Reflection – Learning Launch    Challenge    I am a member of my organization’s corporate administration department and head the travel function  for the entire organization. My team is responsible for making all the travel arrangements for the company  employees and guests. All employees currently use a pre-trip approval tool for raising the request and  then all the options are shared with them offline. This tool is based on our server and hence is inaccessible  on mobiles and apps to our employees when they are travelling. Employee experience with the tool is not  good and we need to change to an alternate product. The existing tool is not specially designed for travel  requests and hence has a very poor MIS too. Our existing travel policy was very restrictive and required  multiple approvals, causing inconvenience to the traveller.    We had multiple rounds of meetings with the senior management to understand their requirements of  detailed MIS reports, cost control and flexibility to the employees. We scoured the market to evaluate the  various self-booking tools available in the market and their features. None of the software’s met our  requirements completely and would need a lot of development. Basis the past data and inputs I proposed  a revised travel policy, which is liberating and empowering.      Selection  To test that the proposed changes to the policy and Post this we decided to select Learning Launch as our  tool and work with a focus group of employees. This was selected as a tool because it can target the  specific group of people effected by the existing booking system and policies and would be the best way  to validate the hypothesis and the changes being proposed. This in a way also includes co creation in a  small way. Post the validation and recommendations we shall done customize a shortlisted self-booking  tool from the market. This would help in ensure capital is not wasted on inadequate software  developments and the final product that shall be developed will have good acceptance and shall deliver  to the expectations of the employees and the management.    Application    For our learning launch we had a meeting with the focus group of employees. We discussed all the existing  challenges being faced by the employees and understood the wish list from them. We then demonstrated  to them the shortlisted of the shelf self-booking tool and visually explained the various changes that we  propose to make to the tool to meet our requirements highlighted before. We target the most painful  points and let go of a few. Once we got confirmation from the group that this tool would provide them  the fluidity and features that they have been wanting, we then put this production in motion.    In the second part of the learning launch, the customised product was launched only to be used by the  focus group and for UAT testing. Certain errors that were found were further ratified and the final product  was then launched for the entire organization. The new tool has simplified and reduced the time to book  travel, and raised the employee satisfaction. Better reporting mechanism has resulted in stronger controls  on travel and costs.

Insight    Whilst using the learning launch tool we learnt, not all the assumptions made earlier are correct and not  everything expected by the customers (employees and management in this case) is possible, due to  technological limitations and others. It is important to target the most important challenges and resolve  them to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction. Also by involving the target audience, they felt a  part of the team responsible for the end result, further increasing the acceptance. Using the learning  launch tool resulted in the team delivering a well thought of solution for challenges which did not have a  ready off the shelf solution.    Design thinking steps (what is, what if, what wows and what works) have now become integral to the way  I think and has become a standard way of approaching any challenge.    Approach    Given that our team has already gone through the learning launch tool and we achieved the desired  results, I can confirm that it was suitable for this exercise. Our exercise did include co creation in some  part.    However if I were to redo the whole thing again I would like to start with Journey mapping and then co  create with the team (target audience). In the current case we worked with feedback and past data to  work towards suggested solution and steps. Our team would review the insight gained from our learning  launch and incorporate this in our future projects.


Reflection – Learning Launch Challenge I am a member of my organization ’s corporate administration department and head the travel function for the entire organization . My team is responsible for making all the travel arrangements for the company employees and guests . All employees currently use a pre - trip approval tool for raising the request and then all the options are shared with them offline . This tool is based on our server and hence is inaccessible on mobiles and apps to our employees when they are travelling . Employee experience with the tool is not good and we need to change to an alternate product . The existing tool is not specially designed for travel requests and hence has a very poor MIS too . Our existing travel policy was very restrictive and required multiple approvals , causing inconvenience to the traveller . We had multiple rounds of meetings with the senior management to understand their requirements of detailed MIS reports , cost control and flexibility to the employees . We scoured the market to evaluate the various self - booking tools available in the market and their features . None of the software ’s met our requirements completely and would need a lot of development . Basis the past data and inputs I proposed a revised travel policy , which is liberating and empowering . Selection To test that the proposed changes to the policy and Post this we decided to select Learning Launch as our tool and work with a focus group of employees . This was selected as a tool because it can target the specific group of people effected by the existing booking system and policies and would be the best way to validate the hypothesis and the changes being proposed . This in a way also includes co creation in a small way . Post the validation and recommendations we shall done customize a shortlisted self - booking tool from the market . This would help in ensure capital is not wasted on inadequate software developments and the final product that shall be developed will have good acceptance and shall deliver to the expectations of the employees and the management . Application For our learning launch we had a meeting with the focus group of employees . We discussed all the existing challenges being faced by the employees and understood the wish list from them . We then demonstrated to them the shortlisted of the shelf self - booking tool and visually explained the various changes that we propose to make to the tool to meet our requirements highlighted before . We target the most painful points and let go of a few . Once we got confirmation from the group that this tool would provide them the fluidity and features that they have been wanting , we then put this production in motion . In the second part of the learning launch , the customised product was launched only to be used by the focus group and for UAT testing . Certain errors that were found were further ratified and the final product was then launched for the entire organization . The new tool has simplified and reduced the time to book travel , and raised the employee satisfaction . Better reporting mechanism has resulted in stronger controls on travel and costs . Insight Whilst using the learning launch tool we learnt , not all the assumptions made earlier are correct and not everything expected by the customers ( employees and management in this case ) is possible , due to technological limitations and others . It is important to target the most important challenges and resolve them to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction . Also by involving the target audience , they felt a part of the team responsible for the end result , further increasing the acceptance . Using the learning launch tool resulted in the team delivering a well thought of solution for challenges which did not have a ready off the shelf solution . Design thinking steps ( what is , what if , what wows and what works ) have now become integral to the way I think and has become a standard way of approaching any challenge . Approach Given that our team has already gone through the learning launch tool and we achieved the desired results , I can confirm that it was suitable for this exercise . Our exercise did include co creation in some part . However if I were to redo the whole thing again I would like to start with Journey mapping and then co create with the team ( target audience ) . In the current case we worked with feedback and past data to work towards suggested solution and steps . Our team would review the insight gained from our learning launch and incorporate this in our future projects .