Melbourne Water - case study of the CSE Simulator at the Critique phase

I approached Gavin (of Melbourne Water) after seeing his amazing work at a water conference on developing a Confined Space Simulator (CSE) with Deakin University. I thought the project would be a great test for the InnoWise? process and tools and so invited Gavin to be a part of our case study program. He quickly got on board, as he thought it would be good to have a process to Critique what has been done to date and to explore what they should focus on next. And, being a great innovator himself, he was happy to help Innovate Wisely test their framework and tools, to share the outcomes with others that might also benefit and to provide data for the ongoing research that I'm doing with QUT.

An outline of the work we did together follows, showing how the InnoWise? process, the Knowledge Canvas? and the Knowledge Pulse? tools were utilised to uncover valuable insights for Gavin and his team in pursuing the next generation of the CSE simulator. The article ends with testimonials from Gavin.

The Confined Space Entry (CSE) Simulator was analysed using the InnoWise? framework and tools at the Critique phase - which is to unpack feedback, test the feedback process and uncover the potential for further realisation of the solution as well as the new knowledge.

Background

The CSE simulator aimed to address the safety issue related to entering the sewer network without adequate consideration of risks. The solution was an interactive, virtual reality (VR), simulator to change the way people perceive mandatory training. Melbourne Water partnered with Deakin University to design and build the CSE Simulator. The simulator has been developed and tested by Melbourne Water in a pilot.?They are now ready to move to the next phase of its development.

Results

A workshop was held with key stakeholders involved in the project’s development and deployment.?The Knowledge Pulse? survey was utilised in a live format to get instant responses to the questions and to enable discussion to occur as a group.

The questions were designed to understand how the CSE simulator was tracking at the Critique phase for each of the two components. The answers and discussion were both analysed to provide the following observations:

1. The project’s key benefit was in demonstrating a new way of training using VR
2. A formal feedback process for all stakeholders was needed
3. Focus was needed on developing appropriate knowledge objects
4. The solution requires attention to make it robust and easier to use
5. The next step was to develop a plan on how to increase the level of adoption, internally and externally to Melbourne Water and to address potential road blocks.

This case study analysis also supports the premise that:

• Having a University partner on board strengthens the trust for the solution.
• Having a strong driver, like safety, is key to garner sufficient energy to develop and implement the solution.?

A Knowledge Canvas? was also developed to summarise the project’s evolution and the results from the survey. The Canvas is designed to prompt thinking about the knowledge aspects and behaviours that need to be managed.

Benefits

The benefits as described by Gavin (Manager SHEQ – Innovation and Promotion):

"Using the Innowise framework [helps] focus the user’s attention on capturing knowledge through the innovation lifecycle. It introduces new concepts that don’t appear in traditional project plans eg: trust, energy, knowledge, collaboration etc.

The Knowledge Canvas helps focus your thoughts and ideas and be concise in exactly what you are trying to achieve.

The Knowledge Pulse questions are clear and enable feedback to be received in a constructive manner, focusing conversations on opportunities for improvement."