The path to delivering LESS mobile connectivity kits has been long and the team involved has overcome its fair share of challenges. With the third wave of the kits on the brink of being rolled out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the team can heave a collective sigh of relief. But have their efforts been worth it?
WFP FITTEST's work in emergencies is well-known but in Dubai’s IT Emergency Preparedness and Response hub, the team develops technologies and solutions to ensure that food reaches those most in need, fast. The latest solution is the LESS mobile connectivity kit.
FITTEST has worked on making the LESS – a Logistics solution – portable and easily deployable in the deep field by developing the mobile connectivity kits – comprising printer, generator, laptop and battery. In simple terms, the LESS tool allows WFP teams in the field to manage and track the food supply chain in real-time making the process more effective and cost-efficient. Ultimately, this means the right food gets to the right people at the right time. However, for the mobile kits to work requires power and data connectivity – not always available in remote locations.
Damien Smyth, IT project manager for LESS, worked with FITTEST to hone the business requirement – specifically looking at power, connectivity, cost and the environmental conditions that WFP works in.
"I think it has given the business confidence that IT are delivering a solution that meets their needs. From the IT side, we've been able to clarify the requirements which has made it much easier for everyone to be on the same page. Unfortunately, to start with, the kits for countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan created a bit of a bad rap for the mobile kits, mainly because there was a misalignment between the expectations and what we actually delivered," Damien explains.
The first wave took place in Pakistan where end-users struggled. "A major issue was that we frequently lost power which meant we lost connectivity. If two staff members could use their laptops to finish work simultaneously it would be much faster, but the kits came with only one laptop," says Waqar Aamer. “We had to disable all updates and other online applications on this laptop to avoid issues.
“Lugging the 45-kilogram kits was also impractical and the battery was drained after printing just five waybills. While the kit is charging, it cannot be used. In Pakistan, there is a power outage every hour so the kits were frequently disconnected which delayed issuing waybills and loss of unsaved data – the opposite effect to what was intended.”
This was far from the desired response. Though this misalignment threw a proverbial spanner in the works, such feedback helped the team perfect the solution as they revised the requirements with a fine-tooth comb. One way was by adding a portable generator which also meant the kits could then be used whilst charging.
“The good thing is that the LESS kit is now being looked at as an example of what can be done for other solutions in the deep field,” says Damien. Breaking the mould of how things have been done in the past is “hopefully creating a new roadmap for future data management using such technologies.”
While physically building the kits was clearly the major part of the LESS evolution, sourcing the components and quotations was just as critical. This is where dedicated staff behind the scenes –procurement and supply chain in various far-flung places – played leading roles and put their talents to creative uses. It was a real team effort.
Lebanon native, Rowaida Chaiban, oversaw the entire supply chain process from Dubai – sourcing suppliers, buying components and arranging shipping documents – and was involved from the very start. "The LESS project was a challenge since it began in January. Everyone involved had to think of new and innovative ways to get each of the components for the 102 kits that have been delivered so far. I had to personally go and look for components in different shops around Dubai!"
Lemlem Hiruy, procurement guru, nods her agreement. “Purchasing all 56 components of the LESS project involved a lot of work from the whole team. The project involved 20 tenders which meant a lot of close follow-ups with vendors was needed to make sure goods had the right specifications and were delivered on time. I think the project has been successful exactly because procurement and the supply chain were involved from the very beginning. Close coordination between the various divisions was really the foundation of the project's eventual success.”
Supply chain head, John Gillingham, managed the third party logistics provider to ensure the LESS kits were delivered to the 30+ destinations as per schedule. In his typical no-nonsense way, John says much was learned in the early days.
“There were lots of lessons that were learned from the first roll out of the LESS kit. During the first wave, many component parts were delivered late to us so there was a lot of chopping and changing of the packing lists and invoices to accommodate them when they did arrive. So perhaps the biggest lesson was that we all had to adapt and be flexible so that by wave 3 it was all working pretty well.”
By the time the third wave rolled around, specialised training became crucial to the project's permanent success and legacy in the field. For Damien, this was his highlight. "I’m really proud of the training. We developed a 'Train the Trainer’ course with the guys in FITTEST Training Services which people can then use for other applications," says Damien, currently overseeing the LESS rollout in the depths of DRC. “With FITTEST we also created a video-based training package with nine modules so that end-users and people who have no idea about LESS can learn about the kit and this has been really well-received.”
