Overview

Google, IBM & Meta Certificates — All 10,000+ Courses at 40% Off

One annual plan covers every course and certificate on Coursera. 40% off for a limited time.

Master Operational Research techniques to solve complex business problems, optimize resources, and make smarter data-driven decisions. Learn assignment models, transportation methods, CPM, PERT, decision trees, and queuing theory through practical examples. This course gives you a structured pathway into Operational Research and its real-world applications in management, logistics, project planning, and service operations. You’ll learn how quantitative models help organizations allocate resources, reduce inefficiencies, evaluate alternatives, and improve operational performance. We’ll explore practical optimization techniques such as the Hungarian Method for assignment problems, Vogel’s Approximation Method and MODI for transportation problems, and network planning tools like Critical Path Method (CPM) and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). These methods help learners solve scheduling, distribution, and resource planning challenges with confidence. You’ll also study decision analysis tools including payoff tables and decision trees to evaluate choices under risk and uncertainty. The course further introduces queuing theory models to analyze waiting lines, service rates, system utilization, and customer flow in service environments. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to apply Operational Research techniques to real business scenarios, optimize decisions, improve efficiency, and support analytical problem-solving across operations, logistics, projects, and management contexts.

Syllabus

Foundations of Operational Research

This module introduces the fundamental concepts of Operational Research and explains how quantitative methods are used to solve managerial decision problems. Learners explore the structure of assignment problems and understand techniques for solving balanced and unbalanced minimization cases through practical examples.

Advanced Assignment Problem Techniques

This module expands assignment problem concepts by introducing maximization scenarios and converting them into solvable minimization models. It also introduces the transportation problem and explains foundational distribution models used to optimize the movement of goods from sources to destinations.

Transportation Optimization Methods

This module focuses on advanced transportation optimization techniques used to improve distribution efficiency. Learners explore Vogel’s Approximation Method and the MODI method to evaluate and refine transportation solutions, followed by an introduction to project network analysis concepts.

Project Scheduling and Network Planning

This module introduces project management optimization techniques using network models. Learners examine Critical Path Method (CPM) and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) to schedule projects, estimate activity durations, and analyze project completion timelines under uncertainty.

Decision Analysis Techniques

This module introduces decision-making frameworks used in Operational Research. Learners explore decision theory, payoff tables, and decision trees to evaluate alternatives and determine optimal strategies under conditions of risk and uncertainty.

Queuing Theory Models

This module explores service system optimization using queuing theory models. Learners study single-server and multi-server queue systems to analyze customer arrival patterns, service rates, waiting times, and system utilization for improved service efficiency.