Chapter 2: The Application Briefing and the First Misalignment
The application briefing for the mini-project was held in the usual conference room, B-3.
Long desks were arranged in a U-shape, with an aged projector in the center.
On the edge of the whiteboard, the words "Improvement" and "Visualization," likely used in a previous meeting, remained faintly visible.
"Well then, shall we get started?"
Standing at the front was Hirose, a manager from the Service Planning Department.
He was in his early forties, a man for whom a muted-colored cardigan had become a sort of uniform.
Today's session was billed as an "Information Session for Those Interested in the CareLogi Mini-Project," and over a dozen people had gathered from departments such as:
• Service Planning Department
• Field Engineering Department
• Sales Headquarters
Yu and Haru sat side-by-side at the end of the U-shape, near the wall.
"First of all, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come here out of interest."
Hirose gave a slight bow.
"Today is the 'pre-application' stage.
In this session, I will share the rough draft of the CareLogi concept, the project's objectives, and the roles we are looking to fill.
After that, I would like you all to take this information back with you and consider whether it is something you 'want to do' and 'can do.'"
The title appeared on the first slide.
CareLogi Pilot Concept
— "Monitoring and Maintenance Service" for Small and Medium-sized Warehouses —
In the top right corner of the screen was a small note.
Note: This material is for informational purposes for potential applicants.
External names and details are not yet finalized.
(So, it's not the 'final version' yet.)
Haru felt a little relieved by that one line.
During the self-introduction time, everyone was asked to simply state their name and department.
"I'm Hirose from the Service Planning Department.
I am the owner of the concept and the acting project leader."
"I'm Tajima from the Field Engineering Department. I hope to play a role in clearly communicating the 'impossible vs. helpful' line from the field's perspective."
"I'm Murakami from the Sales Headquarters. I'm the one who looks at the 'realistic line' regarding pricing and contracts."
After a few more introductions, it was Yu's turn.
"I'm Asakura from the Customer Solutions Group in the Service Planning Department.
I've been bringing up the CareLogi idea in our department meetings for a while, so I think it would be interesting if it actually took shape."
Finally, it was Haru's turn.
"I'm Sakai, also from the Customer Solutions Group.
I usually work on warehouse operational improvements and explaining how to read logs.
I came because I'm interested in ensuring that CareLogi doesn't just become a 'log-viewing service.'"
"That's great, that perspective of 'not just viewing logs.'"
Hirose nodded.
(Since I said 'I came because I'm interested,' I haven't applied yet.)
Making that excuse to herself, Haru sat back down.
The slide changed.
◆Rough overview of current issues
・Trouble occurs between scheduled inspections
・Complaints about things "suddenly stopping" are constant
・We are sometimes told, "You should have told us sooner"
“These three points are keywords that have been coming up internally for the past few years.”
As Hirose said this, Tajima immediately replied, "That's right."
“Especially the third one. When we're told, ‘You should have told us sooner,’
I think many people on the front lines are thinking in their hearts, ‘No, you should have told us first.’”
A light laugh ripples through the room.
“But the customer's perspective is the opposite, isn't it?
‘You’re the professionals, so you should have told us first.’”
Haru turns his eyes to a small graph in the corner of the slide.
“Trends in the Number of Trouble Responses (Past 3 Years)”
On the far right, just for the last year, it was trending slightly upward.
(That warehouse, this warehouse... their faces come to mind.)
The field staff exhausted after a night shift.
The warehouse manager apologizing apologetically for a late-night call.
(I really do think, ‘I don’t want things to stay this way.’)
The next slide.
◆CareLogi Concept (Rough Draft)
・Detect signs from equipment logs/error history
・Share with customers as a periodic report
・Connect to advance inspections/operational proposals as needed
“Looking only at the text, it looks like a common predictive maintenance service.”
Hirose said that intentionally.
“But what I really want to do is find the ‘meaning in us doing it’ and the ‘points that are truly helpful from the perspective of the front lines.’”
With that, he turns his gaze to a few people in the front row.
“Everyone here today is someone close to the front lines, someone good with numbers, and also—”
Hirose's eyes caught Yu and Haru for just a moment.
“The people who have the ‘source material’ for CareLogi, that is.”
Yu puffs out his chest just a little.
Haru feels a slight tickle in his back.
“Then, shall we try putting out a rough draft?”
It was written on the whiteboard in thick lines.
CareLogi = " "
“I want us to eventually come up with a 'one-sentence description' to fill in this blank, but it doesn't have to be today.
Today is the time to put the ingredients on the table.”
After a brief silence, Yu took the lead.
“To be honest, it’s a 'service that reduces trouble,' isn't it?”
“'Reduces'”
Hirose writes it down.
“Any others?”
“'Reduces anxiety on the front lines,' I’d say.”
Tajima continues.
“There are a lot of sites that are nervous, thinking, 'I hope this doesn't stop,' especially at night or before long weekends.
I want to make that even a little bit better.”
・Reduces trouble
・Reduces anxiety on the front lines
“There’s also 'reduces complaints.'”
Murakami says flatly.
“Trouble is one thing, but the subsequent deterioration of relationships is the hardest part.”
・Reduces complaints/deterioration of relationships
(They’re all 'reduces,' huh.)
Haru thought while looking at the whiteboard.
Hirose looks at her.
“How about you, Sakai-san?”
(I decided to put it out there before polishing it.)
She lowers the filter in her mind by just one level.
“...It’s a service where the warehouse staff can feel that 'someone is really looking out for them.'”
“'Someone is really looking out for them'”
A new line is added to the whiteboard.
Warehouse staff can feel that "someone is really looking out for them"
“What kind of situation is that?”
“For example—”
Haru chose her words while recalling interactions at several sites.
“Like, 'There are few people during this time, so the load is concentrated here, right?' or 'This shelf alone has many errors, so shall we change the order of incoming shipments?'
It’s when we can have those kinds of conversations that are 'unique to that warehouse.'”
“'A sense that you understand their individual circumstances'”
“Yes. Conversely, I don't think it would resonate if we just looked at the logs and said, 'This is dangerous.'”
Disparate elements are lined up on the whiteboard.
・Reduces trouble
・Reduces anxiety
・Reduces complaints
・Can feel that "someone is really looking out for them"
Yu raised his hand with a tap.
“To sum it all up, it’s like a service that reduces trouble and protects relationships with the front lines, right?”
“‘Protects,’ huh.”
Murakami held a pen to his mouth.
“If it’s just ‘protecting,’ there’s a possibility people might see it as, ‘I’d take it if it were a freebie, but I’m not sure about paying for it...’
We might also need something that makes them feel like they’re gaining something.”
・Elements that provide ‘gain,’ not just ‘protection’
Hirose writes that down too.
(Protect / Attack / Understand, huh.)
In Haru’s mind, the axes begin to intersect.
(If I try to do everything in three months, it’ll probably all end up half-baked.)
(How much do we need to accomplish to call it ‘CareLogi for this phase’?)
While thinking about such things,
the clock on the conference room wall made a ‘ticking’ sound.
The information session ended a little over the scheduled hour and a half.
Finally, Hirose stood at the front once more.
“Today, I only shared the direction CareLogi is heading.
From here on out,this is the phase where I want you all to take it home and think about it yourselves.”
At the end of the slides, the application flow is displayed.
Apply via the application form (Deadline: Month/Day)
Member selection
Kick-off meeting
“Just because you came today doesn’t mean you have to apply.
Please take some time to sort out both your ‘desire to do it’ and ‘what you want to protect’ before you decide.”
That one sentence struck Yu and Haru in different ways.
(‘What I want to protect,’ huh.)
(I really do need to think about this properly...)
The session ended, and people began to trickle out.
Once they reached the hallway, Tajima called out to Haru.
“That point you made earlier about how ‘just looking at logs and saying it’s dangerous doesn’t really hit home’—I totally get that.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah, because there are a lot of front-line workers who think, ‘Even if you tell me it’s dangerous, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it.’
If they don’t feel like you’re actually watching their work, it just makes them feel even more frustrated.”
Tajima says with a laugh.
“I hope CareLogi becomes a service that can truly ‘have a conversation with the front lines.’
“...Yeah, I hope so too.”
While replying with ‘I hope so too,’
(Actually, I don’t want to just end it with ‘I hope so.’)
he thought to himself.
A little further away, Yu was talking with Murakami.
"In terms of pricing, what's the realistic line?"
"At first, it'll be tough unless we just add a little bit on top of existing maintenance. We can't just suddenly make it a separate, high-priced service."
"So, it's positioned as something that 'looks like a bonus but actually has real value'?"
"Roughly speaking, yes."
Murakami laughs.
"If you can build the part that has real value over these three months, I'll take care of the numbers after that."
"Oh, that's cool."
(So it's a question of whether we can actually build 'the part that has real value', huh?)
Along with the sound of the meeting room door closing,
the feeling of "the rest is up to each of you to decide" is placed squarely on our backs.
That evening.
After returning to their department, Yu opened the usual group chat.
Mini-Project Strategy Meeting
Participants: Yu, Haru, Miller
Yu:
"Thanks for the briefing today~
I want to share this with Miller too, so
let's throw our thoughts and impressions from today in here."
Haru:
"Thanks for your hard work.
Honestly, it was a relief to hear that it's 'not about a perfect answer, but the next step.'
However, after seeing that one sentence on the whiteboard,
I also felt anxious, wondering 'Can this really take shape in three months?'"
Yu:
"I get it.
Trying to do 'reducing,' 'making them feel like we're really watching over them,' and 'benefits'
all at once seemed like it would be tough."
Haru:
"That's right.
They're all important, but I still can't imagine
how much we can say we've 'done' in the first three months."
Miller's icon blinks.
Miller:
"Thank you for the briefing.
I can imagine the content of Hirose-san's materials and the whiteboard to some extent from your impressions.
If you don't mind,
could you post a photo of the whiteboard here?
I'd like to try organizing it by 'layers.'"
Yu:
"I took a picture, so I'll put it here~"
Several photos are uploaded.
A little later, a long message came back from Miller.
Miller:
"Thank you.
From what I've read, looking at today's discussion in terms of 'layers,'
it looks like this:
[Top Layer: Benefits for the Customer]
- Fewer troubles
- Less anxiety
- Fewer complaints
- Feeling that 'they are really watching over us'
[Middle Layer: Benefits for the Company]
- Reduced cost of handling complaints
- Less likely for relationships to deteriorate
- Potential to become a pillar of service revenue
[Bottom Layer: Meaning for the Two of You]
- Yu-san: Want to increase future options
- Haru-san: Want to feel that I'm useful on the front lines
If you try to satisfy all three layers at once,
it's easy to end up with a 'service where you don't know who it's for or what it is.'"
(Layers, huh?)
Haru nodded while comparing the photos and the message.
Miller:
"So, I have a proposal.
In the next session, why don't we try organizing from the 'bottom layer' first,
in other words, 'the meaning for the two of you.'
If you can see 'what CareLogi means to me,'
it becomes a 'touchstone' when deciding whether to apply or not."
Yu:
"That feels more convincing than 'for the company' or 'for the customer.'"
Haru:
"I find that easier to judge, too.
If I only act 'for the company,' I'll eventually get stuck wondering, 'Is this really what I want to do?'"
Miller:
"Then, let me propose a 'small piece of homework.'
Regarding CareLogi,
could you try writing down, without 'cleaning it up' again,
a future where 'this would be the best for me'
and a future where 'this would be the worst for me.'
The quantity and level of polish don't matter.
I'll help organize it with you."
(The best and worst for me, huh?)
Haru felt a slight stir in the depths of his chest.
(Not the company's best/the customer's best, but 'for me'.)
Yu:
"Got it~
I'll throw in what I talked about while walking again.
Haru:
"I'll do my best with a rough draft too."
In the upper right of the chat, the number is still there.
Mini-Project Application Deadline: 5 days left
No one has pressed the application button yet.
However, more than before the briefing—
the outline of "what will change if I press it" was at least a little clearer.