📈 Implementation is King, Deep RL for combinatorial optimization, and the third wave of analytics

Local Optimum: short, imperfect-yet-useful ideas - Edition #1

Hi 👋,

I’m trying something new.

Every Thursday, I’ll be sending you Local Optimum: a short, imperfect-yet-useful collection of ideas related to optimization, decision-making, and applied Operations Research.

Why Local Optimum? Because, just like in real-world problems, we don’t always need the perfect, global solution. Sometimes, a smart, practical step forward is enough.

Each Thursday, you’ll get:

✅ One quick insight: a short but thought-provoking idea.

✅ One external resource: something interesting I’ve read lately.

✅ One fresh take on a past post: because good ideas deserve a second look.

It’s a light, digestible format so you can learn something valuable in just a few minutes.

I was going to start next Thursday, but I couldn’t resist it and here we are.

Ready? Let’s get started! 🪂

1) 👑 Implementation is King

Operations Research doesn't stop at telling you what could happen; it provides a roadmap for how to make it happen.

By optimizing resources and designing actionable plans, OR ensures that the insights from analytics are not just theoretical but are translated into real-world implementations.

2) 🤖 Deep RL for combinatorial optimization

I’ve seen it many times, and you probably have too.

Since Reinforcement Learning is based on maximizing a function, it naturally resembles a classical optimization problem.

That’s why many have attempted to use RL for solving combinatorial optimization problems.

But does it actually work? Or not?

Find out on March 17th 👇(click on the image below to go to the post)

3) 🌊 The third wave of analytics

Practicality beats theoretical perfection in prescriptive analytics.

Businesses don’t need the most mathematically optimal model, they need solutions that work within real-world constraints and deliver results.

A highly complex optimization model might maximize efficiency on paper, but if it’s too complicated to implement, it’s useless.

A simpler, actionable model can drive immediate improvements. ✅

In an era where analytics is becoming a commodity, the real differentiator is execution. Success doesn’t come from just building models—it comes from deploying them effectively. 🏗️

Simplifying complexity makes analytics more accessible, adoptable, and scalable.

That’s why I wrote about the maturity of businesses, technology, and the increasing demand for OR experts in this full article 👇

📈 #34 The third wave of analytics

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How do you design a great interview process?

Next Monday, I’ll share how I approach interviews from the interviewer’s perspective. How do you make the process both efficient and insightful?

I’ll cover:

🎯 The core competencies to evaluate
📝 Desiging an effective interview process
✅ A simple 2-interview approach that works

If you hire (or plan to), this will be useful. See you Monday!

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And that’s it for today!

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2) 📤 Share the newsletter with a friend, and earn rewards in compensation.

If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email!

Have a nice day ahead ☀️

Borja.