What It Takes to Roll Out New Technologies And Ensure Sustainability - A Few Thoughts

What It Takes to Roll Out New Technologies And Ensure Sustainability - A Few Thoughts

Aniruddha Sarkar

06 June 2023

If you ask a public representative the solution to an x-problem or y-problem, they may sometimes mention introducing a few cutting-edge technologies.

They might have experienced a few such success stories of those technologies abroad.

Today they are upbeat that those technologies can be harnessed to solve a problem or two in India.

The application areas may be in sectors like transportation, aviation, banking and finance, health services, etc.

#02

A few international solution providers jump in. They present capabilities to the higher-ups. Joint venture companies are formed. Competitive bids are submitted.

Subsequently, the Government take a decision.

Procurement, localization, etc., happen.

A top-down approach ensues.

From several administrative layers, things pass through. The technology is finally deployed in a few pilot projects.

#02

Years pass. The pilot projects may be reasonably successful under the direct supervision of the empowered groups who run the extra mile to ensure the success of the initiative.

Later, the Government may decide to roll out this pilot project elsewhere in stages.

After a few such rollouts, the Government decides to go with a big bang.

The facilities are created. People are trained. Operations manuals are handed out.

Maintenance infrastructures are also set up regionally.

A few years pass by.

#03

Then, suddenly, there are findings that the manual system is still operational in certain places. The automated mode is hardly in use.

The expert team visits those sites. The team finds that there is no reason why the automated system can not be operated.

They conclude that there is apathy among certain sections of the users.

Administrative steps are taken. The labour union jumps in.

There is a face-to-face confrontation.

#04

What is the issue here?

I believe it is the lack of communication among all the major stakeholders right from the beginning.

Here, an implementation team may contribute in a big way.

The implementation team may ensure at least the following:

• Identify all the major stakeholders.
• Speak to all of them separately, in groups. Educate them on the initiative. Explain the rationale behind the introduction of such a new system.
• Listen to the stakeholders' concerns.
• If needed, rework for a solution to address those concerns.

The implementation team may be surprised to find that the new system may cause a loss of livelihood for a few existing workforces in the ecosystem.

They need to address that seriously and allay their fears.

Thus the implementation team can on-board the majority of the stakeholders.

If possible, the implementation team should engage the stakeholders' representatives in a joint study, review, etc.

As the implementation team acts on those study findings and adjusts the solution accordingly, the buy-in happens silently.

In all probability, the system that is finally rolled out shall be accepted by one and all.

During the rollout, there shall be several minor issues.

Here is an example. Someone, who is expected to operate a display panel, may be colour-blind. And the worst is, the person concerned may not know that!

There may be a host of data entry terminals to be operated by the existing employees.

They might not have been conversant with such activities earlier.

During the post-training period, the implementation team needs to handhold them on the job till these users feel comfortable.

These existing workforce need to feel that they can do it.

Over a period, the younger tech-savvy generation shall come up and operate those terminals as the older workforce retires.

Till then, let the existing generation partially operate the system.

Make minor adjustments from time to time to localize things.

Keep updating the training material in line with the changes in the existing system versions.

During every new release of the system, train the workforce on the little extra additions, and changes.

Gradually transition the system knowledge to a competent authority, on behalf of the customer, for regular system maintenance and enhancements.

Ensure that the customer's team knows what is the discipline of Configuration Management or Change Management all about.

And, here is the outcome.

The implementation team has successfully delivered a sustainable system.

This may not happen in a day or two. Let the implementing organization plan the tasks accordingly.

#05

Delivering a sustainable system is not child's play.

The implementing organization needs to have the right kind of understanding to hang around on critical sites although the earnings from such deployments may not be very rewarding.

In case the implementing organization pulls out the complete team before the sustainability conditions are reached, all the good work done by them may be undone.

The system may fail.

This is like winding a ball of woollen thread. If we drop the woollen ball from the hand prematurely, the ball rapidly unwinds.

You may have to rewind the whole woollen thread once again from the beginning.

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