Innovation is a journey. LCRIG’s mission is to help Innovators and Members identify and make accessible the solutions that will impact our highways assets. To deliver for Members improved access, LCRIG began our journey to achieve digital and commercial innovation in establishing a DPS. I am pleased to say discussions this past Summer have been fruitful, and we are constantly learning on this journey.
It has been a few months since I shared with you the progress on the DPS. As you know, we have a Steering Committee comprised of Members and Industry Leaders who have provided some excellent insights. I tasked the Project Team with identifying options for the digital infrastructure that is required, which is most likely with an expert partner. LCRIG wishes to have a partner that can provide the digital infrastructure to power the DPS which matches our team’s industry knowledge. I am pleased to share we’ve made good strides and I cannot wait to impart more when I am able.
I am sure in your organisation you have begun a project with a roadmap in mind, only to find that the Innovation Journey shows you new options for achieving the needed outcome. New stakeholders are introduced and different perspectives are added. We are learning and seeking to define this autumn the MVP (they tell me that means Minimum Viable Product – a term which means to me ‘just enough to be useful’) for the DPS, so we show our approach meets everyone’s wishes before we scale up for the long term. We are well on our way to agreeing a partnership with a digital infrastructure provider, but we are not there just yet.
LCRIG is absolutely committed to bringing forth the DPS to aid Members and Innovators. My optimism that we could see the first categories be ready for use this Autumn will not happen but we hope to share with you the MVP in Winter. The MVP will allow us to learn together how we, as a sector, can increase the speed of innovation and purchase proven innovations at pace. Along the way, we will have new partners in both Government and the Private Sector.
I remain as excited as ever and take joy in the knowledge that our innovation journey is a purposeful and necessary one – albeit difficult and frustrating from time to time. I was always told by my father that just because something is difficult, it doesn’t mean you should avoid doing it.
More updates in due course.