PROD-igies, IIT Kharagpur Emerge Victorious At Flipkart WiRED 6.0!

India’s leading e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart was back with its flagship B-School case study competition-WiRED 6.0! The competition had participation from B-School students across India, giving them a first-hand experience of challenges in the Indian e-commerce ecosystem. We had been eagerly waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Our team, PROD-igies, had three members-Kandarp Patel, M Sai Samhitha, and Mrunal Seth. Pursuing MBA from Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSoM), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, Flipkart WiRED was a great opportunity for us to put our learnings and skills to the test. Hence, we left no stone unturned in the process. Here is how we managed to bag the national winner trophy in the product track of Flipkart WiRED 6.0.

Understanding the problem statement

Flipkart WiRED 6.0 had case studies in 4 tracks- Business, Supply Chain, Product, and HR. Each team had to submit the solution based on the track chosen during registration. We decided to go with the product track. Our problem statement revolved around the world of NFT, and considering its complexity, we needed a clear-cut strategy. We broke down the problem statement into actionable bits followed by a thorough understanding of the user persona and their respective pain points through primary and secondary research. Once this was done, we brainstormed to list the probable solutions. 

As our creative juices kicked in, we were able to jot down many innovative solutions on our list. However, it was all about prioritizing the most impactful idea. After considerable deliberations, we shortlisted the top three ideas that we felt were the most feasible ones. 

Teamwork made the journey smoother

Once we had identified some probable solutions, the next step was to fine-tune them. We worked for almost 2 months for refining our ideas. Since the case concerned NFT which itself has very few credible sources of information, it was a bit tough for us to research it. But thanks to the diversity we had in our team, we could bind all the loose ends and put together a good presentation. 

Our team member, Kandarp Patel has a vast knowledge of NFTs and Web 3.0 which helped us a lot to kick-start our work. M Sai Samhith, on the other hand, is good with the presentation of ideas and does thorough research. It is important to note, that ideas, however creative, need to be validated. For this, we had Mrunal, who leveraged his network of people to validate our solutions. His planning skills helped us to keep our progress on track. 

Being in sync doesn’t mean we didn’t have conflicts. Since all of us had diverse opinions, we faced many conflicts during the process. However, we respected each other's opinions and had detailed discussion sessions over each conflict to arrive at a meaningful conclusion. 

Juggling between exams and semi-finals to securing a spot in the final round!

We were a bit stressed although we had almost everything under control. However, there was one thing that was adding to our pressure. Our exams. Balancing between the competition and exams was simply tough. But, there was no way out! While exams had to be dealt with, WiRED was our chance to prove our mettle. So, we pulled up our socks and geared up to give our best shot! And there we were on the list of finalists. 

There were 4 teams in each of the tracks that made it to the finale. Although all the teams had brilliant solutions to various problem statements, Team Boosters from the ISB was the toughest competitor to us as their solution was quite well-researched. 

Speaking of the judgment quality, it was impartial and purely merit-based. The jury panel evaluated the performance based on a 15-minute presentation and another 15 minutes of Q&A session. The solutions were assessed based on the parameters such as depth of analysis done by the team, originality, and innovation concerning the ideas, the viability of the solutions, and presentation skills. 

Once all the presentations were done, and the judges had made their decision, it was time for the final result announcement. Our heartbeats grew faster. We knew we had given our best, but considering the level of competition, it was hard to tell who would win. And then, our name was announced. It was pure joy. All our efforts had finally paid off!

The Flipkart WiRED case study competition was a journey full of learning. It made us push our limits and think beyond our imagination. We learned to prioritize and balance our tasks and developed a good understanding of the world of NFT and Web 3.0. The skills we picked up in such a short span of time during the WiRED journey, will certainly help us in the years to come. 

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