pom-methods

Method Fit (pom-methods)

When to trigger

• The method may not match the operations question (level, uncertainty, causality)
• You must choose between an analytical model, an empirical design, an experiment, or a data pipeline
• A reviewer says "the method does not support the claim" or "this is a methods paper, not OM"

POM mandates no single method — but the method must fit and be rigorous

POM explicitly places no restriction on research methods, while being historically anchored in analytical modeling. Pick the method the question demands, and route to the matching Department.

Operations question / claim	Method
Optimal policy under cost/service objective	Optimization (LP/MIP/convex, dynamic programming); characterize the policy
Decisions under demand/lead-time uncertainty	Stochastic modeling, queueing, inventory theory, MDP/ADP
Strategic interaction (suppliers, competitors, platforms)	Game theory (Nash/Stackelberg); prove equilibrium existence/uniqueness
Causal operational effect from field data	Empirical OM: DiD, IV, RD, matching with a clear identification strategy
Human operational decision bias	Behavioral/experimental OM (lab/online); randomization, manipulation checks
Systems too complex for closed form	Discrete-event simulation; validation, warm-up, replications, CIs
Prediction feeding an operational decision	Operations data science (ML / forecasting), tied to a decision/loss

What each track must defend

• Analytical: assumptions grounded in operations reality; solution concept; structural results; sensitivity/comparative statics; managerial interpretation. Robustness = relaxing key assumptions, not just numerical examples.
• Empirical OM: identification (what makes the effect causal), measurement in decision-relevant units, unit of analysis, external validity to other operations settings.
• Behavioral OM: design, incentives, randomization, manipulation and attention checks, and operational realism (does the lab task map to a real operations decision?).
• Operations data science: validation design, leakage checks, and — critically — the operational value: does a better prediction change a feasible policy (predict-then-optimize)?
• Simulation: parameter provenance, validation against known cases, sensitivity, and a replication package.

The POM bar on method

A method exists to serve an OM contribution judged interesting to practicing managers. If the paper's value is mainly a technical advance with thin OM decision content, a methods journal may fit better. Keep heavy derivations, solver details, and extra robustness for the unlimited online e-companion so the 32-page main document stays focused.

Checklist

• Method matches the operations question and the target Department
• Analytical: solution concept + structural results + assumption-relaxing robustness
• Empirical: identification strategy and decision-relevant measurement stated
• Behavioral: randomization, manipulation checks, operational realism
• Data science: validation, leakage, and decision/operational value
• Derivations/extra material slated for the e-companion

Methods pass for Production and Operations Management

Use this as a second-pass capability check. First lock the operational decision, the performance metric, and the implementable lever; then test whether the manuscript addresses POM reviewers who want operational insight tied to production, service, supply-chain, or platform decisions.

• Primary move: Name assumptions, diagnostics, robustness, falsification, and failure modes; do not accept a method section that hides the decisive validity threat.
• Decision ledger: return claim / evidence / blocker / next edit rows so the next pass can patch the manuscript directly.
• Neighbor test: compare against Management Science for broader OR/MS theory, Operations Research for method-first optimization, MSOM for manufacturing/service operations depth; if the neighboring outlet has the stronger audience claim, recommend re-routing before polishing.
• Verification floor: before submission-ready advice, re-open resources/official-source-map.md for volatile rules and name the one unresolved fact that could change the recommendation.

Output format

【Method family】optimization / stochastic / game-theory / empirical / behavioral / simulation / data-science
【Operations question】<decision problem>
【Validity risks】assumptions / identification / measurement / leakage / validation
【Practice tie】how the method yields a manager-usable result
【e-companion plan】proofs / extra analyses to move online
【Next step】pom-data-analysis