Comments on: Optimization: A case study http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/ Connecting together Pune's Technologists Tue, 27 Mar 2012 04:59:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: narayan http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6475 narayan Tue, 19 May 2009 16:04:38 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6475 @themis, good to hear from you! yes, you're right when you say that the "main message for me is that involving the users, managing their requirements, setting acceptance criteria and freezing the scope from the very beginning is essential to any optimization work". often, we engineers tend to fall into the trap of thinking of these problems as technical problems exclusively. in reality, the solution to the technical problem needs to be embedded within a solution that addresses the larger problem of bringing about permanent change to an organization and its processes. when amit asked me to write on this topic, i decided that the only way to keep it interesting is to address that larger problem. i'm glad to hear that this resonated with your experience. @themis, good to hear from you! yes, you’re right when you say that the “main message for me is that involving the users, managing their requirements, setting acceptance criteria and freezing the scope from the very beginning is essential to any optimization work”. often, we engineers tend to fall into the trap of thinking of these problems as technical problems exclusively. in reality, the solution to the technical problem needs to be embedded within a solution that addresses the larger problem of bringing about permanent change to an organization and its processes. when amit asked me to write on this topic, i decided that the only way to keep it interesting is to address that larger problem. i’m glad to hear that this resonated with your experience.

]]> By: Themis http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6468 Themis Tue, 19 May 2009 10:45:22 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6468 Narayan, your story describes very well what we go through in our work with customers/users. The main message for me is that involving the users, managing their requirements, setting acceptance criteria and freezing the scope from the very beginning is essential to any optimization work. In your case adding user requirements progressively did not actually cause total redesign of the overall algorithm. Adding the weight constraint to the seat number constraint did not affect your previous algorithmic work. However, in many cases that probability is really high. best regards, -themis Narayan,

your story describes very well what we go through in our work with customers/users. The main message for me is that involving the users, managing their requirements, setting acceptance criteria and freezing the scope from the very beginning is essential to any optimization work.

In your case adding user requirements progressively did not actually cause total redesign of the overall algorithm. Adding the weight constraint to the seat number constraint did not affect your previous algorithmic work. However, in many cases that probability is really high.

best regards,
-themis

]]> By: Jaydeep Joshi http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6446 Jaydeep Joshi Mon, 18 May 2009 08:47:14 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6446 Narayan: I stumbled upon your article while browsing for work in the scm space in Pune. It was a nice refresher to read your anecdotes. Amit: I had the opportunity to work closely with Narayan for a brief period of eight months at Dell. There is never a dull moment with him around! I look forward to reading the rest of the series, and more on PuneTech. Narayan: I stumbled upon your article while browsing for work in the scm space in Pune. It was a nice refresher to read your anecdotes.

Amit: I had the opportunity to work closely with Narayan for a brief period of eight months at Dell. There is never a dull moment with him around!
I look forward to reading the rest of the series, and more on PuneTech.

]]> By: optimization: a technical overview | PuneTech http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6332 optimization: a technical overview | PuneTech Thu, 07 May 2009 02:43:25 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6332 [...] Optimization: A case study (21) [...] [...] Optimization: A case study (21) [...]

]]> By: Optimization and Organizational Readiness for Change | PuneTech http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6242 Optimization and Organizational Readiness for Change | PuneTech Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:41:40 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6242 [...] Recent Comments Optimization: A case study (20) [...] [...] Recent Comments Optimization: A case study (20) [...]

]]> By: Rakesh Sharma http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6207 Rakesh Sharma Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:04:04 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6207 Narayan, Very well laid out story. Very logical explanation of the touchpoints between solution and implementation - much appreciated. Still remember in the early days of i2, briefly discussing the work Dr. G.P. Sinha of Tata Steel had done in the area of utilizing optimization for integrated steel companies. Good to hear you have carried on throwing light on problems using the optimization torch. cheers Amit - Keep up the good work. Warm regards -Rakesh Narayan,
Very well laid out story. Very logical explanation of the touchpoints between solution and implementation – much appreciated.

Still remember in the early days of i2, briefly discussing the work Dr. G.P. Sinha of Tata Steel had done in the area of utilizing optimization for integrated steel companies. Good to hear you have carried on throwing light on problems using the optimization torch. cheers

Amit – Keep up the good work.
Warm regards
-Rakesh

]]> By: narayan http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6177 narayan Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:45:06 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6177 @luc: thanks for your thoughtful response. your phrase "the importance to live with imperfection" reminded me of something i read recently. it is very short piece but, like everything by jorge luis borges, is brilliant. at first, it may not seem germane to this topic but i'm sure you'll see my point if you ponder on it for a bit. i was going to reproduce it for you here but, fortunately for me, this piece is available online at http://www.idb.arch.ethz.ch/files/borges_on_exactitude_in_science.pdf. enjoy! @luc: thanks for your thoughtful response. your phrase “the importance to live with imperfection” reminded me of something i read recently. it is very short piece but, like everything by jorge luis borges, is brilliant. at first, it may not seem germane to this topic but i’m sure you’ll see my point if you ponder on it for a bit. i was going to reproduce it for you here but, fortunately for me, this piece is available online at http://www.idb.arch.ethz.ch/files/borges_on_exactitude_in_science.pdf. enjoy!

]]> By: Luc Bongaerts http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6124 Luc Bongaerts Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:53:41 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6124 Narayan, As always, I loved reading your article: fantastic way to explain optimization. What came to mind was the importance to live with imperfection - and therefore the need to analyse and understand, and tinker with the results of an optimization algorithm. Optimization is hard - but for a computer to explain the results of its reasoning to the users is even harder. Successful optimization work is where the optimization intuitively makes sense. Hence the importance of a smart story, good UI, layered optimization, lots of experience and wide customer base (and that next to or on top of optimization). That being said, you will agree that optimization is a piece of beauty... (so much for economic justification :-) With regards to the planes, trains, computers and washing machines, I once was venturing on parallel computing on transputers for the control of a manufacturing cell (multitasking was not yet really invented on regular PCs). Searching for a bug that behaved stranger and stranger, and whatever we did to fix it, was a waste of time. Perplexed and junior, we decided to undo our changes and go back to the original code. Alas, that did not give us back our original bug. Debating with colleagues for an hour on whether we should start using revision control, decent design patterns, proper testing, or none of the above, we finally got a clue about the root cause of our bug: we could smell it... Parallel computing on a bunch of transputers is challenging, but when one of the transputers is on fire - for sure - that part of the program does not work anymore. Or why nothing is too silly to consider during problem solving... Take care and all the best, Luc Narayan,
As always, I loved reading your article: fantastic way to explain optimization.

What came to mind was the importance to live with imperfection – and therefore the need to analyse and understand, and tinker with the results of an optimization algorithm. Optimization is hard – but for a computer to explain the results of its reasoning to the users is even harder. Successful optimization work is where the optimization intuitively makes sense. Hence the importance of a smart story, good UI, layered optimization, lots of experience and wide customer base (and that next to or on top of optimization). That being said, you will agree that optimization is a piece of beauty… (so much for economic justification :-)

With regards to the planes, trains, computers and washing machines, I once was venturing on parallel computing on transputers for the control of a manufacturing cell (multitasking was not yet really invented on regular PCs). Searching for a bug that behaved stranger and stranger, and whatever we did to fix it, was a waste of time. Perplexed and junior, we decided to undo our changes and go back to the original code. Alas, that did not give us back our original bug. Debating with colleagues for an hour on whether we should start using revision control, decent design patterns, proper testing, or none of the above, we finally got a clue about the root cause of our bug: we could smell it… Parallel computing on a bunch of transputers is challenging, but when one of the transputers is on fire – for sure – that part of the program does not work anymore. Or why nothing is too silly to consider during problem solving…

Take care and all the best,
Luc

]]> By: Das http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6112 Das Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:31:01 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6112 Narayan, Long time no contact! Could you send this article to me in pdf format? I am sharing Amit's articles with my MBA students in UCI, and would love to incorporate this in the mix. Thanks, Das Narayan,

Long time no contact!

Could you send this article to me in pdf format? I am sharing Amit’s articles with my MBA students in UCI, and would love to incorporate this in the mix.

Thanks,

Das

]]> By: A layered architecture in tackling decision-support / optimization problems gives better real life results - PuneTech | PuneTech http://punetech.com/optimization-a-case-study/#comment-6099 A layered architecture in tackling decision-support / optimization problems gives better real life results - PuneTech | PuneTech Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:25:40 +0000 http://punetech.com/?p=1226#comment-6099 [...] Optimization: A case studyBy amit Apr 15th An overview of the dark art of optimization by Dr. Narayan Venkatasubramanyan, an optimization guru, and one of the original pioneers of applying optimization to Supply Chain Management. Intended for a technically savvy audience who might not be aware of the application of optimization in real world situations. [...] [...] Optimization: A case studyBy amit Apr 15th An overview of the dark art of optimization by Dr. Narayan Venkatasubramanyan, an optimization guru, and one of the original pioneers of applying optimization to Supply Chain Management. Intended for a technically savvy audience who might not be aware of the application of optimization in real world situations. [...]

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