The Missing Triad
Why do so many GenAI initiatives fail to deliver lasting value? The answer may lie less in the technology itself than in the missing foundation of science, service design, and meaningful metrics.
DEPARTMENTS 
Inside Story
Be Specific
Specific examples make analytics easier to understand - and harder to ignore. From firefighting and disaster response to public health, fertility care, and AI, the stories in this issue show how operations research and analytics translate big ideas into real-world impact.
President's Desk
The INFORMS Community
INFORMS draws strength from the many perspectives, disciplines, and experiences that make up its community. By engaging across those differences, members can tackle more meaningful problems and build stronger connections across the profession.
HQ Highlights
Roots, Leaves, and the Language We Debate
As the language of operations research and the management sciences continues to evolve, the field’s enduring purpose remains firmly rooted: using rigorous analytical thinking to improve decisions.
Conference Preview
INFORMS Comes to San Francisco for the 2026 Annual Meeting
The 2026 INFORMS Annual Meeting lands in San Francisco with a packed program exploring the latest in operations research, analytics, AI, and decision science. From high-profile plenaries and keynotes to career events, networking, and Bay Area experiences, the meeting promises four days of ideas, connection and discovery.
Supply Chain
Beyond Transactions
AI-driven ERP is reshaping supply chains from static systems of record into real-time decision engines that can sense demand shifts, flag risks earlier and improve resilience. The piece explains where traditional ERP falls short and how companies can move toward smarter, more adaptive planning without losing sight of data quality, governance and human judgment.
Environmental, Social, and Governance
Environmental, Social, and Governance
ESG metrics can satisfy reporting requirements, but they often fail to guide the decisions that actually change behavior. The piece argues that analytics teams can close that gap by turning sustainability data into timely, operational insight.
Forum
The AI Divide at Work
AI is quickly changing how work gets done, but employers and employees don’t always see the shift the same way. Aligning expectations around training, transparency, and human oversight will be key to making AI adoption more effective and more widely accepted.
Op-Ed
Lead with the Narrative
Data alone doesn’t drive decisions; clear stories do. Learn how analysts can turn numbers into context, meaning, and action by building narratives that business leaders can quickly understand and use.
INFORMS Analytics Framework
Asking the Right Questions
Analytics projects often fail not because the models are weak, but because organizations skip the hard questions that should come first. The INFORMS Analytics Framework offers a practical way to build those questions into every stage of the analytics lifecycle.
Stochastic Data
Using Stochastic Data Systems
Stochastic data systems offer a way to keep uncertainty intact rather than reducing it to misleading averages. From budgeting and cybersecurity to defense planning, these systems reveal risks and opportunities that single-number forecasts can miss.
INFORMS Community News
New Ad Hoc Committee on Energy and Sustainability
Energy and sustainability challenges are reshaping industries worldwide—and INFORMS wants your input.
Viewpoint
Deer Season, Coffee, and Maté
Local habits and expectations can quietly derail even the smartest operational changes. Understanding those cultural details up front can help companies avoid resistance, improve efficiency, and make change stick.
Last Word
Using O.R., Math, and Art to Motivate Beauty, Advocacy, and Fun
From central paths to wearable art, O.R. can be a vivid way to reveal the beauty of mathematics and invite new audiences into the field. A student-fueled project shows how optimization can spark creativity, advocacy and plain old fun.