I shall describe a data-based modelling framework that supports analysis and optimization of large and complex, resource-scarce service-operations (e.g. hospitals, contact-centers, courts, banks). Guided by many-server asymptotic regimes of queueing networks, all participants in the service process (e.g. customers, servers) are equally considered resources that are either busy or await each others' availability. Models are then activity-oriented, where each activity (e.g. service in a hospital) first consumes a subset of the resources at specific states (e.g. waiting patient, available doctor, idle exam-room); and then, upon completion, produces possibly other resources at other states (e.g. served patient, available doctor, exam-room that requires cleaning). We hence refer to our models as Resource-Driven Activity Networks, or RANs for short.

The language of RANs is that of linear Input-Output economic models (e.g. Leontief, Koopmans), extended to function spaces (e.g. continuous linear programs, generalized complementarity problems). The motivation for RANs arose from exploring service systems data. This data originates at the Technion SEE Laboratory (SEE = Service Enterprise Engineering), which has advanced, for over 15 years, data-based Operations Research, Engineering and Management. SEELab experience hence provides an opportunity to comment on “OR/IE/OM Research – Quo Vadis?” (as time permits).

Jointly with Mor Armony, Nitzan Carmeli, Petar Momčilović, Galit Yom-Tov