Spring conference broadens scope

The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences’ (INFORMS) spring “Practice Conference” has been re-branded and re-configured to encompass the emerging field of business analytics while keeping the core competencies of operations research (O.R.) intact. Renamed the “INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics and Operations Research,” the 2011 meeting will take place April 10-12 at the Marriott Downtown, located in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Real-world applications of O.R., implemented by leading companies, nonprofit and government organizations, have always been the focus of the spring meeting. This year, the conference will provide enhanced services in line with findings from the analytics market study conducted by CapGemini Consulting for INFORMS. A new premier job placement service, called Analytics Connect, will help employers and experienced analytic professionals connect in a casual recruitment setting (see sidebar on page 36). The Executive Forum, introduced last year, will offer an expanded program to provide senior executives with a bottom-line understanding of how analytics is being used to drive better business decisions.

Analytics Process, SCM, Public Sector

Enhancements to the educational program itself include a more vertical focus to many topics, including tracks that offer 10 sessions on supply chain management, the analytics process and public sector analytics. Michael Rappa, director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics at North Carolina State University, has designed the analytics process track, along with co-chairs Stephen Powell of Dartmouth’s Tuck School and James Williams, O.R. manager at Land O’Lakes. The preliminary list of speakers includes professionals from Walmart/Sam’s Club, Teradata, Deluxe Corp., IBM, Deloitte, SAS and other companies that lead in analytics implementation.

The supply chain management track will emphasize integration from strategy to execution, with talks on procurement transformation, total supply chain visibility, integrated transportation and other key issues. Co-chairs of the SCM track are Grace Lin of World Resource Optimization, Eva Lee of Georgia Tech and Doug Meiser of The Kroger Company.

Another expanded 10-session track will focus on public sector analytics, covering federal and state government topics as well as military talks. This track has emerged from outreach efforts to government initiated by INFORMS President-Elect Rina Schneur of Verizon. Schneur co-chairs the public sector track with Arnie Greenland of IBM and Doug Matty, U.S. Army. Confirmed speakers include professionals from the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and Carnegie Mellon University.

Soft Skills, DA and Forecasting

Soft skills for analysts, which have been the focus of a pre-conference workshop over the past four years, will now be integrated into the regular program. Freeman Marvin and Don Buckshaw of Innovative Decisions, who helped design the soft-skills workshop, are leading this track. The five sessions include talks on executive decision makers and cognitive styles, project team building and problem framing (see page 10).

A track on forecasting, being developed by Peter Buczkowski of Disney and Michael Gilliland from SAS, feature talks by analytics professionals at McDonalds, Bank of America and Accenture. Three other committee members are developing a five-session track on decision analysis: Frank Koch of Chevron, Stefan Karisch from Jeppesen and Paul Wicker from Decision Strategies.

Poster Sub mission Deadline Jan. 15

While many conference speakers are invited by the committee, interested professionals can submit a poster presentation and receive a steep registration discount. Poster sessions provide a visual, brief-presentation option especially suited to analytics work that may not be extensive enough for a 50-minute talk. This includes projects that are still in progress, allowing presenters to benefit from direct feedback from colleagues.

The poster format also lends itself to corporate or consulting work subject to nondisclosure restrictions that can still be presented at a high level. In addition, the committee is interested in practitioners’ advice on “soft topics,” such as selling analytics to internal or client decision-makers, working with non-technical users, etc.

Keynotes: UPS PS Vice President, Edelman Winner

Chuck Holland, VP of Industrial Engineering at UPS, will headline the conference in a special keynote presentation (see page 4). On April 12, the winner of the prestigious Edelman Award will reprise its presentation. The annual Edelman Competition showcases the high-impact analytics work of six finalist organizations: Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc. (“Operations Research Ramps Up the Power Market in Mid-West”), CSAV (“A Strategic Empty Container Logistics Optimization in a Major Shipping Company”), Fluor Corporation (“Project Management and Change — A Simulation Based System for Better Performance”), Intercontinental Hotels Group (“Retail Price Optimization at International Hotels Group”), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (“Branch Reconfiguration Practice through Operations Research in ICBC”) and State of New York (“Tax Collection Optimization for the State of New York”). The winner will be announced at a gala banquet April 11.

Winners of two other applications-oriented honors are also announced at the gala: the INFORMS Prize for effective integration of analytics into organizational decision-making and the Wagner Prize for outstanding quality and coherence of analysis. Admission to the Gala is included in the conference registration fee.

Special Programs

The conference also offers special programs for graduate students and young researchers, as well as learning and networking events for all attendees.

• Richard E. Rosenthal Young Researcher Connection: Exclusive networking program for junior faculty and young industry practitioners. Reduced conference registration rate $375; nominations due March 25.
• INFORMS Professional Colloquium: Intensive career guidance for master’s and Ph.D. students interested in practice, held on April 10. Reduced conference registration rate $375; nominations due March 25.
• Soft Skills Workshop: Half- and full-day workshops on the “soft” skills needed to partner with decision-makers and users.
• Technology Workshops: In-depth training from leading solution providers. Free to conference registrations.
• Birds-of-a-Feather: Facilitated discussion groups that provide the opportunity to share common challenges and solutions.

For complete conference information, go to: http://meetings2.informs.org/Analytics2011.