RBG Labs initiated a course on the Design Thinking Approach for Safety and Operational Excellence. The course was specifically designed to facilitate the integration of various verticals, promote collaboration with the principles of business excellence, and integrate road safety principles for National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT) officials.
The primary objectives of this design thinking course are twofold. First, it aims to provide participants with the necessary tools for enhancing the standards of road safety interventions. It could include strategies, methodologies, and approaches to ensure the safety of highways and related infrastructure. Second, the course focuses on improving the operational efficiency of NHIT.
Design Thinking Approach
The primary objectives of the design thinking approach are to include business excellence and enhancing safety through capacity building through principles of observations and tools, structured planning, and tracking mechanisms. The pedagogy revolves around case studies, field exercises and assignments. It also comprehensively integrates the road safety officer’s role and responsibilities. The participants were the stakeholders from operations and safety verticals introduced to the Suzhal Management System (SMS), which Prof Venkatesh Balasubramanian developed. The system offers a viable framework that integrates human factors and lean tools to create a seamless interface among men, machines, methods, and the environment, ultimately leading to improved productivity. It involves optimising processes, workflows, and overall organisational performance. By incorporating Design Thinking principles and the Suzhal Management System, the course encourages a holistic and innovative approach to problem-solving, emphasising user-centric solutions, and continuous improvement. This approach can be particularly beneficial in road safety interventions, where a multidisciplinary perspective and creative problem-solving are essential.
Course Details
NHIT DesignThinking Program Module 1
There were two modules in the course. The first module was a three-day session held in Delhi from October 18 to 20, 2023; the first day started with an introduction and ice-breaking session of collating expectations from the module. It was followed by an overview of the course, objectives, and pedagogy; later, the module continued with briefs on the evolutions of business models, understanding innovations, and their processes and concluded with an observatory field exercise. On the second day, they started with an observation process and framing hypothesis, a brief about human factors and their role in efficiency management. It was followed by learning critical process steps, methods and tools. The final day started with the team’s presentation of the observation exercise, critical feedback, the introduction of various working models, and a precap for the second module.
The second module included a two-day session organised in Delhi on December 18 and 19, 2023. The session included brainstorming and planning for the identified problem statements. A detailed review and plan for implementation followed this. Based on feedback, challenges, benefits, processes, and a timeline for the project was developed.
NHIT Design Thinking Program Module 2
The first session was held in New Delhi on May 6, 2024, and the second on May 7, 2024, with 16 participants from across the country and NHIT COO Mr Subhra Bhattacharya. The session included a detailed project review with design thinking principles for operational efficiency and intervention at High Frequency Accident Zones on NHIT stretches.
