What we learned early in the US Air Force about establishing and maintaining operational research groups

Abstract

In the two decades 1942–1962 the US Air Force established and maintained over 30 operational research groups attached to a variety of commands, and saw the closure of some of them. While there are in this context no systematic literature sources recording the lessons learned about establishing and maintaining OR groups, there are useful recollections in the minds of participants and scattered indications in unpublished reports that can be mined for the lessons that were learned. This paper sets forth some of these lessons as the author recalls them based on his active involvement during most of those two early decades and knowledge of much of the relevant unpublished literature of that time. It deals with the issues to be considered in establishing a group, beginning its work, carrying it on, reporting the findings, following them up, and managing the groups. The discussion yields some general principles relating to service effectiveness, growth, management, and survival that are worth considering today.