Product concept and implementation strategy 

 

Kick-start a good working relationship at the beginning of a project between remote locations. 

 

In order to keep on growing Vanderlande collaborates and communicates with several different companies in the world. These companies have expertises which Vanderlande requires, so ones in a while they take over such a company. A small company Smatec in Bielefield is one of them. Vanderlande finds it important Smatec can maintain they agile way of working and even wants to adapt parts of their approach. Meanwhile, Vanderlande also desires Smatex to function within the way of Vanderlande works, communicates and documents. Obviously, this causes friction and does not always promote cooperation between the two in a positive way.

 

Interviews about good collaboration with several multinational companies in the Nederlands and a co-creation workshop between Smatec and Vanderlande delegates, to discover the pain points, were executed. The goal was to provide a strategy which enhances good collaboration between Vanderlande and Smatec. I did this by focussing on empathy among the people and trust in the process. This will create professional transparency and results in continuous innovation. The solution goes 'back to the basic' of good collaboration. In order to build a good working relationship, it is important to get to know each other at the start of a project. Only than smooth collaboration and communication can blossom, especially during new connections.

 

The concept was presented to Vanderlande with a movie, prototype and roadmap and was well received. Sometimes a basic solution is the best solution to open the eyes of companies. No need to make it more complicated than necessary when it works!