> a small algorithmic challenge For me that depends on the context: * A challenge for an interview? No wonder people try to insert structure as if it were a b

> a small algorithmic challenge For me that depends on the context: * A challenge for an interview? No wonder people try to insert structure as if it were a bigger project. * A challenge for a contest? Probably not a good solultion for most point systems. * A challenge for fun on hackerrank or LC? Whatever you feel comfortable with works. For structuring a larger system, separating data ingestion, data output and algorithm to work on the data, seems like a fairly entry level separation.