Optimisation
Optimisation involves narrowing your choices to the very best when there are virtually innumerable feasible options and comparing them. Often day-to-day operations require the establishment of the best course of action, such as:
- The combination of events that yield the maximum net present value, or
- The sequence of processing that reduces the total elapsed time, or
- How to best schedule maintenance crews to ensure all jobs are completed.
These decisions need to be made on a regular basis and updated when unforeseen events occur, such as with breakdowns, no-shows, and late or early completions. At OPTSIM, we design Optimisation-Based Decision Support Applications that can be used time and time again, using our own integer programming solver or XPRESS (one of the most powerful Excel add-in integer programming solvers). Optimisation and the technique of linear programming is closely associated with the field of Operations Research.