This series of write up is by Tee Chian, Expedio’s Technical Director and also the main lead for this project/ initiative. Throughout this duration, he plans and coordinates all the material, suppliers, fabrication, liaising with hospitals and the delivery of the project.
Brainstorms can turn out with nothing... It is how you take the nothing and move it along...
So the brief was set at about 12pm and we had a group call at 5pm on Thursday. To be perfectly honest (as much as I want to avoid using the word), I was really disappointed. I lamented to the design leads, told them about my feelings. I got a reply that bit hard from one of the leads, "ideas are not everywhere".
Idea critic session in the office, before MCO was implemented.
One of the struggles of being a lead is to motivate and have your designers share the same vision. As the challenge was initiated by me, I can't help but to think that the team will feel forced, and only do it because the boss wants you to do it. It is a struggle that you suffer silently, by yourself (quite depressing actually) and you try finding a way through.
One of the ways I have found quite effective (over the years) to get myself through this is to push through and chug through it yourself, albeit slowly. The phrase to lead by example is true and you just have to slowly push your cause through bit by bit. You cast emotions and judgement aside, and continue your idea even though it feels like you are micro managing. At times it is hard, because you tend to get stuck and depressed over thinking what just happened (with that brainstorm) but there is little time to get stuck in that thought.... just move through.
Another way is to get 1 team member interested. All it takes is 1 other guy to get the momentum going. That initial guy on it with you will get the others a slight glimpse of the activity going on. It is a herd mentality, and soon, others will want in.
Some of the brainstorm ideas were :
1) Automatic hand sanitizer dispenser (quite a lot of IR type dispensers out there already, if we needed to do it a lot of R&D on electronics and mechanical movement)
2) Automatic tap that you do not need hands to turn on (quite a lot of IR taps out there)
3) Automatic disinfectant spray (quite a lot of automatic disinfectants out there)
4) Cough bag for people to cough in (ewww... i don't want to be carrying my germs everywhere)
5) Temperature detector placed on doors (so that you walk near a door and it will tell if you have a fever, too much electronics involved)
Tee Chian and family. This is also his HQ for all the actions during the MCO.