Chugach dropped seat-time and redefined graduation as mastery
Chugach School District replaced seat-time credits with defined mastery levels, making graduation proof of capability, not time served.
Read the casegenius.wikiA CASESTUDIES.CHAT ARCHIVE
Good problems.
Brilliant solutions.
Ingenious ideas that solved difficult problems. Explore what made them work.
The full archive, in the appPublished cases
3,236 PUBLISHED CASES · REGULARLY UPDATEDColumbus got Spain to fund his voyage by taking a cut, not a wage
Columbus got Spain to fund his risky voyage by taking a cut of future profits instead of a salary.
Read the caseGreater Copenhagen paid newcomers' way home if they weren't happier
Greater Copenhagen sold permanent relocation by guaranteeing happiness and paying your way home if it didn't arrive, with a capped fund.
Read the caseCoral Springs tied pay and budget to one Composite Index
Coral Springs replaced budget arguments with a single Composite Index that every manager's pay and budget request hangs off.
Read the caseCortes scuttled his ships to force his men inland
Cortes scuttled his ships at Veracruz so his mutinous men had no way back to Cuba, making advance the only option.
Read the caseKennedy renamed Cuba blockade a quarantine to avoid war
Kennedy's lawyers renamed the Cuba blockade a quarantine and got OAS approval, avoiding an act of war.
Read the caseNetflix Thailand turned spoilers into a decaying billboard
Netflix Thailand built a flower billboard that decayed over 7-10 days to reveal the killer, turning spoilers into a countdown that drove bingeing.
Read the caseMiguel and Kremer randomized deworming by school, not child
Miguel and Kremer randomized deworming across whole schools, not children, revealing large spillover benefits to untreated neighbors.
Read the caseDomino's advertised its own pizza was bad to make relaunch credible
Domino's aired its own focus groups calling its pizza bad, then CEO accepted blame and revealed a new recipe, making the relaunch credible.
Read the caseDove printed its worst Reddit reviews as ads
Dove Hair, facing skeptical buyers who discount paid praise, printed its own harshest Reddit reviews verbatim in ads, turning criticism into proof.
Read the caseDove fought an AI beauty filter with a turn-your-back gesture
Dove fought TikTok's Bold Glamour filter by having influencers turn their backs, turning the filter's own gesture grammar against it.
Read the caseEcovative grows packaging from mushroom roots and farm waste
Ecovative Design grew mushroom roots through farm waste in molds to make compostable packaging, replacing energy-intensive Styrofoam manufacturing.
Read the caseEDF mapped methane leaks from Google Street View cars
EDF strapped methane sensors to Google Street View cars to map invisible gas leaks, letting utilities fix the biggest leaks first.
Read the caseManhattan Project got uranium from a Belgian's pre-shipped stockpile
Manhattan Project got uranium fast because a Belgian had shipped 1,200 tons to Staten Island in 1940, fearing Nazi seizure.
Read the caseEU's A-to-G fridge label cut energy use 60%
The EU required a color-coded A-to-G energy grade on every fridge, making running costs comparable at a glance, and fridge energy use fell over 60% by 2020.
Read the caseFHA insured mortgage defaults to unlock home lending
The FHA insured private lenders against borrower default, so banks offered 30-year, low-down mortgages.
Read the caseSurgery boards tested laparoscopic skill on a box instead of counting cases
Surgery boards replaced case-count credentialing with a timed box trainer test of laparoscopic skill.
Read the caseBordeaux Direct hired idle Australian winemakers for Europe's harvest
Bordeaux Direct's Tony Laithwaite hired Australian winemakers during their off-season to work Europe's harvest, transferring technique on-site.
Read the caseFoldit players solved a decade-old protein puzzle in weeks
UW scientists turned an unsolved protein structure into a Foldit puzzle; players solved it in three weeks.
Read the caseFrank Energy blind-tested identical electricity and advertised 'Probably Cheaper' so the c
A discount claim invites distrust. Frank blind-tested identical electricity, let it tie, and advertised 'probably cheaper' so customers concluded the sale thems
Read the case