Multimethodology in Metaheuristics

As a combination of different methodologies or parts of methodologies, Multimethodology is becoming more frequent in OR practice. This paper contributes with a new proposal and a new field of application: the employment of Multimethodology in problem solving with Metaheuristics (Mh). A convenient selection of soft and hard methods will be considered, from Soft OR, Creativity and Metaheuristics, such as Strategic Choice Approach, SWOT Analysis and Divergent and Convergent thinking. Formulating the ‘right’ optimisation problem, choosing a method based on Mh and accomplishing an effective implementation is an imprecise decision-making process, which may require skills and ideas that are beyond the ordinary boundaries of Mh practice. The relevance and success of Mh have been well-known for decades, but some open questions concerning choice and implementation strategies, for instance, still remain. If these questions are not adequately answered, they may lose credibility in the long term. The quality of solutions and computational times are not the only criteria used to analyse Mh, nor are they the most important. Very often, the effectiveness of an approach has to be evaluated from the perspective of modelling and practical problem solving. This paper investigates the advantages of Multimethodology and, furthermore, it sketches a framework for a coherent and comprehensive comparison of Mh and recommends a dynamic guiding tool for their implementation. Journal of the Operational Research Society advance online publication, 5 September 2012 doi:10.1057/jors.2012.88