The Boss's Challenge

Welcome to @emmalex25 blog: Story of “The Task No One Expected" The Boss challenge - fiction-s26wk3.

The General Manager of MyBudget emailed all his project managers and engineers. "I want everyone in the meeting room immediately after lunch. We have a project in hand!"

Project manager John looked at another manager, Timothy. "I thought we were already working on a crucial project!"

Timothy smiled and looked back at John. "Hmm, I am feeling like there is definitely something urgent!"

At 3pm, everyone was in the meeting room.

Timothy looked calm, but John was expecting something complicated coming up!

When everyone was seated, the boss cleared his throat and said, "Guys, we have a new project in hand. We have to prepare a program for a car rental agency with an exclusive algorithm that makes their app calculate a few extra features."

Then he addressed John and Timothy, "You two, I have selected you two! Make a team of engineers and start working immediately. You have six weeks to complete the job. Give me the names of the team engineers before you leave office. Now get going."

"Any special features?". John asked casually!

The boss looked at him and said, "Our client needs rental rates based on real-time demand. So you have to keep an eye on peak and off-commuting hours and also include promotional offers without affecting revenue but keeping the fares competitive. Give me a primary idea along with the list of engineers. I will give you rest of the detail when you're done with your team.
Everyone present in the meeting room looked at each other and dispersed in silence expecting a call up invitation form the two chosen managers

Continuation:

Immediately the boss left the meeting hall John’s mind buzzed because he was always good at being nervous though good in his mind and hands. Six weeks? , he asked again because it was to him a mission impossible. He asked again Real-time? Or rental pricing. Promotions that kept revenue stable but still attracted customers. That’s not just coding, that’s economics plus psychology, he thought. He glanced at Timothy as they walked out towards their designated offices.

Timothy, however, looked calm wracking his minds with all possible ways to achieve the set goal of his boss. To John’s irritation, he even wore a faint smile. Why is he smiling? Does he already have an idea? . He pondered this in his heart without uttering a word.

But Timothy who knew how nervous John was knew that he is troubled he said “Don’t look so troubled,”. “We’ve solved worse puzzles.” and this will never be a different story but a success story.

John muttered, “but this one isn’t just a puzzle, it’s a trap. In his mind, One wrong step and the algorithm either loses customers or bleeds money.” will definitely be a disaster to the company and their reputation.

While John was pondering on what to do, Timothy’s thoughts flowed differently. He believed in starting with people, not formulas. The boss said pick a team. If we build the right squad, the ideas will come. He drafted a list of engineers not just with technical skills, but with different problem-solving temperaments, an optimist, a skeptic, a detail-oriented coder, and a creative dreamer. With this, it was a relieving start up point.

By morning, their two approaches clashed.

John spread sheets of scribbled formulas across the table. “Dynamic multipliers based on demand curves. We can tie peak hours to city traffic data.”

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Timothy nodded but pushed a different sheet forward. “And here’s the team lineup. We need minds who can challenge and refine your formulas.”

John frowned. “You’re building a band, not a project team.”

Timothy leaned back. “Exactly. And every band needs harmony.”

The first week was chaos. Meetings stretched for hours, debates raged, engineers argued whether promotions should be time-based, customer-loyalty driven, or random surprise offers. John’s head throbbed from the endless numbers, Timothy’s patience thinned as egos clashed.

But something shifted in week two. One of the junior engineers suggested blending both models, John’s demand-driven surge system with Timothy’s customer-centric promotions. Suddenly, and surprisingly, the pieces clicked. The second relieved step achieved.

John thought, Brilliant. We can track live bookings and adjust rates, while also rewarding loyal customers with small, random discounts.

Timothy thought, Exactly. Customers feel lucky, not cheated. That’s psychology married to math. This was a clear definition that two good heads are better than one. Their logic and strategy seem to go in one accord.

Week by week, every division of labour came up with and outstanding algorithms shape. John refined the mathematical engine, feeding in live demand data. Timothy tested the “human side” how offers appeared in the app, how customers reacted during trial runs. The team bonded under pressure, each adding sparks of genius in their corner.

By the final week, the app’s prototype was ready. In a test simulation, rental prices danced in real time, rising during airport rushes, dipping late at night, and rolling out subtle promotions that encouraged bookings without draining profit.

On, the early hour of Monday, the Six week, they all went well dressed and waited for the arrival of the boss, John being very nervous and skeptical what the response will be, because he hates failures and disappointment because to him, it reflect, incapability, and a weakness. Timothy still been strong got encourage . It was then time for the final presentation to the boss. He collected it and leaned back in silence, scrolling through the demo.

John’s heart raced. He hates it.

Timothy, calm as always, studied the boss’s face. No, he’s calculating.

Finally, the boss nodded slowly. “This… this is good. Very good. You’ve not just built an algorithm, you’ve built strategy.” and the company is proud of your Team work and effort.

For the first time, John smiled with relief. Timothy smirked back. The challenge wasn’t just cracked, it had made them better leaders.

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This was really a relief from causing a disaster to the company to continually building of their reputation in the company. But the irony of it all is that John got promoted again while Timothy wasn't. But he celebrated John's promotion hoping his will come one day.

I invite @jeromy25 @vicvine25 @alexander25 @marvii to this great contest.