Do the following problem as teams (organized in class or outside of class, depending on your instructor's preference):
Suppose that you work for a large power company. One of your company's holdings is a small coal-fired power plant near an old coal mine that provided fuel for the plant. The plant is not currently in operation due to a long history of fires and cave-ins that have caused a number of deaths and led to closure of the mine. However, a modern (and safe) coal mine is in operation approximately 100 miles away. Existing railroad tracks cover only 30 miles of the distance between the plant and the operational mine.
a. Based on the above information, propose at least three possible problem definitions. Which do you feel is most appropriate?
b. Propose four possible strategies to put the power plant in operation.
c. For each strategy, list 3-5 items of information that would be needed in order to evaluate the merits of that strategy.
d. Suppose that you are a manager employed by the power company, and that you have been given responsibility for the problem described above. Organize a hypothetical group of five people to address this problem and propose a plan for its solution. Specify the roles that these individuals might fulfill as part of the group. What types of individuals (see Table 3.2) would be best suited to these roles?

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Table 3.2 Characteristic Responses to a Goal or Task (adapted from ref. 2) Fact Finder Follow Thru Methodical and systematic, this mode is focused and structured, and brings order and efficiency. Follow Thru people are meticulous at planning, programming, and designing, and predictability is essential to their being. Keyword: pattern. Quick Start Precise, judicious and thorough, this mode deals with detail and complexity, seeking to be both objective and appropriate. Keen at observing and at gathering informa- tion, sometimes Fact Finders can be too judicious, seeming overly cautious as they wait for more data. Keyword: probe. Implementer With an affinity toward risk, this mode is spontaneous and intuitive, flexible, and fluent with ideas. Quick Starters are deadline- and crisis-oriented. They need an at- mosphere of challenge and change, and sometimes they can be impatient. Keyword: innovate. Hands-on, craft-oriented, this mode brings tangible quality to actions. Implementers have a strong sense of three-dimensional form and substance and the ability to deal with the concrete. Keyword: demonstrate.