IEOR 264 Project Planning

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Project Proposal (Due April 7, 08)

1. Description of the problem
2. Formulation(s) of the problem
3. Why the problem is a good project topic:
   a. Computationally hard to solve (convince me with your
      initial computational tests with CPLEX)
   b. Not much work has been done on it.
4. Solution methods that will be used in the project.
   Discuss appropriateness of the selected methods for the problem.
5. Outline of the tasks and their due dates.


Progress report (Due April 28, 08)

Expanded version of the proposal:
1. Describe formulations, master and subproblems, bounds,
   cutting planes in detail as appropriate.
2. Give details of the completed tasks.
3. Present computations completed to date and what is learned.
4. Outline of the remaining tasks and their due dates.


Presentations (May 7-12, 08)

The purpose of the presentations is to learn from each other's
experiences and give/receive feedback.  Plan for a 15-min 
presentation and 5 min discussion/questions per project. There 
will be a computer projector.


Final report (Due May 13, 08)

1. Define your problem and write down its formulation clearly.
2. Discuss which solution methods you used to solve it, why you
have chosen them.
3. If the solution methods require reformulating the problem,
write down the reformulations, master problems, subproblems
if applicable. If there are different possible reformulations,
discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using them.
4. Discuss the ease/difficulty of solving subproblems, master
problems, how you obtained upper and lower bounds and the
strength these bounds.
5. If you are using cutting planes, discuss validity, strength
and separation of cuts.
6. Before discussing the computational results, make sure
to give details of the design of your experiments.
7. In the computational experiments section, prepare tables
that summarize empirical lower/upper bounds, solution times,
number of nodes/subproblems solved, number and type of cuts.
8. Don't finish your report with a number of tables.
Discuss your empirical observations/comparisons/conclusions
based on the tables in detail. Relate them to your initial
expectations based on theory. Don't expect and let the reader
(me) to draw his (my) conclusions---this is dangerous!
9. Make sure that your programs are well-commented.
Attach your computer programs as an appendix to your report.
10. Send me your programs, a small data set for testing
and instructions on how to run them as an email attachment.
I plan to post them on the web. These should be helpful
for students taking IEOR264 next year.


IMPORTANT: Recall that the project counts as the mid-term
exam. Your project grade will constitute a big portion of your
course grade. So turn in a typed (typeset with LaTeX preferably)
and well-written report.