Projects in Southeast Asia

Projects in Southeast Asia

Watahiki is one of our consultants who is currently a PMO in a global project involving a government institution. The project is Electric Vehicle (public bus) which is operated in one of the cities in Malaysia.

Could you tell us about your current project?

My current project is an Electric Vehicle bus (EV-bus) project. This project is one of the projects handled by a government agency. It is to demonstrate an EV bus system with various latest technologies in Malaysia and aim for commercialization.

In this project, 4 companies are joining as a consortium. One of them, an infrastructure company, is our client. Our client's responsibilities are as following:

• Leader of a consortium
• Interface design between EV-bus and charger system
• Development of battery pack for the bus using high-performance Li-ion battery SCiBTM
• IoT system which is useful for maintenance of charger, EV bus, and battery pack

I am joining this project as Project Management Office of the IoT system team. My mission is the management of the development, devising the system concept, issue management, etc.

How did you get the assignment in this project?

Since doing the management of a small team in the previous project, I started thinking of my career path as Project Manager (PM). Also, I am interested in business creation, and I also joined training in such topics.

While I was communicating this idea to my manager, my assignment to this project was then decided.

When doing this project, what's your daily schedule like?

Usually, I work from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM in Japan. Based on the project schedule, I have to go to Malaysia once in a few months because the EV bus is launched in Malaysia. I do not have a fixed schedule. My activity is different every day. I have some kinds of meetings every day. When I have no meeting, I mainly make some documents or manage development progress.

How is this project different from other projects you managed?

My other projects are Enterprise Resources Planning (our company uses Oracle's E-Business Suite, also known as EBS) projects. In the ERP projects, we propose the ERP system that supports the customer's existing business. We create new IoT (Internet of Things) business with our client in the EV-bus project.

What's the most challenging thing you find when working on this project and how did you cope with it?

Before this project, I had only experienced ERP system projects. I had little knowledge of the IoT system and peripheral technology. In addition, knowledge of electronics and vehicles are required to be delivered equally with other companies of the consortium.

To understand the IoT system, I go to some exhibitions to investigate trends of the latest technology, read books, consult with colleagues who are joining other IoT projects, and discuss with the team. I think there is no shortcut in learning. I have to do everything I can do to learn.

What do you like the most about your current project?

What I like the most about this project is that I am able to experience various things. If there are a large number of members in the project, each role will be divided, but this project is small, so each member has to do a lot of things. It is very tough, but it is a worthwhile project.

Did you find any differences when working with the government and with a private company?

Government project requires legitimacy. Of course, the private company project also requires legitimacy, but government project requires more precisions because our project budget came from tax. Every year, we need to prepare the evidence to prove the legitimacy for the sake of the audit inspection of the country. The audit is very tough, we spend a lot of time on it.

What's the biggest lesson you have learned during your whole career?

Work is a continuation of new challenges. Even with similar projects, there is no such thing as the same project. So, there is always something new. Sometimes I encounter some difficulties or have to do something that I don* want to do, however, I think it is important to take a step forward in such cases first.

If I only do something that I am able to do or want to do, I will not grow.

Do you have a message for people who just enter the consulting industry?

Consultants must acquire knowledge in a wide field. Although we are IT consultants, we need to know not only IT knowledge but also stakeholders' business and products, stakeholders' cultures, etc.

Stakeholders do not only mean customers, but also all organizations and people involved in the project. They are different in each project. Always keep studying and have a broad perspective.

Currently, the number of foreign employees ,as well as foreign job-seekers in Japan is increasing. Do you have a message for them?

We are very welcoming to you. I think that Japanese corporate culture is unique so it may be hard, but I believe it will bring a positive impact on your career. Also, it will have a positive impact on Japanese employees and companies. Let's work together for your country and Japan.

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