Heuristic “Optimization”: Why, When, and How to Use It

The pressing need of real-world problems for quick, simple, and implementable solutions coupled with a recently increased research productivity on improved and rigorously evaluated heuristic methods are rapidly increasing the need, usage, and respect for heuristics. This paper presents a framework for heuristic “optimization” by systematically examining this change in attitudes towards heuristics, their desirable features and proper usage.