The primary need of machining industries is to manufacture parts of the appropriate quality at a high rate of production while utilizing limited resources. Therefore, industries are working at high rate of feed and high cutting speed to increase MRR (rate of material removal) during machining. But, this type of machining increases surface roughness and generates cutting tool marks on the surface of the machined part. To overcome these problems, there is a need to optimize different machining parameters (cutting speed, cutting rate of feed, and depth of cut) at different levels, to enhance surface finish and increase the rate of material removal. For selecting the best optimum value for these machining parameters in order to lessen the impact on output, optimization techniques are used. The primary investigation of this study is to review the recent findings and developments in milling operations so that surface finish can be maintained. Additionally, the paper explored several cooling techniques employed in machining processes to improve surface finish outcomes. The review reveals that cutting speed had a greater impact on the surface roughness followed by cutting rate of feed and depth of cut. The cooling/lubrication technique has consistently yielded superior outcomes in several studies, since it effectively enhances surface finish and decreases tool damage by reducing the cutting temperature in the cutting area during machining.