Using Problem Structuring Methods with Quantitative OR: Six Methodological Designs

There is renewed interest – amongst practitioners and academics – in using soft OR and problem structuring methods with quantitative OR for addressing complex issues and facilitating better decision-making. There have again been calls for well-documented case studies for practitioners, for guidance on combining methods in theoretically sound ways, and for the highlighting of benefits realized for clients from this mixed OR practice. In this study, we review the use of problem structuring methods (PSMs) with quantitative OR in practice over the last thirty years, as reported in surveys of practitioners and systematic literature reviews. We compare results with the survey for the UK Heads of OR and Analytics Forum (HORAF) presented at OR63. We then propose a new set of six multimethodological designs compiled specifically for using PSMs with quantitative OR. As far as we are aware, this is the first study to focus specifically on the different ways in which PSMs are used with quantitative OR across OR practice. We present examples of these designs from well-documented case studies across public, private, and third sector organizations. Together they illustrate a range of typical and innovative designs across different countries, industry sectors, subject matters, and methods. We highlight the ways in which practitioners can extend their practice beyond the use of methods and tools from PSMs for generic problem structuring at the outset of an OR intervention to the use of PSMs in other multimethodological designs, and describe benefits realized for clients. We conclude with current and future research directions.