expanding upon that: all problems have maps into them from relatively initial objects, and maps out of them to relatively final objects...

(and due to continuity, frictionless spherical cows actually give reasonable approximations to generic answers)

Lagniappe: I claim synthesis steps, reaction rates, activation energies, and equilibrium balances can be applied to many business processes, but suspect that ChemE's are already better compensated doing chemistry than they'd ever be in the HN world.