

				620-362 Applied Operations Research Semester 2, 2003

Subject Coordinator: Dr Natashia Boland, Room 148 Richard Berry Building, 8344-5547

Class SSLC Representative: Catherine Christie, littlepurplefrog@bigpond.com

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader for reading pdf or download a postscript previewer.

Next ASOR event - one-day seminar "Recent Advances 12th November - all welcome!!! Industry applications of Operations Research are a focus. RMIT Swanston St Building 8, Level 9, Room 66.

Here is a sample mid-semester test, including all solutions. Please note that material for the first question has not been covered in lectures in this year, so you should not attempt it.

Assignments

Assignment 1 solutions and marks.

Assignment 2 solutions - also for some reason the typesetting program won't turn the table at the end sideways, like it is supposed to. However the postscript Assignment 2 solutions seem to come out fine. And finally here are the marks.

Assignment 3 marks are now available, as are mid-semester test marks.

Practice Classes and Solutions to Selected Exercises

Subject Notes

Notes for the subject may be purchased from the University Bookroom.

Lectures and Practice Classes

All classes are in the Richard Berry Building.

Tuesday	3:15pm-4:15pm	Lecture	Russell Love Theatre
Tuesday	4:15pm-5:15pm	Practice Class	Russell Love Theatre
Wednesday	3:15pm-4:15pm	Lecture	Russell Love Theatre
Friday	3:15pm-4:15pm	Lecture	Russell Love Theatre

Practice classes will usually be unstructured, providing opportunities for project teams to meet. They will also be times that individuals can work on exercises and get help from the lecturer. On occasion, they may be used for some project team presentations, or other scheduled activity. Most classes will be held in the Russell Love Theatre, but on occasion may be held in the Department Computer Lab.

Office Hours: Wednesday 10am-11am, Wednesday 4:15-5:15pm and Friday 12-1pm. Send email to make an appointment outside of these hours.

Assessment

40% Team project

35% Assignments

25% Mid-semester Test held in class (1.5 hours) on Tuesday 7th October

Note that there is no examination for this subject. Late work will only be accepted with the prior permission of the subject coordinator. All assignments are to be entirely individual work: no collaboration, consultation or discussion of assignment questions with others is permitted. For clarification of assignment questions, see the lecturer.

Team Projects

For a general introduction to team projects, read this.

Teams will be assigned by the subject coordinator. Teams will typically be of 4 people. The following deliverables will be expected for the team projects.

· Scoping document (1-2 pages, due in Week 4)

· Interim Report (due in Week 7 – this can be viewed as a first draft of your final report)

· Presentation (10-15 minute, in Week 12), a typeset presentation of transparencies or electronic slides is required

· Written report (due Week 12)

· Team Feedback Form (or Individual Feedback Form) (due Week 12)

All classes in Week 12 may be used for final project presentations.

Tips on report writing are available here. Better still, check out a fantastic resource with help on writing provided by Purdue University, including a specific section on report writing.

This year there are two industry sponsored projects: one from Experian and one from CMAD/Discway Maps.

Links to solvers

LINDO - download free trial versions of LINDO solver for linear and integer programming or LINGO for nonlinear programming.

AMPL - follow "Try AMPL" links or go direct to AMPL start-up page . If you want to enter your problem on-line instead of uploading a file you have already prepared, just hit the "Submit" button half-way down this page. For instructions and links for downloading and installing AMPL under MS Windows, see Aaron Ile's page.

tutOR - follow links to Simplex solvers, or go direct to the Simplex Place and select "Simplex Engine" in the left-hand frame.

OPL is another ILOG produce, like AMPL plus but with a Constraint Programming solver included.

Links to interesting places

Jobs and careers page from the Australian Mathematical Society.

To read about real applications of operations research to real companies generating measurable benefits, look at the INFORMS journal Interfaces. These are great to learn about for when you get asked those tricky questions in job interviews! To get access to articles on-line use the University library’s Buddy system. Note there is an off-campus option for using Buddy. Once inside Buddy, search for Interfaces in the Exact Title field, and follow the appropriate link. Once in the publications-on-line site, click on the Interfaces home page listed in the left margin. From here you should be able to browse recent issues.

Have a look at some ideas on team management and team roles at the Belbin site.

A great web site, with interactive case studies in linear programming, quadratic programming, stochastic programming and integer programming is the NEOS Guide: Case Studies site. (Note you may find the material here on the Quadratic Assignment Problem relevant to your project!) The parent site Optimization Technology Center also has lots of interesting stuff, with background notes and references on many areas of operations research (see, in particular, the "Optimization Tree" link).

ASOR has a monthly seminar series, with slides and summaries of past lectures available at this website. Students are welcome to attend seminars, and also to join ASOR.

Price-Waterhouse-Coopers Decision Advisory Centre is using Operations Research to help companies in various ways. There is an on-line case study for a production-distribution "value chain", or "supply chain".

Opcom Pty Ltd is a fantastic Australian company exporting operations research consulting, algorithms and software to the world. Based in Brisbane and employing about 50 people, the company specializes in logistics and transportation applications.

Berkeley has an interactive OR site.

The CSIRO Operations Research Group has lots of interesting stuff happening – they also have vacation scholarships on occasion.

INFORMS – the International Society for Operations Research and Management Sciences - student services!

Panorama - recreational OR - have fun!

Subject Description

This subject develops problem-solving skills, team-work skills and builds the ability to abstract essential mathematical structure from real world problems. You will learn how to use a computer package to test your mathematical programming models. You will work in groups, tackling unfamiliar problems, including a real industry-sponsored project. Each team will plan their project work and deliver both oral and written presentations.

This subject develops the formulation of operations research models and algorithms with application in production planning, scheduling, portfolio optimization, inventory management, capital budgeting, and many other areas. You should develop skills in setting up and analysing operations research models for real-world problems; and competence in the use of computer packages for the solution of operations research problems. This subject demonstrates the factors and restrictions involved in building and using models for planning and management problems.

Topics are selected from operations research models; formulation of planning and management problems, including linear and integer programming models, piecewise linear models, quadratic models, scheduling models, inventory management, capital budgeting, and stochastic programming models; and branch-and-bound, cutting planes and heuristic techniques. Use of computer packages and internet resources is tested.

In addition to learning specific technical skills that will assist you in your future careers in science, engineering, commerce, education or elsewhere, you will have the opportunity to develop in this subject generic skills that will assist you whatever your future career path.

· Through practice exercises, assignments and in particular through project work, you will develop problem-solving skills including engaging with unfamiliar problems, and identifying relevant strategies.

· The project and assignment work will encourage you to research and make creative use of widely-used computer software resources.

· You will develop analytical skills - the ability to construct and express logical arguments and to work in abstract or general terms to increase the clarity and efficiency of the analysis – through practice exercises, assignments and project work.

· You will develop your oral presentation skills, practicing presentation of technical solutions to a real industry problem. This practice will assist you in learning how to present material in a well-organized, well-structured, lucid and persuasive fashion.

· Professional report writing skills will be developed through the team project, for which a scoping document and written report is required.

· Through the team project, you will develop the ability to participate effectively in a team. The department distinguishes between ethical collaboration, which is strongly encouraged, and plagiarism, which is prohibited.

· With both team-based and individually assessable material to be submitted throughout the semester, you will learn to manage your time, balance competing commitments and set and meet regular deadlines; this is formalized through the project scope document.

Created: 1 August 2001

Last modified: 1 August 2001

Authorised by: Natashia Boland, Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Maintained by: Natashia Boland, Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Email: natashia@unimelb.edu.au