Why has the average delivery time for Dunzo's grocery orders increased by 20% over the past week?

Introduction

The recent 20% increase in average delivery time for Dunzo's grocery orders is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. As we analyze this product performance decline, I'll employ a systematic framework to identify, validate, and address the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term strategic implications.

I'll approach this problem by first clarifying the context, then ruling out external factors before diving deep into internal causes. We'll break down the metric, gather relevant data, form hypotheses, and conduct a thorough root cause analysis. Finally, we'll develop a comprehensive plan to validate our findings and implement solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• What's the exact time frame for this 20% increase?

• Has there been any change in how we measure or define "average delivery time"?

• Are all user segments equally affected, or is this concentrated in specific areas or customer types?

• Have we implemented any significant product or operational changes in the past month?

• What's our current average delivery time, and what was it before the increase?

• Have we seen any unusual spikes in order volume or changes in order patterns?

Why these questions matter: Understanding the precise timeline helps isolate potential causes. Confirming measurement consistency ensures we're not chasing a data anomaly. Segmenting the impact helps focus our investigation. Recent changes could be directly related to the issue. Baseline metrics provide context for the severity of the problem. Unusual order patterns might explain delivery delays.

Hypothetical answers:

• The increase occurred over the past 7 days
• No changes in measurement or definition
• All segments affected, but slightly higher impact in dense urban areas
• No major product changes, but a new batch of delivery partners onboarded two weeks ago
• Current average: 36 minutes, up from 30 minutes
• Order volume stable, but slight increase in average order size

Impact on approach: These answers would guide us to focus on recent operational changes, particularly in urban areas, and investigate factors that might be affecting larger orders or new delivery partners.