Hire a consultant skilled in business operations research

If you're new to operations research/management science, you'll likely want to enlist the assistance of a consultant. It's a highly specialized field, and any changes made could have a significant impact on your organization. A consultant can tailor a plan specifically for your company, and will have access to the latest methods, strategies and technological tools

I recommend: Start by looking at the consultant directory put together by OR/MS Today Magazine, published by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. The website for Operations Management: The Science of Better features tips on working with an operations research professional.

Learn from the management science experiences of other companies

If you're considering implementing operations research/management science processes, find out how this practice has worked for other companies. Through case studies, you can find out the challenges other businesses have faced when adopting these practices, how they dealt with these challenges, and what impact the procedure had on their organization.

I recommend: Harvard Business Publishing offers case studies on management topics, including operations management and strategy. The Stanford School of Business offers case studies on operations and strategic management.

Consider management science software

Providers of management science software offer packages that can help you with everything from risk management to general decision making. In fact, consultants frequently utilize software to help them perform the most accurate analysis and recommendations they can.

I recommend: Take a look at the list of software packages reviewed by OR/MS Today magazine, published by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences; for greater detail, read the magazine's software surveys and articles.