![operational research operational research](https://web.mit.edu/urban_or_book/www/book/chapter1/images1/fig1.1.gif)
Operational Research is original work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge or evidence with a specific application in view. It provides the broad base of knowledge necessary for the solution of recognised practical problems. Strategic Research is experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge directed into specified broad areas in the expectation of useful discoveries. Is a disproportionate amount of time spent on this type of research? Within the small arms and light weapons community this was important to raise the profile of the issue, but with the number of deployed projects its impact is reducing. Pure Research is experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge without necessarily looking for long-term benefits other than the advancement of knowledge. We should be doing the 'right tasks' for the 'right reasons' based on 'objective evidence' and then proving 'impact', not just starting projects based on apocryphal or subjective evidence.
![operational research operational research](https://leverageedu.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Operational-Research.png)
Yet the initial base data, (which is needed to develop or support performance indicators), is often not available, or unrealistically expensive to obtain through untargeted research alone. The project management and financial systems that they must operate under also mean that 'hard' performance indicators and statistics are very often required in order to prove impact, and hence maintain the viability of a project until its end state (remember that many projects either close 1) through financial constraints or 2) because they can not demonstrate effective impact and not because the job has been done effectively and is complete). The reality of operating within these parameters means that the majority of the time the Project Managers have to go for what is 'achievable' and not necessarily what is 'desirable'. Project and Programme Managers on the ground have to lead, manage and administer operations within a wide range of project management, administrative and financial constraints the research community rarely have exposure to, or a detailed understanding of, these systems. There is often a disconnect between the traditional academic research community and the operational community in terms of the tasking and direction of research.