How does operations research differ from systems engineering?

While operations research and systems engineering share many analytical techniques and an interdisciplinary approach, they differ primarily in their focus and objectives.12

• Primary Focus: Operations research provides an objective, quantitative basis for managing organized systems, often focusing on systems where human behavior plays a significant role. Systems engineering is a planning and design function that applies knowledge from various engineering and science branches to solve multifaceted problems, often with less emphasis on human behavior.13
• Development vs. Employment: Historically, operations research was concerned with the best employment of existing equipment and systems, whereas systems engineering focused on the planning and development of new technological possibilities.12
• Uncertainty: Because operations research typically deals with existing hardware, it faces fewer technological uncertainties than systems engineering, which must account for the risks inherent in developing new equipment.2

As both fields have matured, these distinctions have become less rigid, and they now frequently overlap in practice.12