{"id":3107,"date":"2021-04-28T22:25:03","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T03:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/galeforcedrone.com\/?p=3107"},"modified":"2021-05-21T10:41:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T15:41:00","slug":"how-drone-delivery-and-order-fulfillment-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/galeforcedrone.com\/how-drone-delivery-and-order-fulfillment-works\/","title":{"rendered":"How Drone Delivery And Order Fulfillment Works"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"How\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In a previous article, “Drone Delivery; the future is now<\/a><\/strong>” we discussed the equipment and certifications required for Drone Delivery. While the conduct of cargo delivery is certainly an important step in the delivery process, it is only a single step in a chain of events, and the rest of the chain needs to be understood and planned for. This article discusses how to prepare your drone startup business for Drone Delivery using an end-to-end systems approach.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Drone Delivery is one of the Hottest Trends<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"galeforcedroneDrone Delivery is poised to be one of the hottest trends in the 2020\u2019s, with some of the highest anticipated growth of any industry<\/strong>. Previously, we took a look at the FAA\u2019s current policy to certify as a Part 135<\/a> Air Carrier, and what kinds of drones are suitable for drone delivery.<\/p>

As a Drone Delivery organization<\/strong>, there is a lot more to this story than watching a drone fly away with a box. To understand this, let\u2019s take a step back from \u201cDrone Delivery\u201d<\/strong><\/em>, and instead look at \u201cOrder Fulfillment\u201d<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Order Fulfillment Process<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As drone enthusiasts<\/strong>, we tend to focus on the technology performance and new use cases. There certainly is no shortage of drone technological evolution events to keep us occupied, and it is a very exciting time to be a drone professional.<\/p>

As a Business Person<\/strong>, the technology performance becomes slightly less interesting, and the business process becomes more important. As Garry Kasparov once observed (now known as the \u201cKasparov Principle<\/strong>\u201d)<\/em> that a superior process will defeat a superior product.<\/p>

What does this mean? It means that the best cargo drone on the planet will not make you a single dollar<\/strong> until you implement an adequate and sustainable process to employ it.<\/p>

Let\u2019s take a look at some examples from other walks of life.<\/p>

\"Cheeseburger<\/p>

The answer to all three is business process<\/strong>. The unhealthy (and ever-so-tasty)<\/em> hamburger outsells gourmet cuisine because the restaurant has found a way to produce it cheaper than its competitors, and saturate the market to the point where consumer convenience beats quality. The rich-and-famous musicians employ business-savvy managers and agents to reach the widest audience instead of focusing on artistic development. And scientific geniuses often could not tell you the first thing about how their invention can be efficiently produced at scale to enrich people\u2019s lives.<\/p>

Today\u2019s e-commerce giants invest extraordinary resources to optimize their fulfillment process, and they are truly world-class logisticians. The quality of the products that they sell are almost irrelevant: they can still make money selling a lousy product.<\/p>

What exactly is this process?<\/strong><\/span> To quickly describe the chain of events, I will use a (highly-simplified)<\/em> Sequence Diagram. This is a basic engineering method to identify the users\/entities and their actions\/interactions amongst one another. Read the chronological sequence of actions from top to bottom.<\/strong><\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

In this diagram, the \u201cCourier\u201d is the drone operator. It could be a third-party individual or company, or could be a branch of the merchant company. Regardless of the Courier\u2019s demographic, I want to focus on his part in the fulfillment process.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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End-To-End Delivery System<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Our previous article<\/a> went into some detail about how to conduct a drone delivery while satisfying public safety requirements. Let\u2019s highlight that step (red box)<\/span><\/em> in the Sequence Diagram.\u00a0<\/p>

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That\u2019s it! All that REGULATION, CERTIFICATION, and equipment INVESTMENT for this ONE STEP in the Drone Delivery chain of events!<\/strong><\/p>

Now that we have a more complete appreciation for the logistical challenge of Drone Delivery<\/strong>, we see that information exchange comprises the vast majority of this process. Let\u2019s spend some time taking a look at the Courier\u2019s responsibilities to the Merchant and Customer (blue box)<\/em><\/strong><\/span> and revisit his tools and processes.<\/p>

\"\"Within the confines of the blue box<\/span><\/strong>, the Courier should be able to answer the following questions.\u00a0<\/p>