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Tech Together: How AI and Blockchain, Drones, and IoT can Safeguard the Supply Chain

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How can AI, blockchain and drones help protect our food supply chain. A video was created by several Industry Advisory Councils of CompTIA to show how these technologies can be integrated into an end-to–end solution to keep us healthy and safe. In late 2019, a romaine lettuce E.coli outbreak made national news. The incident lasted for more than two years and infected 167 people in 27 US states. 85 of those affected were taken to the hospital. A similar outbreak occurred in the previous year, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to throw out all romaine salad. How could this have been prevented? CompTIA’s Industry Advisory Councils members think they have the answer.
Council members believe that their respective technologies could be used in an end-to–end solution that would raise red flags across the supply chain and prevent lettuce from reaching customers’ hands. The video below was created by four councils (Artificial Intelligence Blockchain Drones and IoT). It demonstrates how emerging technologies can reduce E.coli risk.
The video is available here. It begins with a TV newscast discussing an outbreak. It then “rewinds” to a farm scene in which drones and IoT sensors capture data on the produce. AI analyzes the data and writes it to a blockchain. This is an immutable record. The four technologies detect a potential problem and test the produce to determine if it is infected. The TV news team broadcasts a happier story at the end because the outbreak has never occurred.

Council Collaboration Shines Light on Real-Life Business Problems
A year-end planning meeting between CompTIA’s communities, Industry Advisory Councils and CompTIA’s communities spawned the idea of a video that would show how seemingly disparate technologies can be used together to create a potentially significant solution. Although the councils have traditionally worked together on their own projects, several members of the 2019 planning meeting discussed the possibility of collaborating on a larger project.
Adam Lesh, a technologist at AL Consulting who is also chair of the Blockchain Advisory Council, stated that there were “some obvious opportunities to bring together all the technologies.” “For example, blockchain can be used to support other technologies. It is not a front-facing tech. Everything we do is in support for another. As we were attending the 2019 wrap up sessions, it occurred to me that blockchain is a data collector. We log and store data. AI requires a lot data, and drones and IoT both generate a lot. It was a natural fit. After I had gotten a few other council members on board, I was able to concentrate on solving a business problem. The next step was to find the right way to tell the story.
The other councils were open to collaboration and met virtually every day throughout 2020 to create the storyboards, script, and finally the video.
Robert Senatore, CEO at Data2Go Wireless and a past member of CompTIA’s IoT Advisory Council, stated that this project was a case where “1+1=3.” None of the technologies could have stood alone to create a solution as meaningful or as important as what they did here. It took input from multiple technologies to create a seamless solution that would keep the public safe and healthy. “We hope this project will send a message of unity among new technologies and that working together creates better solutions for the public.
These are just a few examples of how emerging technologies can make life better
The councils aim to get all tech companies involved in technology business, from distributors to solution providers to solution providers to MSPs, to recognize and accelerate the development and deployment of new technologies.
Tom Derhake, a partner and cofounder of Cuesta Partners, a technology advisory company and member of CompTIA’s Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, stated that “I hope people understand how interconnectedness and power these technologies working together.” Although the technologies are becoming more common in modern language, it’s difficult to understand how they work together. It is extremely powerful to connect the dots using a live use case and see how the technology drives it.
The council members discovered an unexpected benefit to working together: they learned a lot more about the technologies of other councils, which opened up new opportunities for their own businesses. Senatore stated, “It was thrilling and also taught me more blockchain and AI, which helped my ability to see solutions at a higher degree than the IoT environment I live in every single day.”
The success of the first

Ferdinand
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What is a WBS? Bill asked a great question about a WBS and how it can be used to plan project scope. Josh, please clarify. I am only at chapter 7, so if you have any questions, please forgive me. So far, it seems like the WBS is different than the schedule. Is this a point you’re making? Or am I misunderstanding it? I thought the WBS was the basis of the schedule. RegardsBill Bill, you are correct. The WBS is separate from the schedule. You should be able to focus only on the deliverables when creating the WBS. This is true regardless of the time. (I hesitate to recommend phase-based deliverables in general but I recognize that some programs may use this structure) I also recommend that you do not use staff roles to organize your work breakdown structure. Next, you break down the deliverables into tasks. The tasks will be what you use to create your schedule. Your schedule will most likely be influenced at least partially by the WBS structure. But not always. My version of a WBS is called a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) in the PRINCE2 world. When I speak of task decomposition in a Base of Estimate (BOE), they use the same terminology for what they call a WBS. Although we do the same thing, the terminology can be confusing if you try to translate across the pond. I recommend that you never open a scheduling tool without first completing the necessary steps.
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What is a WBS? Bill asked a great question about a WBS and how it can be used to plan project scope. Josh, please clarify. I am only at chapter 7, so if you have any questions, please forgive me. So far, it seems like the WBS is different than the schedule. Is this a point you’re making? Or am I misunderstanding it? I thought the WBS was the basis of the schedule. RegardsBill Bill, you are correct. The WBS is separate from the schedule. You should be able to focus only on the deliverables when creating the WBS. This is true regardless of the time. (I hesitate to recommend phase-based deliverables in general but I recognize that some programs may use this structure) I also recommend that you do not use staff roles to organize your work breakdown structure. Next, you break down the deliverables into tasks. The tasks will be what you use to create your schedule. Your schedule will most likely be influenced at least partially by the WBS structure. But not always. My version of a WBS is called a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) in the PRINCE2 world. When I speak of task decomposition in a Base of Estimate (BOE), they use the same terminology for what they call a WBS. Although we do the same thing, the terminology can be confusing if you try to translate across the pond. I recommend that you never open a scheduling tool without first completing the necessary steps.
What is a Project Coordinator? Scott was thinking about the role of Project Coordinator recently. He replied to one my Project Management Career Coaching questions with this: Josh, I am currently attending school for Project Management and have really enjoyed your daily emails. I am currently a Manufacturing Supervisor in a small company. After graduation, my goal is to be a full-fledged Project Manager. I was interested in your recent post about changing industries and how you were successful in landing a job as Project Coordinator. I have been looking for a company for some time, but I don’t have any way to get to know the workers. It is a different industry than mine and I don’t have any connections to the company. I discovered that they have two positions available for Project Coordinators. I am trying decide if it’s worth taking the risk and making the move now rather than after I graduate. It is difficult to gain experience in managing small projects in the position I am currently in. It’s a small company, so I have to accept the fact that I can’t advance in my career unless I leave or wait for someone else to retire. I am asking you this question: Do you think that a job as a Project Coordinator is a good starting place for an aspiring Project Manager. Or would you prefer to stay at the same place for another year and gain more experience in employee management? I know you are busy, so I appreciate any advice you can offer me. Scott, thank you for your email! What is the role of a Project Coordinator? Project coordinator roles are not the same in all organizations. This is why I don’t believe it fits into all strategic career paths. It depends on the industry and the organization, but as a general rule, a role in project coordination is a good way to get into project management. It indicates that the organization is mature in managing projects. It will also give you an opportunity to experience the ‘world of managing projects’ in that organization. If my experience is any indication, you’ll be right there. Building Relationships – I discuss how to get connected to people in the industry or company. If you approach it with respect and tact, you can use LinkedIn to reach out to these people. LinkedIn is a great networking tool that can bring you face-to-face connections and allow you to make friends and develop relationships over time. It’s not a quick process, but it’s possible to expect great results. It will take some time. It won’t take forever, but it won’t stop. It’s ongoing. Some people find themselves in small companies and want to go into a larger company. Once you have the experience and knowledge from a larger company, it is sometimes best to stay there. However, if you want to return to a smaller company, you can bring your expertise and help grow it. If I was you, I would interview for the position of Project Coordinator, even if it wasn’t something I wanted to do. This will give you valuable experience in interviewing and allow you to ask great questions about the company’s project management. It can make a huge difference in your chances of getting hired.
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What is a Project Coordinator? Scott was thinking about the role of Project Coordinator recently. He replied to one my Project Management Career Coaching questions with this: Josh, I am currently attending school for Project Management and have really enjoyed your daily emails. I am currently a Manufacturing Supervisor in a small company. After graduation, my goal is to be a full-fledged Project Manager. I was interested in your recent post about changing industries and how you were successful in landing a job as Project Coordinator. I have been looking for a company for some time, but I don’t have any way to get to know the workers. It is a different industry than mine and I don’t have any connections to the company. I discovered that they have two positions available for Project Coordinators. I am trying decide if it’s worth taking the risk and making the move now rather than after I graduate. It is difficult to gain experience in managing small projects in the position I am currently in. It’s a small company, so I have to accept the fact that I can’t advance in my career unless I leave or wait for someone else to retire. I am asking you this question: Do you think that a job as a Project Coordinator is a good starting place for an aspiring Project Manager. Or would you prefer to stay at the same place for another year and gain more experience in employee management? I know you are busy, so I appreciate any advice you can offer me. Scott, thank you for your email! What is the role of a Project Coordinator? Project coordinator roles are not the same in all organizations. This is why I don’t believe it fits into all strategic career paths. It depends on the industry and the organization, but as a general rule, a role in project coordination is a good way to get into project management. It indicates that the organization is mature in managing projects. It will also give you an opportunity to experience the ‘world of managing projects’ in that organization. If my experience is any indication, you’ll be right there. Building Relationships – I discuss how to get connected to people in the industry or company. If you approach it with respect and tact, you can use LinkedIn to reach out to these people. LinkedIn is a great networking tool that can bring you face-to-face connections and allow you to make friends and develop relationships over time. It’s not a quick process, but it’s possible to expect great results. It will take some time. It won’t take forever, but it won’t stop. It’s ongoing. Some people find themselves in small companies and want to go into a larger company. Once you have the experience and knowledge from a larger company, it is sometimes best to stay there. However, if you want to return to a smaller company, you can bring your expertise and help grow it. If I was you, I would interview for the position of Project Coordinator, even if it wasn’t something I wanted to do. This will give you valuable experience in interviewing and allow you to ask great questions about the company’s project management. It can make a huge difference in your chances of getting hired.
Project Failure: We are at It Again Serendipity happens. I replied to a student Inside pmStudent eLearning with what turned to be an article about project success and failure. Shim wrote, “Projects failure rates?” a few days later. The conventional wisdom is wrong! His blog is amazing. I began leaving comments, and it quickly became one of those comments that should be its own post. Chaos I mean the reports that various organizations have on project failure rates. Shim outlined the following in his post:
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Project Failure: We are at It Again Serendipity happens. I replied to a student Inside pmStudent eLearning with what turned to be an article about project success and failure. Shim wrote, “Projects failure rates?” a few days later. The conventional wisdom is wrong! His blog is amazing. I began leaving comments, and it quickly became one of those comments that should be its own post. Chaos I mean the reports that various organizations have on project failure rates. Shim outlined the following in his post:
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