Opening Doors at Juilliard
Summer 2015聽| By Jim Abbott
At the Juilliard School in New York, the search for open rehearsal spaces has been a constant problem at a campus where aspiring actors, musicians and dancers outnumber available practice rooms by almost 7 to 1. Many students and teachers had conceded that the issue might be impossible to resolve, but that didn鈥檛 stop operations manager Adam Gagan, 鈥�12.
Using skills he gained through his M.S. in industrial engineering, Gagan devised an online reservations system that streamlines how students find open practice rooms on campus in real time.
鈥淥ne of my bosses told me not to waste too much energy on it,鈥� says Gagan, who started working at Juilliard in May 2014. 鈥淸My boss said], 鈥楾his is a problem that we鈥檝e had for years at this school.鈥� But I was fixated on it.鈥�
To understand the situation, Gagan met with Juilliard鈥檚 Student Council and student focus groups, faculty members and administrators. He researched the reasons that a short-lived, paper-based reservations system had failed in the face of complicated student rehearsal needs.
鈥淵ou cannot give these students a time limit,鈥� Gagan says. 鈥淵ou can practice piano for up to six hours. With a wind instrument, two hours is usually the maximum. Also, students have preferences for certain rooms. Voice students, for instance, can鈥檛 be in a room with curtains.鈥�
To solve a nagging access problem, Adam Gagan, 鈥�12, developed an electronic reservation system for the famed New York performing arts school.
Gagan鈥檚 solution was an online system that allows students to see what practice rooms are available, sign up for them at centrally located kiosks, and, once in a room, take short breaks without forfeiting the space. Students can also check room availability on their cellphones with a companion app. A pilot program successfully tested the system in 10 of Juilliard鈥檚 90 practice rooms this past spring, and the system is expected to be fully operational by fall.
鈥淜nowing immediately if there are any rooms available and which ones are available is so great,鈥� says Juliann Ma, who is finishing a master鈥檚 degree in piano. 鈥淧lus, if you鈥檙e in rehearsals with multiple people, you can immediately notify them.鈥�
For Gagan, whose passions for engineering and acting had once been competing interests to be indulged separately, the reservation system represents the connection between science and the arts that he envisioned when he arrived at Juilliard.
鈥淚ndustrial engineering is about making things more efficient, consolidating things,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 knew I wanted to pull my interests together, but I didn鈥檛 know how. I figured out a way to do it.鈥�
How to Solve a Problem Like an Engineer
(According to Adam Gagan, ’12)
- First you have to fully understand the problem. Meet with everyone involved, from provider to end user. Research the history of the problem and the solutions that have been tried in the past.
- With sufficient information gathered, use a minimalist approach by consolidating findings to answer the following questions: (1) What is the exact problem you are trying to solve? (2) What factors are causing the problem? (3) By what constraints do you have to abide?
- Develop your solution, but remain flexible. Your solution will evolve over time. Prepare for the possibility that it will be shot down completely. Don鈥檛 lose hope; get back to the drawing board.
- After you鈥檝e developed your solution, find ways to break it. Contingencies, loopholes, gaps, ambiguities and escapes should all be addressed. Create controls to lower the chance of failure.
- When pitching your solution, don鈥檛 take all the credit. Show how the expertise and insight of the stakeholders you consulted provided you with all the dots you needed to see the holistic view. All you had to do was connect the dots.
Photos by Geoff Levy, 鈥�13