90+ Production Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Assign subjects to friends to minimize maximum workload, find minimum time for most loaded friend.

• Assign subjects contiguously to minimize maximum workload

• Determine the minimum possible time required for the most loaded friend

• Example: N=4, K=2, subjects={50, 100, 300, 400} -> Output: 400

The top 3 metrics I would look at as the PM of Netflix are subscriber growth, user engagement, and content performance.

• Subscriber growth: This metric indicates the success of Netflix in acquiring new customers and expanding its user base. It helps measure the effectiveness of marketing strategies and the overall popularity of the platform.

• User engagement: This metric measures how actively users are interacting with the platform, such as the number of hours spent watching cont...read more

Find the maximum element in every contiguous subarray of size K as you move from left to right through the array.

• Iterate through the array and maintain a deque to store the indices of elements in decreasing order.

• Pop elements from the deque that are out of the current window.

• Keep track of the maximum element in each window and output the results.

Design a Least Recently Used (LRU) cache data structure that supports get and put operations with a given capacity.

• Implement a doubly linked list to keep track of the order of keys based on their recent usage.

• Use a hashmap to store key-value pairs for quick access and updates.

• When capacity is reached, evict the least recently used item before inserting a new item.

• Update the order of keys in the linked list whenever a key is accessed or inserted.

Analyzing Swiggy's revenue drop involves examining market trends, customer behavior, and operational efficiency.

• Analyze customer feedback and reviews to identify dissatisfaction with service or product quality.

• Examine competitor pricing and promotions that may have attracted Swiggy's customers.

• Review marketing strategies and their effectiveness in reaching target audiences.

• Investigate changes in order volume and average order value over the last three months.

• Look into operati...read more

Calculate the average n days retention for all users given their user ID, date, activity table, and a table with the date of joining for each user.

• Join the activity table with the user table using the user ID

• Calculate the number of days between the date of joining and the activity date

• Filter out the activities that occurred after n days

• Calculate the average retention for all users

To remove duplicates from two columns, use DISTINCT keyword in SELECT statement.

• Use SELECT DISTINCT to retrieve unique combinations of two columns.

• Combine the two columns using CONCAT function before applying DISTINCT.

• Example: SELECT DISTINCT CONCAT(column1, column2) FROM table_name;

Race 5 horses at a time to find the 5 fastest horses out of 25.

• Divide the horses into 5 groups of 5 horses each.

• Race all the horses in each group and note down the timings.

• The top 3 horses from each group move to the next round.

• Race all the horses that made it to the next round and note down the timings.

• The top 2 horses from this round move to the final round.

• Race these 2 horses and the fastest one is the winner.

• The top 5 horses from all the rounds are the fastest horses.

Good user stories have clear goals, are specific, and focus on the user's needs.

• Clearly define the user and their goal

• Be specific and avoid ambiguity

• Focus on the user's needs and motivations

• Use simple language and avoid technical jargon

• Include acceptance criteria to define success

• Keep the story small and manageable

Bonds are loans made by investors to companies or governments. They pay interest and have risks such as default and interest rate changes.

• Bonds are like loans that investors give to companies or governments

• Investors earn interest on the bonds they buy

• Bonds have risks such as default, where the borrower can't pay back the loan, and interest rate changes

• Default risk is higher for bonds issued by companies with poor credit ratings

• Interest rate risk is higher for bonds with longe...read more

Row number is a sequential number assigned to each row, while dense rank assigns a unique rank to each distinct value.

• Row number is assigned in sequential order to each row in a result set.

• Dense rank assigns a unique rank to each distinct value in a result set.

• Row number is not affected by ties, while dense rank is affected by ties.

• For example, if there are two rows with the same value in a dense rank, they will both receive the same rank.

• Row number can be generated using the...read more

I have used various diagrams such as use case diagrams, activity diagrams, sequence diagrams, and flowcharts to explain requirements.

• Use case diagrams to show the interactions between actors and the system

• Activity diagrams to show the flow of activities within a process

• Sequence diagrams to show the interactions between objects in a system

• Flowcharts to show the flow of steps in a process

• ER diagrams to show the relationships between entities in a database

• Class diagrams to show ...read more

Relational databases store data in tables with predefined relationships, while non-relational databases store data in flexible, schema-less formats.

• Relational databases use structured query language (SQL) for querying data

• Non-relational databases are more flexible and can store data in various formats like key-value pairs, documents, graphs, etc.

• Examples of relational databases include MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server

• Examples of non-relational databases include MongoDB, Cassandr...read more

Running total per month can be obtained by summing the sales data for each month. Three-month moving average can be calculated by averaging the total sales for the current month and the two previous months.

• To obtain a running total per month, sum the sales data for each month.

• To calculate the three-month moving average of total sales, average the total sales for the current month and the two previous months.

• Example: Running total for January = Sales in January, Three-month mo...read more

Metrics to track on a resume builder in Scaler

• Number of resumes created

• Average time spent on creating a resume

• Percentage of resumes completed

• Number of templates used

• Feedback ratings from users

To rank country names with a specific company on top, we can manipulate the sorting criteria accordingly.

• Identify the company that needs to be ranked first.

• Sort the country names alphabetically, placing the chosen company at the top.

• For example, if the company is 'Acme Corp', list it first followed by country names.

• Use a custom sorting function to ensure the company appears at the top regardless of alphabetical order.

The probability of a bullet firing when 3 bullets are placed consecutively in a gun is 1/3.

• The probability of each bullet firing is independent of the others, assuming the gun is functioning properly.

• Each bullet has a 1/3 chance of firing when the trigger is pulled.

• This is assuming all bullets are loaded and the gun is in working condition.

Possible root causes of decline in e-commerce transactions

• Poor user experience leading to high bounce rates

• Lack of marketing efforts resulting in decreased traffic

• Technical issues causing website downtime or slow loading times

• Increased competition from other e-commerce platforms

• Changes in consumer behavior or preferences

• Security concerns leading to lack of trust in the platform

Prioritization frameworks help determine the order of tasks based on impact and urgency, crucial for effective product management.

• 1. MoSCoW Method: Classifies tasks into Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won't have. Compliance story is a 'Must have'.

• 2. RICE Scoring: Rates tasks based on Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort. Compliance story likely has high impact and reach.

• 3. Kano Model: Evaluates features based on customer satisfaction. Business goal story may enhance...read more

To improve the website, I would analyze user behavior, gather feedback, and optimize features based on data-driven insights.

• Conduct user interviews to gather qualitative feedback on website usability.

• Utilize web analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics) to track user behavior and identify drop-off points.

• Implement A/B testing to evaluate the effectiveness of different design elements or features.

• Analyze customer support queries to identify common pain points and areas for impr...read more

Frameworks help product managers structure their approach to product development and decision-making.

• Agile Methodology: Useful for iterative development and adapting to changes quickly. Example: Scrum framework for managing sprints.

• Lean Startup: Ideal for validating product ideas through MVPs (Minimum Viable Products). Example: Testing a new feature with a small user group.

• SWOT Analysis: Helps in assessing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Example: Evaluating...read more

To handle down sales, analyze market trends, customer feedback, and adjust production accordingly.

• Analyze market trends to identify potential reasons for down sales

• Collect and analyze customer feedback to identify areas for improvement

• Adjust production levels based on market trends and customer feedback

• Use data analysis tools to predict future sales trends

• Implement marketing strategies to boost sales

• Collaborate with sales and marketing teams to identify opportunities for grow...read more

Futures and forwards are financial contracts that allow parties to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price and date in the future.

• Futures are standardized contracts traded on exchanges, while forwards are customized contracts traded over-the-counter.

• Both futures and forwards are used for hedging or speculation.

• Example: A farmer can use a futures contract to lock in a price for their crops before harvest.

• Example: An investor can use a forward contract to buy a foreign cu...read more

A comprehensive dashboard for the Head of Dept. to track key performance metrics and insights.

• Include KPIs such as revenue growth, customer satisfaction, and product usage metrics.

• Visualize trends over time with line graphs for sales and user engagement.

• Incorporate a section for real-time alerts on critical issues or performance dips.

• Provide a comparative analysis of current performance against targets and previous periods.

• Add filters for different product lines or department...read more

Artificial intelligence is used in the process industry for optimizing operations, predictive maintenance, and quality control.

• Optimizing operations: AI algorithms can analyze large amounts of data to identify inefficiencies and suggest improvements in production processes.

• Predictive maintenance: AI can analyze sensor data to predict equipment failures and schedule maintenance before breakdowns occur, reducing downtime and costs.

• Quality control: AI can analyze data from senso...read more

CTEs are generally more efficient than subqueries due to their ability to be reused and optimized by the query planner.

• CTEs can be referenced multiple times within a query, reducing the need to repeat the same subquery logic.

• CTEs can improve query readability and maintainability by breaking down complex logic into smaller, more manageable parts.

• CTEs can be optimized by the query planner, potentially leading to better performance compared to subqueries.

Financial products in derivatives include options, futures, swaps, and forwards.

• Options: Contracts that give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a predetermined price within a specific time period.

• Futures: Contracts to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price on a future date.

• Swaps: Agreements between two parties to exchange cash flows or liabilities based on predetermined terms.

• Forwards: Contracts to buy or sell an asset a...read more