Optimize This!

More than two years since the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, most people I know are simply ready to be done with this damn virus. They cite the steep drop in cases since the most recent January peak, as well as the comparatively low risks for hospitalization and death for those who are vaccinated and boosted. For better or worse, so many folks have decided that it is simply time to move on.

Intellectually, I understand these arguments. However, there are two primary reasons that I have not felt confident about an imminent return to normality. First, I felt a sense of euphoria at exactly this time last year, only to have my post-vaccination spirits quickly dampened by the emergence of the delta variant and later by the even more transmittable omicron strains. This experience has left me wary of looking too far ahead.

Second, amid another uptick in COVID-19 case counts of late, the virus has finally made it to my house. My daughter found herself feeling sick almost immediately after her recent high school graduation ceremony and tested positive for the virus a few days later, and my wife went down shortly after her.

On balance, the COVID-19 news on our end is not too bad. Both my daughter and my wife managed to get back to nearly full strength after a few unpleasant days in bed, and to date, I have managed to avoid catching the virus. In addition, this unforeseen disruption to my normal routine – coming right at the end of my school year – provided time to reflect on what might come next for me personally and professionally.

In truth, this topic has been on my mind for several months, not only because of the pandemic but also because of my daughter’s looming departure for college later this summer. And while my family was sick with COVID-19, I managed to make at least one significant decision about the future.

At first glance, it is not at all clear that the world needs yet another podcast (some observers estimate that there are more than 4 million of them out there already). But after doing some research, I believe that my concept is indeed distinctive and potentially valuable. Below, I have tried to answer some questions that potential listeners like you are likely to have.

What is the format of this podcast?

On each episode, I will be joined by a guest who will provide an overview of an end-to-end solution for some specific real-world decision problem that they themselves have been directly involved with. There may occasionally be some discussion of algorithmic challenges, but the primary focus of the podcast will be to expose and illuminate the details of the information value chain associated with these solutions. My primary goal is to provide the audience with a richer understanding of the diverse components required to really make optimization work in today’s modern world, including upstream information systems, the emerging role of cloud computing, data storage platforms, data pipelines, machine learning models for input estimation, business processes for setting objectives and defining constraints, system performance metrics, ROI models and the ongoing systems management challenges associated with such applications.

It is important to note that this podcast will not be a primary source for news on the latest breakthroughs on efficient maximal flow algorithms or for details about recent advances in deep learning (there are already plenty of other well-established channels for this kind of focused technical knowledge).

Who should listen to this podcast?

Inspired by the book “Geek Nerd Suit” written by my friends at Elicit, the target audience for this podcast includes a variety of populations who typically must collaborate to bring these types of solutions to life. 

“Geeks.” For software developers tasked with developing and maintaining 24/7 digital platforms, this podcast seeks to provide insight into how different organizations have successfully implemented decision optimization solutions into production systems and what kinds of challenges they have had to overcome along the way.

“Nerds.” For data scientists, my goal is for this podcast to expose them to the ways in which the tools of operations research can be effectively deployed, while also helping them to see how their work in data management and machine learning enables downstream optimization methods to effectively address complex business decisions. For OR/MS specialists, this podcast is intended to provide a wealth of application examples as well as a greater appreciation for the challenges faced by business leaders, software developers and data scientists who are often essential to their success.

“Suits.” Finally, these stories will be relevant to many executives, general managers and frontline personnel who are accountable for business outcomes that are often heavily dependent on effective systems design and management. A key goal for the podcast is to provide this managerial audience with inspiration and transferable lessons from folks who have “been there, done that” in a variety of different domains.

Why now?

The Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard famously wrote, “Life can only be understood by looking backward; but it must be lived looking forward.” Both the COVID-19 pandemic and my daughter’s college process have caused me to critically look back at my life and career, and my fast-approaching 60th birthday has provided me with an urgency to look forward and figure out how to make the most of my remaining years. In particular, I have become quite clear on the things that bring me the most joy: building relationships, bringing people together and creating a space to share experiences and insights. This podcast series is intended to combine these activities with my academic training in operations research and my industry experience with implementing analytic solutions.

In addition, training MBA students (especially my recent focus on Customer Success Management) has motivated me to focus on really understanding the challenges, collaborations and changes needed to successfully innovate. And following my former students’ tech industry careers has provided me with a unique lens through which to view our increasingly digital world. Indeed, there has never been a greater opportunity – or need – for intelligent decision automation.

I am under no illusions that turning this vision into a sustainable reality will be easy (indeed, fewer than 20% of podcasts survive for more than a year). Launching this podcast is going to require me to work hard and grow in many different ways. Nevertheless, I am excited to learn from my guests and to be of service to listeners in different organizational roles and different types of businesses. And the excitement of this new challenge has helped me deal with my residual COVID-19 malaise and some of the angst associated with knowing that my only child will be moving away soon.

To be notified about new episodes of the Optimize This! podcast, simply email with “Subscribe” in the subject line to [email protected]. Also, if you have an optimization-related story that you would like to share, please provide some background information through this short survey. I look forward to hearing from you.