Custom Optimization Solutions and Services
The “secret sauce” of optimization projects is powerful software that effectively becomes your real-time advisor.
To succeed, you must go beyond conventional technology or business process tools and harness the powerful combination of emerging optimization technology and the latest in agile project management.
Each Client is Unique
Princeton Consultants’ work is custom; we don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. We are retained by some of the world’s largest and most innovative companies to solve problems that are unique or too big and complex for off-the-shelf software. The stakes are high and typically involve transforming the management of key assets and core business processes.
For those who are cost-conscious, here is the good news: custom optimization is most effectively performed with small teams—often 2-5 specialists—rather than the dozens or hundreds often deployed in large-scale IT projects.
We are expert in the full AI / Optimization model lifecycle, helping clients transform core operational business processes through the identification, design, development, and deployment of game-changing integrated AI Optimization systems.
With a track record of more than 2,000 successful projects across four decades, Princeton Consultants is widely recognized today as the premier “go to” partner for custom optimization.
Building and Deploying High-Impact Solutions
We help organizations turn complex problems into optimization opportunities that impact performance. Custom optimization models include objective functions, decision variables and constraints that reflect the real-world intricacies of your business environment. By expertly applying techniques such as linear programming, mixed integer programming and constraint programming, we develop solutions that outperform the status quo and we help successfully implement them into the organization.
Through optimization, we determine the best course of action among multiple alternatives, helping companies maximize profits, minimize costs, and enhance operational performance. We work across industries, creating and deploying solutions for mission-critical, sector-specific challenges.
Operations Research: Proven Methods to Boost Decision Intelligence
As world leaders in applied Operations Research (OR), we help clients improve decision-making through data-driven analysis and quantitative tools and solutions. OR encompasses mathematical optimization, simulation, machine learning, and predictive analytics, all proven to enhance key decisions about core assets: assignment, production/acquisition, scheduling, routing, pricing and policy creation.
Not every problem is ripe for mathematical optimization. By integrating OR principles and methods with cutting-edge AI and emerging technologies, we develop the right solution with the right tools for your organization. Our projects often involve large datasets and dynamic environments where expert modeling, solution development and systems integration are all critical.
Our work includes:
Developing tailored optimization models that align with your unique strategy and operational practice
Using commercial and open-source software to process dynamic and large-scale problems with low latency and scalable performance
Providing actionable insights that empower management to make informed decisions to achieve maximum efficiency and value
Enabling seamless implementation and ongoing support of optimization systems within existing processes
Delivering expert coaching and advisory services based on scientific rigor to help you lead in your industry
Signs of Success
All optimization software is not created equal. Here are attributes of successful Princeton optimization software:
- Accurate recommendations are valid (follow agreed upon rules and constraints) and high quality (high scoring solution).
- Clear recommendations are unambiguous, precise and concise.
- Fast recommendations are low latency (up-to-date data, give answers quickly), rapid throughput (solve quickly), scalable (capacity for more).
- Robust recommendations detect and avoid faults and failures, with low bug count.
Methodology: The 5 Steps of a Princeton Optimization Project
Optimization success is achieved in production when the business users are provided with a tool that makes their work faster, easier and better.
We have honed our optimization project methodology over more than 40 years to ensure business and user engagement and enthusiasm. This methodology is presented in The Optimization Edge.
1. The Charter
Choose the right areas of opportunity. Assemble the right team.
- Pick an area where the people are hungry for improvement
- Look for an area that is not already over-committed with other large IT or change management projects
- Assemble your best team of executive sponsor, SMEs and inside and outside optimizers
2. The Vision
Select the top candidates. Use real data to prove the solution is possible and to demonstrate its value.
- Do field R & D and find top candidate projects
- Build fast proof-of-concepts to validate technical feasibility and quantify the potential “size of the prize” over baseline
- Project management metaphor: not a construction project, but a behavior modification project
3. The Early Win
Pick an entry point. Get into production with real users. Create bottom-up enthusiasm.
- Pick the right first users
- Solve a problem they have, not the one you want to solve
- Give them something early they will love
- Focus on the people side, not just the technical side
4. The Scale-up
Broaden into full field as default behavior.
- Gain line-level field commitment for process change
- Ensure measurements and incentives are aligned
- Avoid collision or confusion with other projects
- Goal: fastest Total Time to Payback (TTP) vs. Total Time to Delivery (TTD)
5. The Harvest
Expand functionality. Use savings to lower prices / expand share. Sell capabilities.
- Guard against recidivism – old habits die hard
- Look for logically adjacent areas to expand the breadth and value of the optimization
- Tell the story throughout the enterprise
- Look for other businesses where the success can potentially be replicated – new opportunities are the best reward for optimizers