Sunday 8 October 2017

Change At QVM And Electric Aircraft

Do You Feel A Little Uneasy About Electric Aircraft? Electric planes are a serious possibility with one manufacturer expecting to deliver by 2022. But what if the battery runs out or someone pulls the plug, I hear you say.

Anxiety over new developments is understandable and it is not just electric aircraft that gets us a little nervous. Self driving cars are another new development that have us asking lots of questions. And then there are things closer to home like retail change at the Queen Victoria Market involving new pavilions or how we arrange our stalls.

When something unfamiliar comes along we hope and pray that all the right work is being done by experts and we tend to watch from the sidelines as tests are conducted, problems resolved, improvements made, and so on. Eventually we will climb into the back seat of a driverless car or even carry our parachute on to an electric plane.

But at QVM we don’t get the luxury of sitting back and watching others do all the work. Traders are integral to change at QVM, and without our involvement, things will not happen, at least not in the most productive way. We are the testers, the innovators, and in many things, the experts. The success of QVM relies on our constructive thought and input.

Of course many participants in this type of  activity want things set out in black and white. They want to know exactly what all the options are, what plans have been compiled, and a step by step guide to completion. All of that hugely over-estimates how projects work. Many projects at QVM are incredibly fluid. Yes, a lot of technical work is done as options are raised but we are dealing with many uncertainties here which even the most sophisticated processes struggle with.

Traders who are prepared to speak out about what they want, and back up their intent by conducting careful analysis and argument are likely to influence outcomes. The current debate over the use of QuadPods to enhance the way we interact with customers may be a good starting point.

The quicker traders get involved, the quicker we resolve change and the quicker we forge a path forward for our businesses.


By Greg Smith