Solving some problems requires a detailed series of interdependent steps, or a careful arranging of resources at each step, in order to be successful.
There is a game, using blocks, called the “parking lot” puzzle. You arrange the blocks on a board of fixed size, according to the layout depicted on one of many cards. You slide each block in one direction at a time, without overlapping the blocks, to try to get a specific “car” (block) out of the parking lot. Solving each challenge often requires a long series of well-planned steps in order to accomplish the goal.
Several situations, where there are limited resources or tight constraints, can become a “parking lot” problem:
- Migrations involving leap-frogging servers or other resources. Leap-frogging means that you migrate from server A to server B, freeing up server A to be used as the target of the next migration.
- Many steps must be accomplished in a narrow window.
- Sufficient people resources to staff a specified level of concurrency.
- Specified number of migration windows, where multiple steps or specific work effort must be accomplished within each window.
- Combinations of the above.
Sometimes, a goal-oriented approach, with detailed planning for resource allocation across multiple steps, is required in order to solve resource-constrained problems.
For “parking lot” problems, have a thorough and complete plan, detailing sequence, task assignments, and resource allocation.