Many supply chain assessments have “intangible” framing conditions that are disruptive to any purely data-driven optimization solution. It is very important to capture such conditions as soon as possible. If they are overlooked or detected late, they can lead to significant rework and frustration for everyone involved.
For example, there might be regulatory requirements or tax conditions that overrule the data-driven optimized solution. Furthermore, there are often infrastructure constraints not reflected in traditional optimization software packages, such as local traffic congestions that make certain areas of a city unfavorable for heavy-traffic warehousing.
Displaying basic information on a map to involved stakeholders and experts, such as analysts and subject matter specialists, helps to identify and capture such conditions upfront. This method uses their intuition to determine the project’s course, as we describe below.