Projects

Here you can find project write-ups and links to sample code on GitHub

The Question Isn't “Buy OR Build?” — It's “How Do We Build and THEN Buy”?

A Case Study in Inventory Optimization and Client Communication I had a recent consulting engagement to help a Fortune 500 company understand tradeoffs between different network designs, reorder points, and quantities. But within the first week, I realized we had a communication problem that would shape the entire four-month engagement. Four stakeholder groups sat around the table, each asking for something different. Executives wanted high-level strategy for network redesign

ciciodonnell

The Optimization Engine: From Cocktail Party to Production Tool

When I joined Target's Fulfillment Strategy team, I wasn't handed a problem statement. I was handed a calendar. My first few weeks were spent sitting in meetings across the department — operational teams, planning teams, inventory management, logistics — observing, asking questions, and taking notes. I wasn't looking for anything in particular. But patterns started to emerge. Different teams were wrestling with what looked like different problems. Where should we open new ful

ciciodonnell

Product Rollouts in Retail: What I Learned About Stakeholder Alignment and Why A/B Testing Isn't Enough

During my time at Target, I led data science support for several high-stakes software rollouts aimed at optimizing store fulfillment operations. These weren't minor tweaks—we're talking about changes to how 1,800 stores physically moved through picking workflows, where a 1-unit improvement in Units Per Hour (UPH) translated to nearly $4 million in annual savings for ship-from-store alone. The projects taught me two hard lessons. First, the non-technical work of aligning stake

ciciodonnell

The Question Isn't “Buy OR Build?” — It's “How Do We Build and THEN Buy”?

A Case Study in Inventory Optimization and Client Communication I had a recent consulting engagement to help a Fortune 500 company understand tradeoffs between different network designs, reorder points, and quantities. But within the first week, I realized we had a communication problem that would shape the entire four-month engagement. Four stakeholder groups sat around the table, each asking for something different. Executives wanted high-level strategy for network redesign

May 10

The Optimization Engine: From Cocktail Party to Production Tool

When I joined Target's Fulfillment Strategy team, I wasn't handed a problem statement. I was handed a calendar. My first few weeks were spent sitting in meetings across the department — operational teams, planning teams, inventory management, logistics — observing, asking questions, and taking notes. I wasn't looking for anything in particular. But patterns started to emerge. Different teams were wrestling with what looked like different problems. Where should we open new ful

May 10

Product Rollouts in Retail: What I Learned About Stakeholder Alignment and Why A/B Testing Isn't Enough

During my time at Target, I led data science support for several high-stakes software rollouts aimed at optimizing store fulfillment operations. These weren't minor tweaks—we're talking about changes to how 1,800 stores physically moved through picking workflows, where a 1-unit improvement in Units Per Hour (UPH) translated to nearly $4 million in annual savings for ship-from-store alone. The projects taught me two hard lessons. First, the non-technical work of aligning stake

May 10