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In mathematics, it is usually the value of a particular function. Optimization is a part of the broader discipline of Operations research when applied to practical economic problems. In general most optimization problems in Operations Research are constrained optimization problems - i.e., the extremum of a function has to be determined within the bounds imposed by the particular problem. These bounds are expressed as mathematical constraints. For example, maximize the profit of a manufacturing operation while ensuring that none of the resources exceed certain limits and also satisfying as much of the demand faced as possible. Some very famous problems like the Traveling Salesman Problem can be expressed as constrained optimization problems and have many practical applications in logistics and design problems. See optimization (mathematics).

In computer science, optimization is the process of improving a system in certain ways to increase the effective execution speed and/or bandwidth, or reducing memory requirement s. Despite its name, optimization does not necessarily mean finding the optimum solution to a problem. Often this is not possible, and heuristic algorithms must be used instead.