Project Outline: Automating the Infrastructure maintenance, building management, vendor  performance management functions in a Residential Academic Campus Set up.

Challenge: This was a unique requirement/ challenge since all the application available were for  Corporate facility management, there was no software application for maintaining a large  residential campus infrastructure with hostels being located very far from each other.

1. Bringing the change in working methods of all stake holders at every level of organisation.  2. Making everyone own the project to ensure maximum involvement and impeccable

execution.

3. To train the staff to use the software and ensure no delays in the day to day operation due

to untrained users.

4. To create a tailor-made solution fit for our Academic campus set up within the specified time

frame and budget.

Selection:

To meet the above mentioned required I used combination of two tools of Design Thinking

1. Visualization: It was very important to understand the current processes and work flows at

every level i.e. from Technicians/ Security Guards to Sr. Management (for dashboards/  reporting). Once I understood the work flows and processes, then it was important to  visualize the proposed solution in correct and most suitable manner so that it doesn’t create  hinderance in day to day operation of respective levels of stakeholders.  Rather automation  should be helping the stakeholders in their day to day work in terms of time and effort.

Therefore, I used this tool to visualize how the application should look like at every level so  that it more useful and productive. This helped me in getting the buy in from everyone and  also resulting into everyone owning the change.

Exact visualization of the Software application also helped me to make the developers  understand the requirement very well and reduced the execution time of the project.

Storytelling: While the development was going on I involved all the stakeholders at input  stage itself to understand their point of view and also take their suggestions to make the  software application better and easily acceptable by everyone.

To make them understand the whole purpose and also the benefits of this project I used the  Story telling tool to link the requirement of this change with their day to day operations and  challenges with current set up.

This helped me taking their buy in the initial stage itself at every level.

It also helped me getting the project cost approved from the Senior Management.

Application:

While applying these techniques, it was very much important for me to bring the  stakeholders at the same page where myself or the developer is thinking/ visualizing.

That is when the Story telling technique helped a lot. Below mentioned is Step by step  process which I followed to make everyone part of this project:

1. Firstly, both these tools helped me to share the overall picture to my senior

management and also helped to get their approval to initiate this project.

2. Kick off meeting involving stakeholders where I shared the big picture and the end goal

of the project. I used a combination of Visualization and story telling technique.  Everyone was very impressed with the idea and they could really see the overall project  helping them in reducing their work loads and also at the same time improving the client  satisfaction.

3. Then I started working with each core teams to take their inputs on their respective

domains. Taking their inputs, the application was developed. It gave every stakeholder  immense pleasure and a sense of belongingness in the whole exercise.

4. Once the inputs were collected I could really visualize how the application page should

look like, how the reporting should be and how the process/. Work flow can be more  effective and less time consuming.

5. Immediately after that I started working with the Software development team to develop

the Software application tailor made for our requirement.

6. Once the application was ready including the dash boards/ reports etc. Then I again

called for a team meeting involving all stake holders to showcase the development  works which was done and also to take their feedbacks.

7. Once the final application was ready then we presented the same to Senior

management to take their approval to test run this application.

8. Training sessions were arranged for all the Stakeholders including Senior management

for better understanding and also utilization of the software application.

9. Finally, we went Live after closing all the operational/ developmental challenges.   10. After one month of Going Live, feedbacks were again collected and any challenges

coming up were addressed immediately.

Cost/ Benefit Analysis:

The overall cost incurred to complete this project was One third of the quoted price by  external service providers.

First and foremost, the application reduced time and effort taken at every level. It also  brought more control on all the processes. At the same it helped with better reporting and  Management level. All this resulted into better Client Satisfaction, which was our main  motto.

The additional advantage was that the software was exactly suitable for our requirement.  So, we were not Fitting leg to the Shoe anywhere.

The ROI was achieved well within the projected timeline.

The biggest advantage of using both Visualization and Story telling tool was that this project  became everyone’s project and the implementation was very smooth with very minimal  challenges.

