Upload
keith-sheardown
View
272
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Keynote presentation called "Bombardier Runs a Smarter (and Safer) Railroad with RFID". Provided at RFIDJournal LIVE Conference in Orlando, FL on April 16, 2010.
Citation preview
A Smarter (and Safer) Railroad with RFID
Keith SheardownGeneral Manager – Technology Solutions
Bombardier Transportation
your logo here
About Bombardier• Head Office in Montréal• Workforce of 60,000 people in 22 countries
with revenues of $19B• #1 in passenger rail equipment – #3 in civil
aircraft
your logo here
Innovating Since 1942
your logo here
Global Leader in Passenger Rail Equipment
your logo here
Passenger Rail Services
your logo here
Our RFID Journey
• It started with a problem to solve
• RFID Journal LIVE Canada 2007 – Eureka…Problem Solved!
• Ready to Spend – Got Cold Feet
• Went back to School
• Sketching the User Experience
your logo here
The Disclaimer
• This is based on one person’s experience
• We do not have all the answers – we are still learning
• This about the design process and not about the technology
• We have failed often – but we have failed early!
your logo here
A Problem Worth Solving• Track inspections conducted every 72 hours - primarily during daylight
• No viable technology currently
• Heavy reliance on rules and training
• Track workers are in harms way every day they go to work
• Number 1 on the list of Top 10 Rail Safety Action Priorities – Federal Transit Administration
Source: FTA, Rail Transit Safety Quarterly Newsletter, fall 2008,
“Safety Action Plan”
your logo here
Where’s the Money?
• I.T. Budget – replacing “Legacy Systems”
• R+D – about the product
• Investment must come from the Business– The business must know their problems
– The business must lead the strategy, the investment and the project
your logo here
RFID is Homeless!
RFID is ubiquitous yet it is not clear in many organizations where leadership for RFID
development should reside
your logo here
Who gets the Money?
The investment with the best…
R.O.I.…unless it becomes competitive
advantage, or a strategic imperative
your logo here
Innovation at Bombardier• Grow Services Business• Launched an innovation incubator in 2008 –
Technology Solutions• Our mandate – to help our Customers run a better
railroad• We solve problems and develop integrated solutions
for passenger rail agencies
your logo here
RFID Journal LIVE - 2007
• Attended presentation on Ultra Wide Band (UWB) RFID deployment at BP
• Designed to locate refinery workers in real time
• Retained Consultant to develop solution to protect track workers – problem solved!
your logo here
Ready to Spend
• Was convinced that UWB was the solution – very precise location capabilities
• Stopped looking at the problem and alternative designs– it was all about implementing UWB RFID
• Market urgency dropped off – needed a client to work with
• Got cold feet – we did not know enough about the stakeholders or their needs
your logo here
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it” Yogi Berra
your logo here
Went Back to School• We needed to re-focus on the
problem and explore design alternatives
• Found some smart friends – and a client with strong interest
• M.I.T. to McMaster University• McMaster was appointed
Technology Partner • Ontario Centers of Excellence
provided grant to match our investment
your logo here
…and then Back to the Problem
“People lie – their actions
don’t”Richard Hilleman Chief Creative Director - Electronic Arts (EA Sports)
your logo here
“Sketching” the User Experience
• Interviewed more than 60 stakeholders– walked many miles in their shoes (and boots!)
• Hired an expert in “Human Factors”• Documented all user requirements• Immersed ourselves into the social and
cultural issues• Simulated all major fatalities from the past
ten years
your logo here
“Sketching” the User Experience
your logo here
“Sketching” the User Experience
your logo here
“Sketching” the User Experience
your logo here
What We Learned• Procedures and training were believed to be
enough– In reality the Stakeholders needs were not
well understood by others• We needed to gain the trust of the people that
we were trying to help• Industry experience was not shared well• We found more value than initially thought• We didn’t know what we didn’t know!
your logo here
Sketching User Experiences
Bill Buxton
Sketching is about asking questions
Prototyping is about offering suggestions
your logo here
Sketching the User Experience
Two very common myths about designing solutions
1: That we know what we want at the start of a project, and
2: That we know enough to start building it
Bill Buxton
your logo here
Our Old Model for Design
your logo here
The New Model (Thanks to Buxton)
your logo here
Sketching the User Experience
“The things we have to learn before we do them, we learn by doing them”
Aristotle
The trick is do them early, invest smartly and learn quickly!
your logo here
What our Future Looks Like
• We can locate where people and trains are with relative ease – our focus is what to do with this knowledge
• Refining the user experience will never end• We expect that our solution will be a hybrid • The User Interface will get the bulk of our
resources, and where the real gold is• We expect to be leveraging our newfound
asset “visibility” into other value propositions
your logo here
RFID Innovation & The Organization
• Look for catalysts and change agents first – figure out where the empire should be built
secondly• Staff with people that know your “customer”
intimately• Create accountability for innovation • Demand an ROI but look for Competitive
Advantage • Accept early failures• “Sketch twice – Build once”
your logo here
Can’t Afford to get the design right?
But we can pay for the additional costs of major redesigns, or being late on a contract, or fixing bugs, or losing a Customer, or paying for additional support staff for “X” years until we get the design right
your logo here
No Money?
• Look for partners–“Customers”, Universities, Colleges,
government programs, trade groups
• “Sketch” the Experience
• Buy the book / Visit Youtube
your logo here
A Final Word to RFID Users• Know what problem you are trying to fix • Don’t expect any technology to fix business
problems on it’s own• Dream Big but start small – get a few small wins• Involve your people – manage change like your
life depends on it• Find champions throughout your organization –
educate and inform them on the possibilities• Create an incubator of innovation
your logo here
A Final Word to RFID Developers• Put your CUSTOMER at the center of your
strategy – not your Competitors and not your technology – Know your Customer better than they know
themselves– It is all about improving business performance
• Solve one or two problems extremely well– As opposed to “casting a line” in five market verticals
• Educate and Inform – Think like Roberti– Travel without brochures – share your knowledge– Visit sellingtobigcompanies.com – often!
your logo here
It’s About the Visibility into your Business
“Perhaps the single most important thing that RFID does for business is to provide visibility into areas of operations not visible previously”
Mark Roberti
Editorial Jan / Feb Issue – RFID Journal
your logo here
Fail early. Fail often. Learn.
As you Start (or Continue) your RFID Journey