Micro-Credential in Systems Optimization

Transform Complex Decisions into Optimal Solutions

(HRDCorp Course Series No: 10001438447)

Videos are available beginning March 31, 2025

Course Credits: 1.5 Credits

Overview

This course is designed for business professionals, entrepreneurs, and startups seeking to sharpen their analytical and decision-making skills to navigate everyday challenges and develop strategic opportunities. You will explore and learn logical and creative ways of making smarter decisions, analytically. Whether you are planning schedules, allocating resources, tackling complex business decisions, or addressing personal choices, the techniques and insights from this course will help you build the confidence and intuition to approach these problems wholistically and make informed choices by selecting the solution that brings the best results.

This course empowers you to sharpen your natural problem-solving skills and learn practical techniques for making optimal decisions. By blending theoretical concepts with the “science of better” a.k.a. Operations Research and hands-on exercises on modeling real world problems, you will gain the competencies needed to make transformative decisions that drive results – whether addressing small challenges or large-scale problems. You will also learn to break down complex issues quickly, using rapid back-of-the-envelope calculations and be able to visualize the solutions clearly.

In a world full of options, Systems Optimization fosters critical thinking and adaptability in uncertain environments by integrating theory, strategy, and mathematical concepts with real-world scenarios. With hands-on exercises and tools like Excel solver to understand sensitivity analysis, you will develop systemic approaches to challenges that managers face such as scheduling operations, resource allocation and process optimization. By the end of the course, you will perfect the art of identifying, modeling, and solving problems, empowering you to make smarter, data-driven decisions in every aspect of life.

Join us and discover the crucial role optimization plays in our everyday decision-making, and learn to drive the dynamic blend of science and art that enhances outcomes.

Your optimal future starts here!

Course Outline

Through a combination of lectures, exercises and hands-on engagement, you will explore extreme solutions to help identify the best options in a given situation. You will learn:

Modeling Techniques:
Learn how to model real world situations as problems that can be solved analytically.
Visualizing the Possibilities:
Learn to visualize problems as graphical models to show the range of feasible solutions.
Mathematical Programming:
Represent possibilities as inequalities and solve using Linear Programming.
Sensitivity Analysis:
Learn to negotiate better by understanding what to bargain for and how hard, identifying which variables and constraints matter, and recognizing where the slack lies.
Designing Real World Problems as Network Flow Models:
Learn how to convert real-life problems into effective network flow models to help you make the most of your time, money, and resources.
Case Study:
Apply your knowledge through a detailed network flow case study.
MYOP (Model Your Own Problem):
Put your skills into practice by designing a model for a problem of your choice.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

Evaluate business problems using management science techniques – Use simple math and Excel to model real-world business challenges and find practical solutions.
Synthesize technical outcomes to enhance managerial decisions-making – Understand how reliable and applicable the solutions are in real-world scenarios.

Who should take this course?

Business and Operations Managers – Learn optimization techniques to make smarter strategic decisions on resource allocation, inventory, scheduling, and network design.
Analysts and Consultants – Enhance your ability to optimize processes and solve complex operational and strategic challenges for clients.
Entrepreneurs and Startups – Discover effective strategies to maximize limited resources for production, distribution, and service delivery.
Technology and Software Developers – Gain practical skills to integrate optimization techniques into software for logistics, operations, and decision support.

Academic Requirements/Prerequisites

A basic understanding of high school algebra and calculus will be helpful. Participants should be comfortable using spreadsheets. Experience with Excel Solver is a plus but not required.

Reviewing optimization concepts from Khan Academy can provide a good head start.

Derivative applications | Khan Academy HERE.

Class Structure

Video Learning

Before the live sessions, you will watch short video lectures lasting 20 to 40 minutes and complete assignments to cement your understanding of the videos.

Live Sessions

The live sessions are held in hybrid format, beginning with a review of the video lecture and followed by a discussion of the case of the day.

Duration

Total 6 weeks (this includes time for students to view videos before the first live session).

See the dates here

First Live-session

Second Live-session

Third Live-session

Fourth Live-session

First Live-session

Second Live-session

Third Live-session

Fourth Live-session

Faculty

Asad Ata

Associate Professor II of Operations and Supply Chain Management, Research Affiliate (MIT) Director, Center for Sustainable Small-owners

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