Case Challenge

This weekend I was able to be a part of a really fun competition. One of the large consulting firms sponsored a case challenge competition at the Heinz College. This post is all about how the competition worked and how the team I was on did. I’ve written a lengthy reflection here, so if you just want to know how we did you can jump to the end.
The competition worked like this.

Thursday evening at about 6:00pm they issued the case. Teams have a little more than 36 hours to go through the case, figure out how they will approach it, and come up with a solution.
Saturday morning at 8:00 am teams must turn in electronic copy of their PowerPoint presentation that will be used for presenting to the judges.
Teams a randomly split up into 5 rooms, 5 teams each room. One at a time each team presents to a panel of judges (who were role playing people in the case), no other teams are present. The team has 20 minutes to present their solution and 10 minutes to answer questions, and defend their solution. This lasts until about noon Saturday.

After lunch, the 'Top 5' is announced, which is the best team from each room. Those teams receive a 'twist’ or new development in the scenario and had one hour to adjust their solution and presentation.
Each 'Top 5' team then presents their adapted solution to a new panel of judges, answers questions, and defends their new solution with the same time restrictions as the first round. Eliminated teams, and other top 5 teams who have already presented their solution can sit in on the presentation, but can't ask questions.

Finally, they pick the best team.

At each stage the team is evaluated on how they approached the problem, the solution, the presentation (the actual PowerPoint slides), presentation skills, and their ability and skill at answering questions and defending their choices.

This makes for a long 48 hours if you go all the way through the competition. The environment is very competitive as everyone is motivated by the prestige of winning a competition sponsored and judged by a high end consulting firm and also the lucrative prize of $500/team member for first place; $250/team member for second; $150/team member for third place, and a bunch of nice prizes for the fourth and fifth team.

They only accept 25 teams, each team with 4 members, into the competition. It is surprisingly difficult to get in because of the aforementioned incentives.

I was approached by one of my Indian friends to be a part of the team he was putting together. I was hesitant to accept since it was conference weekend. However, he is a great guy and we work well together, but don't have the chance to do so very often (we tried doing a coding competition last year that did not end up going so well). I also wanted the experience so I accepted. The other two team members I had never met before Thursday night. They were both great guys and we are all great friends now. We were one of the lucky teams that got in.

The case was a real life problem the firm had worked on with a few of the details changed. It involved a terrorist attack in the United States and the setting up of a new government agency. We were tasked with outlining and creating the plan to get the organization up and running quickly and efficiently taking into account a bunch of small details.

We didn't take the all nighter approach. Both nights we were done by about 11:00pm. We put in a lot of intense hours on Friday, but by 10:00 pm we were pretty much done. Saturday morning we made a few tweaks and turned it in. We were the last group to present in our room and weren't sure what to expect, they didn't have too many difficult questions for us.

We made the 'Top 5'. The hour we had to work on the twist was probably one of the fastest hours I have experienced in a long time, but our first solution was set up well for the twist so we felt good about our adapted solution. We were second to last to present, so the 3 other teams before us and a few other students were in on our presentation.

It was going well, until I got up to present my part. I was talking and suddenly my train of thought was interrupted mid-sentence and I lost what I was about to say. There was an awkward silence in the room. My mind switched to crisis mode, what was I trying to say, why couldn't I think of it. I glanced up at the slide behind me to try and get my thought back, no luck. Thoughts like, 'oh, no! I blew it for the team', and 'I can't believe this just happened' started going through my mind. I was able to keep my anxiety down and stay calm, and eventually started talking again picking up on the last point I remembered talking about, suddenly I remembered what I was going to say. I was so relieved. Even with my pause, which probably wasn't as long it felt, we finished in our 20 min. limit.

Naturally, the second round of judges had tougher questions and was a little more aggressive. We had prepared ourselves well and we all participated in the Q&A.

We had to sit through one presentation then wait for about 30 minutes while the judges debated the rankings. They then presented the solution the firm used on the actually engagement, which was much more detailed and comprehensive than what any of us had come up with.

They announced the winners from 5th to 1st. After the 5th and 4th positions were announced and our team hadn't been announced, we all looked at each other surprised. 3rd, still not us, my mind was going crazy and my heart starting to beat. 2nd, another team, we looked at each other with awe. 1st place... The Jaguars, our team.

Wow. What a rush and how exciting. None of us could believe it. The craziest thing about it all, and this would be true even if we hadn't won, I kind of liked the whole process and really enjoyed doing it.

Some thoughts I had. It really seemed to be more about how you thought about the problem and how you were able to present that, rather than what you came up with. I guess that’s how it is in the real world. It doesn't matter if you have the best solution in the world, if you can’t communicate it people won’t appreciate it and accept it, it won't get anywhere.

Caterpillars, crime and kicking - Sharon Update

Hi Family!
Happy Conference weekend!

*Work has been going really well. The week on Greek mythology turned out really fun. We counted how many snakes are on Medusa's head, and made cyclops eyes to wear on our foreheads. No parents have complained about nightmares...so that's a good thing. Next week is going to be based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which I wasn't to pumped about after 4 weeks of world-culturish type lessons. But now that I have it all together I'm really excited. We'll talk about butterfly life cycles and make antennas to wear as we fly around the room. We have a couple of new students from the toddler room...un-potty trained. Ah, preparation for parenthood. I'm also trying to help train a new assistant, who seems really cool, accept for when it feels I'm trying to do one on one projects, take kids to the potty, and resolve conflicts between 14 kids all at the same time. A conversation this week concluded that, if you see the autistic after-schooler kicking me in the stomach, that would be a good time to step in.

*School: Anthony seems to be doing really well. He's spending the weekend working on this Deloite competition with a group. It sounds challenging and fun.

*Job interviews: He's had a few set up, and it's weird to think how soon this transition from school to real life career will happen. Where will the wind take us?

*Fun: Last night I went with a friend from work to see a performance of Crime and Punishment. Wow! It's like 2 hours of punishment, with a few minutes of crime. It was very very well done with a small cast of 3, and brings up interesting insights on sin and repentance. This friend works in theater and has been really nice to get me (and Ant, accept this time) into 3-4 different plays for free. She's fun to hang out with, because religion in general is totally foreign to her. So she always has really fun questions about the church, the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity. Today, I'll go to a birthday party of one of my students in between sessions of conference. I'll be shocked if it's not Spiderman or Batman themed.

*Pregnancy: Woah, I'm getting fat. :) I can still fit into all of my pants...which I buy baggy to begin with. But on Sunday I realized that it's time to look beyond my closet for church clothes. I have a cool V.T. companion that lent me some cute clothes, so I'm good to go for another couple weeks. I'm thinking about being a pear for Halloween. It's been really fun to feel the baby kick. And I'm generally feeling really really well, accept for not wanting to wake up in the morning.

So that's life. We love you guys and hope all is well!
Sharon

G-20, Career Fairs, and Great Races

Life has been busy the last month and I am ashamed I let my good updating habits go by the wayside. Since getting back from DC we have had a lot of catching up to do with all our friends in Pittsburgh. This is an attempt to make up some lost ground.

The School Highlights are as follows:

- It's my last semester. I'm working hard to fight off feelings of senioritis.
- I'm on a great capstone project with Bosch, the company that makes car parts, power tools, and kitchen appliances.
- Last week we had the much anticipated 3 day career fair (it was really two fairs back to back). I felt I got some good face time with the companies I'm interested in and found some opportunities that look promising and fun for starting my career. I have started to hear back from a few and we are praying the interviews go well.
- I'm in a Conflict Resolution class that I have been enjoying. We read an interesting book, 'Difficult Conversations' put out by a group at Harvard. I liked it, I will probably write a review to put up later.
- I have been getting back into the habit of swimming. My goal is to go at least 3 times a week. My body is slowly adapting, the first time I went my arms felt like jelly after.

Some life highlights:

- Sharon is now 5 months pregnant! Wow, it seems like yesterday we found out.
- The G-20 just came and went in Pittsburgh. Interesting environment. Everyone in Pittsburgh was talking about it and dreading it. I only saw one protest march past the front of the school, but I heard a lot of police sirens and I'm starting to hear a lot of stories.
- The Elders Quorum had a Brazilian BBQ as their opening social, it was the best Elders Quorum event I've ever been to. I made cheese bread and people seemed to like it, despite the fact that it didn't turn out all that well.
- Sharon and I finally made it down to 'The Strip District'. It's not what is sounds like. It is a really cool street market. It kind of reminded me of Pike's Place Market in Seattle. It has an open flee market feel with a lot of street vendors, most selling Steelers garb and food. Pretty fun environment and it looks like some good restaurant opportunities.
- Pittsburgh's 'The Great Race' is happening today, a Pittsburgh tradition. It's almost like the Boston Marathon, except it isn't a Marathon. It's only a 10K.
- It is starting to rain more and the cool weather is starting to slowly creep in. The leaves are hinting at change, exciting.

You know when we get to the weather the conversation has died. Hope the update was informative.

Sharon Update - Midwives, Mosques, and Mythology

Hi Family!
It's been another fun week here in Pittsburgh.

Last Sunday we had a little get together, which turned out to be my birthday party. It was just going Gabe and our friend Amy over for dinner and games, but since half of the Proulx clan was in town, we had them all over, plus a girl Gabe met at the singles ward. I made chicken curry and Ant made me a really yummy ice cream cake. After playing Loaded Questions, which is a really fun game by the way, we headed off to the Mosque for a Ramadan celebration. Anthony's friend that we gave a Book of Mormon to, invited us for what they call Humanity day. It's an inter-faith celebration of...humanity I guess. Anyway, it was really good, and the keynote speaker was amazing.

My real b-day on labor day, was really laid back. Hurray for not having work! We went to the ward "picnic" which ended up being in the cultural hall since our park got rained out.

The main event of the week for me was finding a midwife that I like. The women's hospital here, has a team of 8 midwives. I've heard really good things about them...mostly. After meeting with them last week I had second thoughts. Most of the benefits of having a midwife seemed lost with their team. I think the midwife I was speaking with sensed what kind of birth I wanted to have, and she referred me to this guy named Patrick who refers to himself as Mr. Midwife. I had a free consultation with him this week and was very very pleased. He delivers in the women's hospital, but operates as a separate entity. His Cesarean rate is about a third of the other midwife team, he stays with you during the entire delivery, makes house visits if you'd like, and is guaranteed to be the midwife who delivers the baby. Oh! And my insurance covers him!

Work is going well. This is the third week of our "world cultures" lesson plans, so I'll be covering South America, the Polynesian Islands, and Africa. Woohoo! We try to teach to the interests of our kids, and one of our kids has been obsessed with Greek Mythology lately. So if I can pull it together, that'll be our theme next week. I don't really know much about Greek Mythology though, so if you have any fun ideas, let me know.

Anthony's classes seem to be going well. He comes home most enthusiastic about his Conflict Resolution class. He's been analyzing his personality type and conflict style, which has caused for some fun conversation.

Last night we had Christian Hurst and his wife over (for those of you who know the Hursts). It was really fun. They live in a town about an hour North of here, but come to Pittsburgh regularly. It was fun to hear her story of conversion and baptism before they got hitched. I made a really yummy 2 melon cold soup, if anyone's interested in the recipe. Actually, Anthony wasn't wild about it. But I ate left overs for breakfast this morning.

Love you guys!!! Hope the new school year is going well for everyone!
Sharon

Media

Jib-Jab, 'That's what we call the News'.

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So, this was made in 2007, but recently I've been reminded of how ridiculous the news can be.

If I were to add one thing I would add something about the news being more about opinions over facts. I always thought of the media being a place where facts are presented with little or no opinion and bias. It is so difficult to get a balanced delivery of information.

However, I think that was a naive point of view to take. I had a good conversation with Del (my father-in-law) about this. We were discussing many things, one of which was the news and how it runs today, but he pointed out that it has always been about presenting opinions with the intent of persuasion. He gave an example of Lincoln and the North using media during the Civil War. Thinking more about it I remembered that even back during the early days of the church the church printed it's paper and the mobs printed their papers which created a lot of conflict and emotion.

I'm still figuring out how I feel about all of that, but I realized there was a connection between this and my recent thoughts after reading the 'Thirteen American Arguments'. The realization is that I'm soo.....I don't know the right word. Not ethnocentric, but the same idea from a generational/time point of view, maybe tempo-centric?... I've felt the debates and issues in the recent elections have been so heated and important, as if they had never occurred before my generation and my interest in politics. If they had we would have found the solution already, right? We are 'that great nation' that has the best solutions to the worlds problems, if we were having this much trouble, debate, and hate brewing it must be the first time we have gone through this. I was wrong, these debates and diverse opinions have always existed and always will, but that is healthy.

I'm reminded of the lessons from the Book of Mormon and other scripture that we need to learn from our past. It seems we hardly ever do. We are quick to forget what our fathers have gone through. I guess I'm starting to realize the value and appreciate the perspective that comes from knowing and understanding history.... but I digress into the other thoughts branching out from my original post, so I will end this before I drag on much longer. Leave your thoughts. I will end with another funny clip from SNL making fun of the election coverage by one of the large news networks. Enjoy.

Sharon Update - Back in Pittsburgh

Hi Family!
It feels really good to be back in Pittsburgh. As cool as Alexandria and D.C. are, it doesn't feel nearly as home-ish.
Reasons we've loved our first week back.
* The ward. We've missed the people. I don't know what it is about our Summer ward (maybe it was us!), but I don't think many people will notice that we're gone.
* Our cute little apartment. What a miracle. No mice, no bugs in our huge bags of grains we left, just a few slow and easy to catch spiders that guarded our windows and doors. And they did a good job, there were quite a few dead bugs around each spider...village.
* The Romeros visit. Joan and Ruben brought the kids down to go to the "Dinosaur museum." It was sooo much fun! I couldn't stop smiling as I watched Zion hop around on dinosaur tracks. Cute kids and good visiting time!
* Gabe Proulx, our good friend just moved out here too, and has hung out with us almost every other day since we've been back.
* Work! I thought it would be kind of hard coming back after being able to nap and eat whenever I wanted, but not so. I was getting pretty bored during the day. My kids were really cute on my return and often come up to remind me that there's a baby in my belly.
* School. It sounds like Anthony has some fun classes and projects lined up for a busy last semester. I can't believe he'll be done in a few months!
We are happy and healthy, and enjoying life.
Love you lots!!
Sharon

p.s. Ellsworth fam: I enjoyed the health care debate. i contributed next to nothing, but I really liked hearing differing opinions delivered so thoughtfully and intelligently.

Last Day of Work

The last day of work is the first day of unemployment.... It kind of felt like the last days of High School. Everyone in the office was your friend or suddenly was interested in knowing you. Instead of yearbook signing everyone swapped business cards, arranged, or expressed interest for continued association in the future.

The team went out to lunch and there was reminiscing over the projects and jokes being thrown around. My boss, after downing a few beers, blurted out, "So, you coming back?" I responded with, "Do you wanted me back". He said it would be great and everyone began to try and sell us on the firm, but no formal offers were made. It sounds like if I were to apply for a job there and let them know, I would most probably get hired.

It was a good experience and DC was fun, but I'm looking into some other options before I pursue this one. I am also open to hearing of other options, if you know anyone interested in a Masters student in Information Systems let’s talk.