Perspectives on MS Applications—All Around the Model

A continuing theme in this series of articles has been the need to involve management with the management scientist in order to achieve a twofold objective: (1) input from management concerning its problems, thus assuring that we understand and address problems of importance to them, and (2) to develop involvement and understanding by management which will in turn aid implementation and success of the work. The experience of several dozen projects, many described in these pages, continues to demonstrate the validity of these principles.

In talking with Robert L. Schuldenfrei of the professorial staff of the College of Business, University of Rhode Island (who collaborated with me in the column devoted to the subject of “Management Science in a Period of Uncertainty” Interfaces, February, 1975, p. 79), he suggests another form of human interaction which can make our work more effective. It is a technique of model building interactively with the computer. It involves the time share computer, a data base, graphics display and some powerful software. He calls it Information Cyberdynamics.