The Modern Role of MS/OR Professionals in Interdisciplinary Teams

The interdisciplinary team is still a viable organizational form to support management, although the role of the trained MS/OR analyst is often viewed too narrowly as that of modeler or technician. Other nonmathematical roles such as study planner or implementation engineer are critical for MS/OR implementation success. These roles are discussed with the purpose of (1) achieving an implementation orientation within the team; (2) identifying future roles for MS/OR in the implementation of decision support and expert systems; and (3) defining how MS/OR curricula can better address teamwork and implementation.