First, OptaPlanner does require a programmer to use. That means a random business user with a problem isn't able to just do it themselves, and instead needs a larger effort to try it out and see the results. It would be amazing if there was a way to give an "Excel" like experience to OptaPlanner, so that anyone could play around with models and optimization.
Second, Lots of companies have found ways to accomplish their business without optimization tools. Often their processes are heavy on manual planning, and there is a general sense that the problem is too complicated and has too many factors for an algorithm to be able to do. I've had clients with perfect use cases for OptaPlanner stick with a-priori business rules because that is how they did things and they felt more in control. Convincing people to try out a magical optimization program that finds solutions is difficult.
Disclaimer: I work for Red Hat. I've been a big fan of OptaPlanner even before it became one of our products!
First, OptaPlanner does require a programmer to use. That means a random business user with a problem isn't able to just do it themselves, and instead needs a larger effort to try it out and see the results. It would be amazing if there was a way to give an "Excel" like experience to OptaPlanner, so that anyone could play around with models and optimization.
Second, Lots of companies have found ways to accomplish their business without optimization tools. Often their processes are heavy on manual planning, and there is a general sense that the problem is too complicated and has too many factors for an algorithm to be able to do. I've had clients with perfect use cases for OptaPlanner stick with a-priori business rules because that is how they did things and they felt more in control. Convincing people to try out a magical optimization program that finds solutions is difficult.
Disclaimer: I work for Red Hat. I've been a big fan of OptaPlanner even before it became one of our products!