Example Scenario:
Challenge Statement: 9 friends and I want to go to the movie theater to see a movie together, but we all live in separate houses. Gasoline is expensive right now so we would like to spend as little on gas as possible. Everyone is ok with carpooling and agreed to split the cost of gas evenly. What arrangement of cars should we take to save as much as much as possible on gas?
How many drivers
Who is driving
What car does each driver drive (if driver has multiple cars)
Which people does each driver pick up
Order in which people are picked up
Example of a GOOD Desired Outputs section:
Priority | Document Name | Description |
1 | Driver Plan | Which people are driving, and which car each of them should drive |
2 | Pickup Plan | Which people should each driver pick up |
3 | Routing Plan | What order should each driver pick up their passengers |
4 | Total Cost | Total fuel spend |
This Desired Outputs section includes outputs clearly defined in terms of levers, providing a clear path to a solution. In addition, the overall goal of reducing spend is provided in a separate output. Remember, as described in the Desired Outputs overview article, outputs that are defined in terms of levers should also be included in the Desired Outputs section.
Example of a SUBOPTIMAL Desired Outputs section:
Priority | Document Name | Description |
1 | Carpool plan | List of carpool groups and members |
2 | Total Cost | Total fuel spend |
This Desired Outputs section only includes the groups for carpooling and does not provide the drivers, the route, or the car driven. Without those key levers in the outputs, it is unlikely an optimal solution will be achieved.
Example of a POOR Desired Outputs section:
Priority | Document Name | Description |
1 | Total Cost | Total fuel spend |
This Desired Outputs section does not include a plan at all and only includes the total spent on fuel. Without any outputs defined in terms of levers, a theoretical optimal solution may exist but there is no knowledge on how to achieve it.