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Many abbreviations are used in Operations Research. For example, we have abbreviations for problem classes (LP, MIP), solution methods (IPM), and specific problems (TSP, VRP).

Which abbreviations are commonly used by the Operations Research community?

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  • $\begingroup$ Fortunately, CAP is not. It has not caught on (the thing, not the acronym), and hopefully, never will. $\endgroup$ – Mark L. Stone Jul 2 '19 at 10:18
  • $\begingroup$ @MarkL.Stone what is CAP standing for ? $\endgroup$ – Renaud M. Jul 2 '19 at 10:41
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    $\begingroup$ @Renaud M. Good, you don't know. $\endgroup$ – Mark L. Stone Jul 2 '19 at 10:52
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    $\begingroup$ @RenaudM. Certified Analytics Professional - a certification you can get through INFORMS $\endgroup$ – E. Tucker Jul 2 '19 at 12:36
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    $\begingroup$ On the other side, there are also many uncommon abbreviations referring to same thing in OR papers. For example, SPPRC, RCSPP all mean a variant of shortest path problem with resource constraints. Maybe we should also create a wiki to congregate those uncommon abbreviations. $\endgroup$ – Qian Zhang Jul 2 '19 at 17:38
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This answer is a Community Wiki post to allow everybody to contribute to the list. As a guideline, only add abbreviations that most people in the field are familiar with.

General

  • CS - Computer Science
  • IE - Industrial Engineering
  • MS - Management Science
  • OM - Operations Management
  • OR - Operations Research

Problem classes

  • BLP - Binary Linear Program
  • BMI - Bilinear Matrix Inequality
  • CCP - Chance-Constrained Program(ming) (note: also stands for Convex-Concave Procedure)
  • CP - Constraint Programming
  • CSP - Constraint Satisfaction Program
  • DC - Difference of Convex (Functions) Programming
  • DCCP - Disciplined Convex-Concave Programming (handles DC Programming)
  • DCP - Disciplined Convex Programming (used by CVX, CVXPY, CVXR)
  • DES - Discrete-Event Simulation
  • DGO - Deterministic Global Optimization
  • DMCP - Disciplined Multi-Convex Programming
  • DP - Dynamic Program(ming)
  • GO - Global Optimization
  • GP - Geometric Program(ming)
  • IP - Integer Program(ming)
  • LCP - Linear Complementarity Problem
  • LFP - Linear-Fractional Program(ming)
  • LMI - Linear Matrix Inequality
  • LP - Linear Program(ming)
  • MBLP - Mixed Binary Linear Program
  • MDE - Minimum-Distortion Embedding
  • MFP - Maximum Flow Problem
  • MIDCP - Mixed Integer Disciplined Convex Programming
  • MIGP - Mixed Integer Geometric Program(ming)
  • MIP - Mixed Integer Program
  • MILP - Mixed Integer Linear Program
  • MINLP - Mixed Integer Nonlinear Program
  • MIQCQP - Mixed Integer Quadratically Constrained Quadratic Program
  • MIQP - Mixed Integer Quadratic Program
  • MISOCP - Mixed Integer Second Order Cone Program
  • MISDP - Mixed Integer Semidefinite Program
  • MOOP - Multi-Objective Optimization Problem
  • MaOOP - Many-Objective Optimization Problem
  • MPCC - Mathematical Program with Complementarity Constraints (same as MPEC)
  • MPEC - Mathematical Program with Equilibrium Constraints (same as MPCC)
  • NLCP - Nonlinear Complementarity Problem
  • NLP - Nonlinear Program(ming) (now far more commonly stands for "Natural Language Processing" outside of OR and nonlinear programming people, but Nonlinear Program(ming) was the original)
  • NMF or NNMF - Non-Negative Matrix Factorization
  • POP - Polynomial Optimization Problem
  • QP - Quadratic Program(ming)
  • QCQP - Quadratically Constrained Quadratic Program
  • QUBO - Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (problem)
  • RO - Robust Optimization
  • ARO - Adjustable Robust Optimization
  • SCP - Set-Covering Problem
  • SDP - Semidefinite Program(ming)
  • SOCP - Second Order Cone Program (or Problem)
  • SMINLSDP - Stochastic Mixed Integer Nonlinear Semidefinite Program
  • SOS - Sum of Squares Programming (note: also stands for Special Ordered Set)
  • SP - Stochastic Program(ming)
  • SPP - Saddle Point Problem (note: also stands for Set-Partitioning Problem)
  • SPP - Set-Partitioning Problem (note: also stands for Saddle Point Problem)
  • TDI - Total Dual Integrality
  • TF - Tensor Factorization
  • UBQP - Unconstrained Binary Quadratic Program(ming)

Solution methods

  • AD - Automatic Differentiation, a.k.a. Algorithmic Differentiation
  • ADMM - Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers
  • ASM - Active Set Method
  • BB, B&B, or BnB - Branch-and-bound
  • BCP - Branch-Cut-and-Price
  • BFGS - Broyden Fletcher Goldfarb Shanno (Quasi-Newton)
  • BFS - Breadth-First Search
  • CCP - Convex-Concave Procedure (note: also stands for Chance-Constrained Program(ming))
  • CF - Cholesky Factorization
  • CG - Column Generation (note: also stands for Conjugate Gradient)
  • CG - Conjugate Gradient (note: also stands for Column Generation)
  • CQ - Constraint Qualification
  • CRCQ - Constant Rank constraint qualification
  • DFP - Davidon Fletcher Powell (Quasi-Newton)
  • DFS - Depth-First Search
  • DW - Dantzig–Wolfe decomposition
  • ECP - Extended Cutting Plane (Method)
  • FJ - Fritz John conditions
  • IPA - Infinitesimal Perturbation Analysis (for stochastic simulation derivative estimation)
  • IPM - Interior Point Method
  • KKT - Karush Kuhn Tucker conditions
  • LCQ - Linearity constraint qualification
  • LICQ - Linear Independence constraint qualification
  • L-SR1 - Limited Memory Symmetric Rank One (Quasi-Newton)
  • L-BFGS - Limited Memory Broyden Fletcher Goldfarb Shanno (Quasi-Newton)
  • LR - Lagrangian Relaxation decomposition/method/problem
  • LRM - Likelihood Ratio Method (for stochastic simulation derivative estimation)
  • MFCQ - Mangasarian–Fromovitz constraint qualification
  • PSB - Powell Symmetric Broyden (Quasi-Newton)
  • RRQR - Rank Revealing QR factorization
  • QN - Quasi-Newton
  • QR - QR decomposition (a.k.a. factorization) or algorithm
  • SA - Stochastic Approximation (note: SA also stands for "Simulated Annealing")
  • SAA - Sample Average Approximation
  • SCP - Sequential Convex Programming
  • SDDP - Stochastic Dual Dynamic Programming
  • SGD - Stochastic Gradient Descent
  • SLP - Sequential Linear Programming
  • SLQP - Sequential Linear-Quadratic Programming
  • SO - Simulation Optimization
  • SQP - Sequential Quadratic Programming
  • SR1 - Symmetric Rank One (Quasi-Newton)
  • SVD - Singular Value Decomposition
  • UBFGS - ultra BFGS (Broyden Fletcher Goldfarb Shanno) (Quasi-Newton)

Meta-heuristics

  • ACO - Ant Colony Optimization
  • ALNS - Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search
  • BCO - Bee Colony Optimization
  • GA - Genetic Algorithm
  • LA - Late Acceptance
  • LNS - Large Neighborhood Search
  • MOEA - Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms
  • MaOEA - Many-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms
  • PSO - Particle Swarm Optimization
  • SA - Simulated Annealing (note: SA also stands for "Stochastic Approximation")
  • SCO - Social Cognitive Optimization
  • TS - Tabu Search
  • VNS - Variable Neighborhood Search
  • DEA - Differential Evolution Algorithm

Vehicle Routing

  • ACVRP - Asymmetric Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem
  • CARP - Capacitated Arc Routing Problem
  • CLuVRP - Clustered Vehicle Routing Problem
  • CVRP - Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem
  • DARP - Dial A Ride Problem
  • ESPPRC - Elementary Shortest Path Problem with Resource Constraints
  • ERCSPP - Elementary Resource Constrained Shortest Path Problem (same problem as above)
  • MAVRP - Multi-Attribute Vehicle Routing Problem
  • MMVRP - Min-Max Vehicle Routing Problem
  • OPTW - Orienteering Problem with Time Windows
  • OVRP - Open Vehicle Routing Problem
  • PCTSP - Prize Collecting Travelling Salesman Problem
  • PDP - Pickup and Delivery Problem
  • PDPTW - Pickup and Delivery Problem with Time Windows
  • PVRP - Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem
  • RVRP - Rich Vehicle Routing Problem
  • SVRP - Stochastic Vehicle Routing Problem
  • TDTSP - Time-Dependent Traveling Salesman Problem
  • TDVRP - Time-Dependent Vehicle Routing Problem
  • TSP - Traveling Salesman Problem
  • TSPTW - Traveling Salesman Problem with Time Windows
  • TTP - Traveling Tournament Problem
  • VRP - Vehicle Routing Problem
  • VRPTW - Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows

Scheduling Problems

  • RCPSP - Resource‐Constrained Project Scheduling Problem
  • FSP - Flow Shop scheduling Problem
  • JSP - Job Shop scheduling Problem
  • BJSP - Blocking Job Shop scheduling Problem, some papers also use BJSS.
  • OSP - Open Shop scheduling Problem
  • JIT - Just In Time
  • FMS - Flexible Manufacturing System
  • UET - Unit Execution Time
  • (W)SPT - (Weighted) Shortest Processing Time
  • (W)LPT - (Weighted) Longest Processing Time
  • EDD - Earliest Due Date

Facility location

  • CFLP - Capacitated Facility Location Problem
  • MCLP - Maximal Covering Location Problem
  • $p$CP - $p$-Center Problem
  • $p$MP - $p$-Median Problem
  • SCLP - Set Covering Location Problem
  • SSCFLP - Single Source Capacitated Facility Location Problem
  • UFLP - Uncapacitated Facility Location Problem

Inventory

  • EOQ - Economic Order Quantity
  • MEIO - Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization
  • OWMR - One-Warehouse, Multiple-Retailer

Reliability and Maintenance

  • CBM - Condition-Based Maintenance
  • CM - Corrective Maintenance
  • DFR - Decreasing Failure Rate
  • DFRA - Decreasing Failure Rate on Average
  • IFR - Increasing Failure Rate
  • IFRA - Increasing Failure Rate on Average
  • PM - Preventive Maintenance
  • RUL - Remaining Useful Life
  • TBM - Time-based maintenance
  • $TP_r$ - Totally Positive of order $r$

Cutting and Packing

  • 2D-BPP - Two Dimensional Bin Packing Problem
  • 3D-BPP - Three Dimensional Bin Packing Problem

Assignment Problems

  • LAP - Linear Assignment Problem
  • LOP - Linear Ordering Problem
  • QAP - Quadratic Assignment Problem

Assembly/Disassembly Line Balancing

  • ALB(P) - Assembly Line Balancing (Problem)
  • DLB(P) - Disassembly Line Balancing (Problem)
  • SALBP - Simple Assembly Line Balancing Problem
  • MMALBP - Mixed Model Assembly Line Balancing Problem

Stochastic Processes & Queueing

  • CPP - Compound Poisson Process
  • CTMC - Continuous Time Markov Chain
  • DTMC - Discrete Time Markov Chain
  • MDP - Markov Decision Process/Problem
  • M/M/1 - single-server queue with exponential interarrival and service times (see Kendall's notation for others)
  • MRP - Markov Renewal Process
  • NHPP - nonhomogeneous Poisson Process
  • NNPP - nonhomogeneous non-Poisson Process
  • POMDP - Partially Observable Markov Decision Process
  • PP - Poisson Process
  • RRP - Renewal Reward Process
  • SMDP - Semi-Markov Decision Process

Other

  • AHP - Analytic Hierarchy Process
  • ANP - Analytic Network Process
  • DEA - Data Envelopment Analysis
  • INFORMS - Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
  • MADM - Multi-Attribute Decision Making
  • MCDM - Multi-Criteria Decision Making
  • MODM - Multi-Objective Decision Making
  • ML - Machine Learning
  • MST - Minimum Spanning Tree
  • SOS - Special Ordered Set (note: also stands for Sum of Squares Programming)
  • FIFO - First In First Out
  • LIFO - Last In First Out
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    $\begingroup$ This list would be more useful if not restricted to abbreviations which most people in the field are familiar with. That way, people in the field can look up abbreviations they are not familiar with. $\endgroup$ – Mark L. Stone Jul 2 '19 at 16:59
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    $\begingroup$ what about having a second answer with less-common abbreviations? $\endgroup$ – Michael Feldmeier Jul 2 '19 at 18:21
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    $\begingroup$ @MarkL.Stone Is it possible to add more abbreviations to this answer? $\endgroup$ – Oguz Toragay Jul 3 '19 at 4:53
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    $\begingroup$ @OguzToragay Users with at least 100 reputation can immediately edit a community wiki post, instead of the 1000 required for 'normal' posts. All others can suggest edits, in the same way as for posts that are not community wiki. See also What are community wiki posts? $\endgroup$ – Discrete lizard Jul 3 '19 at 8:48
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    $\begingroup$ Would it make sense to sort the entries alphabetically (per section)? $\endgroup$ – Robert Schwarz Jul 3 '19 at 11:22

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