Stephen Naughton D18124313 Muhammad Ali D16128515 Hristo Stoev D18124660 Luis Osvaldo Estrada Reyna D18124094 Saad Ahmed D17127608 Maxime Gerstein D18127621 Simon Mooney D17125411 Wang Rao D17124312 Xiuyuan Liu D16129118 Kemal Araz D17124922 B. Sai Saketh D18124380 Savinay Vijay D18123824 Mitesh Gosavi D18123814 Darshan Shet D18123594 Mrigank Shekhar D17129112 Vihanga Urala Gamage D16125536 Sharath G.H. D18123605 Aniruddha Waradkar D17129391 Ryan Kirwan D17125563 Zhongding Yang D17129181 Conor Hanrahan D16128757 Sandesh Gangadhar D17129109 Nikhil Raghunath D17129790 Vinayaka Hanumanthappa D17129824

Cancelling Christmas Due to the ongoing recession, the proposition was to cancel the celebration known as ‘Christmas’. The relevant strengths and weaknesses of this option were further analyzed using a number of problem solving techniques.

How was the canteen experience? P: The team found it less formal, and more opinions could be voiced. M: There was a significant level of noise and distractions. I: Snacks and food were available, which helped team members recharge after expended effort.

How was the class experience? P: There was a level of focus and concentration not present in the canteen. This was due to a lower level of noise and an accessible board available for note-taking. M: Arriving at ideas and decisions seemed to take longer due to the more formal atmosphere. I: Participation was in a more structured format, with one person talking at a time.

The chosen techniques PMI – Plus, Minus, and Interesting CAF – Consider All Factors FIP – First Important Priorities

CAF leading to FIP

Why were the techniques chosen PMI: It was an obvious choice to use this technique due to its ease-of- use, as well as the fact that the entire class was familiar with it. CAF: This technique allowed the entire class to work in unison, and was able to explore a broad idea space very effectively. FIP: As was the case with CAF, FIP allowed the class to work together, and added the diverse priorities held by different team members to the decision making process.

Most Effective Technique The team found PMI to be the most effective technique. This was primarily due to the large volume of information that could be generated in a short amount of time. It served as an effective foundation or starting point for other problem-solving techniques.

Least Effective Technique FIP was the least effective technique utilized by the team. In order to make use of this, we need to have a list of ideas already. This didn’t generate a lot of new information about our problem, as people’s priorities can change and are hard to compare between individuals.

Ideas/Alternatives

Final Decision ULTIMATE DECISION: A vote was taken among team members, and out of 23 votes, two were in favour of cancelling Christmas, and 21 were against. The final verdict is not to cancel Christmas, as the negative effects outweigh the positive.