Build a Search-Based Delivery Router for a Madrid Grocery Startup
Overview
What this challenge is about.
Build a Search-Based Delivery Router for a Madrid Grocery Startup. Intermediate challenge in code. Writing production code that solves real engineering probl...
The Brief
What you'll do, and what you'll demonstrate.
Replace manual courier route planning with a classical AI search router that beats hand-planned routes on total distance and on-time-delivery rate while planning each route in under two seconds.
This is not a coding exercise. It is the work a software engineer does between a Jira ticket and a merged PR. That distinction matters to every hiring manager who has seen candidates solve LeetCode problems and none who have shipped production code under real constraints.
When you finish, you will have something most graduates do not: a real-world deliverable, verified by Ewance, that you can show to a hiring manager and say "I did this. Here is the proof."
Earning criteria — what you'll demonstrate
- Model a real routing problem as a state-space search and implement A* with a defensible domain heuristic.
- Design and tune a heuristic, then quantify its impact against a contrasting baseline strategy.
- Evaluate algorithms rigorously on held-out data, reporting variance and tail latency rather than only averages.
- Translate benchmark results into a clear, trade-off-aware production recommendation for a non-technical stakeholder.
Program Fit
Where this fits in your program.
Sharpens the same skills your degree expects you to demonstrate.
Aligned coursework coming soon.
Skills
Skills you'll demonstrate.
Each one shows up on your verified credential.
- Search Algorithms
Apply search algorithms to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Intelligent Agents
Apply intelligent agents to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Python Programming
Apply python programming to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Algorithm Evaluation
Apply algorithm evaluation to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Heuristic Design
Apply heuristic design to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Performance Benchmarking
Apply performance benchmarking to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
Careers
Career paths this challenge builds toward
Completing this challenge demonstrates skills that transfer directly to these roles:
AI/Optimization Software Engineer
Building a working router that turns a messy real-world routing problem into a search problem mirrors production optimization work, where you implement informed search, design heuristics, and ship a service that meets a hard latency budget.
This challenge sharpens
- search-algorithms
- heuristic-design
- python-programming
Backend Engineer, Logistics Platforms
Delivering a tested /route service with a strict planning-time budget reflects how logistics backends are built: correct, observable, and benchmarked against a real baseline before any rollout decision is made.
This challenge sharpens
- python-programming
- intelligent-agents
- performance-benchmarking
Machine Learning / Decision Systems Engineer
Comparing strategies on held-out data and writing a trade-off-aware recommendation is the core loop of decision-systems work, where rigorous evaluation and clear communication decide what actually ships.
This challenge sharpens
- algorithm-evaluation
- performance-benchmarking
- intelligent-agents