COMP 567
Case Study Information
Fall 2013
course
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Students will gain experience by working in teams on a substantial
case study of an application of integer programming. This study will
involve the solution of a realistically sized integer programming
problem on a reasonably large set or sets of data. There are four parts to the case study,
the first three parts are oral, the fourth written:
1. Initial description of problems,
2. Proposals by consultant teams,
3. Preliminary findings and progress report,
4. Final written case study report.
The initial presentations are by each
individual
student. After this each student joins both a consultant's team of 3-4 people
for one of the problems presented, and a management team for a different problem. Currently there are 13
students registered, so 3 teams of 3 and one team of 4.
1. Initial
description of problems(5%): due September 30 by emailing
a pdf file to
Bundit:
lbundit at gmail.com List of
project descriptions
Each student plays the role of a manager of a business that
needs help with some kind of optimization problem. The problem is
stated in general terms using in writing using a maximum of 2 pages. Indicate the
data available, the objective desired, and whatever relevant
constraints are to be considered. No
mathematical formulation is allowed. The problem should be
solvable by integer programming techniques. You must invent
this problem, not just copy it from a textbook or from the web.
You submit this as a pdf file
to Bundit.
All descriptions will be posted here: List of
project descriptions . Students will form consultant
teams which are groups of 3 or 4 students each.
You may wish to use myCourses
to set up teams.
Each team works on a different problem. Teams register with TA, and
can suggest a proposal date, first come first served!
Once the consultant teams are fixed we will assign management teams.
2. Proposals by Consultants (10%):
October 17, 22 or 24 in class (dates revised Sep 24)
Each consultant team gives a proposal to solve all or part of the
problem they have chosen. The proposal should describe the
following: an overview of the problem, the specifications of the
input data required, the decision variables to be considered, the
objective function and the constraints to be handled. Specific
deliverables should be described. It is best to describe a small
prototype that should be easily solvable, a reasonable sized problem
that might take considerable computer time (CPLEX), and possible
extensions if time permits. Teams of three have up to 15 minutes,
and teams of four have up to 20 minutes. Each member of the team must present part of the proposal.
The management team for the project must provide constructive criticism and comments
after the proposal. They will be required to supply the relevant
input data within a week.
3. Preliminary findings and progress report
(15%): Nov 26, 28 in class.
Each consultant team presents the preliminary results of their
project using the same time and ground rules as the proposal. Then
the management team questions the consultants for a 10 minute
period, and there is open discussion. It is important to participate
in these discussions. Consultants must be able to demonstrate they
have successfully solved at least a prototype version of the
original problem, and computational
results must be presented. If the slides are self-explanatory, no written report is
required.
4. Final Written Report (10%): due Dec 18 by
emailing a pdf file both Bundit and the instructor.
Ground rules: Consultants may discuss
informally with their management team at any time, but should not
collaborate with other consultant teams.
5. Pointers for a good
presentation
Formalities :
Introducing oneself, finishing in the allotted time
Clarity of Explanation:
Structured the presentation well
Conveyed main ideas well
Interest/Motivation :
Speaker was clearly interested & motivated
Audience was interested (asked questions?)
Mechanics:
Good use of overheads, blackboards, handouts (& other visuals)
Established good contact with audience (voice level, eye contact)
Pertinence:
Choice of details to present
Speaker related the topic to course material