title: [Operations research in group feeding programs: techniques for the identification and analysis of management problems].
abstract: The operations of the group feeding programs (PAG--"Programas de Alimentación a Grupos"--) can be viewed as a sequence of decisions and activities that according to their direction, order, relationship and dependency, will influence the quality and quantity of the service's delivery. While searching for the essential characteristics of a PAG: components, relationship, variables, pertinent parameters, restrictions, underlying criteria and objective functions, operations research can be useful for its analysis, the identification of its management problems, and to develop, evaluate and finally, implement solutions. Various operation research techniques are presented in this article, which are geared towards responding to those knowledge needs of the national technicians and program managers, in order to give a solid foundation to solutions for the management problems identified in a PAG. Failures of different quantitative models had been due, mainly, to the tendency to formulate models or investigate problems without users being prepared to implement the solutions. The techniques presented herein take into consideration the interaction between specialists and users.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Nutrición de Centro América y Panamá (INCAP), Guatemala.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montealegre
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mata
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cuevas
mesh_terms: D005522:Food Services; D006285:Health Planning; D009874:Operations Research; D011340:Problem Solving
vernacular_title: Investigación de operaciones en programas de alimentación a grupos: técnicas para la identificación y análisis de problemas de gestión.