Example Reflection – Learning Launch

Challenge

I am a Project Engineering Manager responsible for completion of XYZ Metro rail  project for our first customer in India. Though our company enjoys a global repute in  delivering metro trains, India first success was very important to create value and gain  this side of the market as part of growth and profitability. The challenge was to deliver  the entire project comprising of engineering, design, development, assembly,  validation and commissioning from India to save costs and tap good technical talent  to create a first success.  Trying the waters first time was a situation of uncertainty. We  took the plunge and started establishing design, manufacturing and test centres across  South India and hired qualified engineers, technicians and managers. The condition  of the contract was that if the first 2 trains were good and reliable, the project would  be approved for another 42 trains worth 270 million Euros. With all the talent around,  final pieces of sharpening of skills were quickly undertaken via conference calls from  the global centres. Assimilation of training and practical implementation were  uncertain.

Selection

We were aware of Design thinking but not adept in implementation. So, we leveraged  the help of learning launch to really understand the customer’s unarticulated needs.  In the first demo we put up a configuration prototype to showcase what could be the  requirements for Indian alternating current power conditions but deliberately kept  room for customer to point out some important limitations in our design. We heard  the customer and made rapid digital changes and stayed with the customer to give  them improved demos. After nearly three such exhibits, we gathered what the  customer was asking and we were ready with our optimized power traction scheme  leveraged from global kitty and the customer was delighted. We picked learning launch  because we did really need to quickly engage with the customer and test our key  assumptions on both the power and braking schemes which are major systems  involving safety and operation.

Application

For the first launch, we used our local office facility and invited the customer group to  view our configuration that was a minimum viable prototype of a car showing power  and braking schemes. Though the customer was sceptical about its efficacy in Indian  conditions, they were quite accommodative and gave us valid feedback on how things  can get inadequate for crowded conditions that are so typical in India. This meant that  a higher power consumption could likely be faced by the customer on running the  trains and paying for higher bills of electricity. Though we had already done our  homework by picking an optimized solution from our global reference we were also  concerned and decided to test the prototype in customer designation conditions for  possible improvement to the architecture. Indeed, the power consumption was higher  than specified and we investigated the reason. We tested the prototype in our second  launch at the grid stations of the customer. And wow, we had an insight.

Insight

By rigorously testing the prototype at five places along the route a remarkable insight  evolved to our utter excitement. The insight was that our power scheme had nothing  to do with higher electricity consumption. Customer had changed the electrical  architecture along the route based on some recommendations without keeping us in  loop.  We repeated these tests over two days and confirmed our results. But we decided  to figure out the resolution quickly without major disturbance to the customer’s own  electrical architecture. The customer had changed the electrical architecture by adding  capacitor banks which were not necessary and had then created additional room for  harmonic filters.

Approach

We studied the architecture closely and got it reviewed with our global centre of  competence and found that by just removing the capacitor banks things could get  sorted out. We decided to try it out. We had two trains in commissioning and testing  phase and we switched on power for both the trains on and with only one train on and  we found no excess power consumption and it fully validated our assumption. Then  with all test results ready we carried out our third learning launch with the intention  of taking the customer along the power grid along the route and we demonstrated our  experiments and measurements. The customer was really delighted and thanked us  profusely. They issued an approval for design, manufacture and commissioning of the  remaining 42 metro trains for us and this got us the first major project in India. We  have fully completed the project of delivering successfully forty-four trains and are  testing the reliability in service to close the project with the customer. The Design  thinking tool of learning launch helped us navigate uncertainty and get better at  understanding unarticulated need of the customer and get to the root of the issue to  get a project success and then earn an additional order for 10 more trains for a different  route based on the goodwill.


Example Reflection – Learning Launch Challenge I am a Project Engineering Manager responsible for completion of XYZ Metro rail project for our first customer in India . Though our company enjoys a global repute in delivering metro trains , India first success was very important to create value and gain this side of the market as part of growth and profitability . The challenge was to deliver the entire project comprising of engineering , design , development , assembly , validation and commissioning from India to save costs and tap good technical talent to create a first success . Trying the waters first time was a situation of uncertainty . We took the plunge and started establishing design , manufacturing and test centres across South India and hired qualified engineers , technicians and managers . The condition of the contract was that if the first 2 trains were good and reliable , the project would be approved for another 42 trains worth 270 million Euros . With all the talent around , final pieces of sharpening of skills were quickly undertaken via conference calls from the global centres . Assimilation of training and practical implementation were uncertain . Selection We were aware of Design thinking but not adept in implementation . So , we leveraged the help of learning launch to really understand the customer ’s unarticulated needs . In the first demo we put up a configuration prototype to showcase what could be the requirements for Indian alternating current power conditions but deliberately kept room for customer to point out some important limitations in our design . We heard the customer and made rapid digital changes and stayed with the customer to give them improved demos . After nearly three such exhibits , we gathered what the customer was asking and we were ready with our optimized power traction scheme leveraged from global kitty and the customer was delighted . We picked learning launch because we did really need to quickly engage with the customer and test our key assumptions on both the power and braking schemes which are major systems involving safety and operation . Application For the first launch , we used our local office facility and invited the customer group to view our configuration that was a minimum viable prototype of a car showing power and braking schemes . Though the customer was sceptical about its efficacy in Indian conditions , they were quite accommodative and gave us valid feedback on how things can get inadequate for crowded conditions that are so typical in India . This meant that a higher power consumption could likely be faced by the customer on running the trains and paying for higher bills of electricity . Though we had already done our homework by picking an optimized solution from our global reference we were also concerned and decided to test the prototype in customer designation conditions for possible improvement to the architecture . Indeed , the power consumption was higher than specified and we investigated the reason . We tested the prototype in our second launch at the grid stations of the customer . And wow , we had an insight . Insight By rigorously testing the prototype at five places along the route a remarkable insight evolved to our utter excitement . The insight was that our power scheme had nothing to do with higher electricity consumption . Customer had changed the electrical architecture along the route based on some recommendations without keeping us in loop . We repeated these tests over two days and confirmed our results . But we decided to figure out the resolution quickly without major disturbance to the customer ’s own electrical architecture . The customer had changed the electrical architecture by adding capacitor banks which were not necessary and had then created additional room for harmonic filters . Approach We studied the architecture closely and got it reviewed with our global centre of competence and found that by just removing the capacitor banks things could get sorted out . We decided to try it out . We had two trains in commissioning and testing phase and we switched on power for both the trains on and with only one train on and we found no excess power consumption and it fully validated our assumption . Then with all test results ready we carried out our third learning launch with the intention of taking the customer along the power grid along the route and we demonstrated our experiments and measurements . The customer was really delighted and thanked us profusely . They issued an approval for design , manufacture and commissioning of the remaining 42 metro trains for us and this got us the first major project in India . We have fully completed the project of delivering successfully forty - four trains and are testing the reliability in service to close the project with the customer . The Design thinking tool of learning launch helped us navigate uncertainty and get better at understanding unarticulated need of the customer and get to the root of the issue to get a project success and then earn an additional order for 10 more trains for a different route based on the goodwill .