several O.R. groups and finally as a user of O.R. in the position of part-time director of several companies. It looks at the importance of sponsorship, finding the right sponsor and ensuring that he is well-motivated and understood, the importance of management skills at the project leader level, correct definition of the project objective, thorough planning, selection and presentation of recommendations, implementation and checking the actual pay off. It also discusses the O.R. group as a whole, its place in the organisation, the portfolio of projects, development of O.R. staff and some thoughts on how the method of charging the organisation for O.R. projects may affect the long-term development of this activity. Finally, it presents symptoms of inefficiency and of impending failure of O.R. groups.