The intense experience of becoming the Runners up of Flipkart WiRED 4.0 -By Dhruv Pachauri from IIM Ahmedabad

There are no words to express the feeling when the results were announced. It was a great feeling to be announced as the National Runners Up for Flipkart WiRED 4.0 in the SCM category. For me, it was the dream that came true. From suspecting the practicality of our thought model to becoming Runners Up at the National podium is a one-of-a-kind journey.

Flipkart WiRED is one of the prestigious competitions across the country. The prestige associated with the competition pushed me to participate in it. Further, coming from a Mechanical engineering background, I was compelled to participate in the Supply Chain category of the competition. For me, it was a great opportunity to design a supply chain model for an e-commerce tycoon like Flipkart.

The detailed layout of our winning mantra

For the competition, our team pondered various solutions available related to the problem statement described in the Flipkart WiRED 4.0. On top of those results, we tried improvising those models to fit as per our problem statement. Our team worked for 2 hours daily for approximately 10 days for the first round. For the second round, we worked 3 hours daily for approximately 7 days. And for the final round, we worked on filling the loopholes in our model. 

The most challenging phase was to come up with a model to fulfill the objective of the fastest delivery with the lowest cost. Like everyone, we also faced challenges in collaborating but we tried overcoming challenges by sticking to the timeline, daily meet-up, and utilizing multiple features of video calling applications. We also had conflicts while brainstorming the model design, preparing the presentation & other activities. But we tried resolving conflicts by putting facts in support of the arguments. 

Based on the supporting facts, we used to go with the democratic process where a majorly supported argument would be taken. We also tried to be more empathetic during our conversations. We always had each other's back, the height of camaraderie among the three of us was unique. Another thing to point out is the capability of bringing creative ideas to the floor!

To sum up...

The entire Flipkart WiRED 4.0 team did a great job of organizing the event smoothly. The judges were amazing and inspirational. Flipkart also provided us the mentors for refining our final models, who were supportive and knowledgeable.

Because of this competition, my knowledge of hyperlocal delivery increased significantly. I came to know about the multiple innovative models employed by firms for better delivery of grocery & food items. Apart from the technical skill, I also gained presentation skills as how to put the key message at the forefront.