Bird Tank 10: Discussion on automation solutions 

The recent Bird Tank 10 competition witnessed the emergence of numerous innovative automation solutions, all aimed at revolutionizing work processes at FPT/FSOFT. From green energy management to automated software testing, these initiatives have significantly contributed to minimizing manual tasks, enhancing productivity and quality, and aligning with FSOFT’s “Productivity Up” goal.

The judging panel for the 10th round included: CDTO FSOFT Dao Duy Cuong as the Chair of the Evaluation Board; FSOFT Creative Director Dinh Tien Dung; Head of CPD Nguyen Tu Huyen; Head of iDO Duong Kieu Oanh; Head of STU Tran Nguyen Dang Khoa; and Head of COOF Incubator Dao Ngoc Tu.

Among the most impressive submissions were:

• eCharger (FSK): Recognizing the pressing need for efficient and cost-effective electric vehicle charging solutions, and given the complexity and expense of traditional charging station infrastructure, the FSK team pioneered the eCharger solution. Leveraging Azure AD for user authentication, accurately calculating energy consumption per charge, and enabling future direct cost deduction from user salaries, FSK has implemented a serverless architecture using Azure cloud computing, thereby reducing operational and maintenance costs. For future expansion, FSK aims to offer the eCharger solution to potential customers, and it is committed to providing a modern, efficient, and sustainable electric vehicle charging solution. Additionally, the team will continue research and development to expand the application of serverless technology to other domains.
• FPT Care for Relatives (SSC & iDO): Recognizing the intricate and time-consuming process of enrolling employees and their dependents in insurance plans, which previously involved numerous manual steps, SSC and iDO have jointly developed FPT Care. In 2024, over 4,100 dependents expressed a need for insurance coverage, resulting in the sending of 10,000 emails per cycle. FPT Care was introduced to optimize this process and minimize manual tasks. With its intuitive interface and a host of advanced features, FPT Care has successfully addressed SSC’s challenges in managing data manually. Simplifying the health insurance enrollment process has significantly enhanced the user experience, resulting in a monthly time savings of 3 man-months. Looking ahead to 2025, FPT Care aims to be integrated into the MyFPT application, enabling employees to conveniently register for insurance plans directly from their mobile devices. Additionally, the tool will be equipped to accommodate new insurance providers as needed.
• Code OPS (FI): According to FSOFT’s statistics, over 760 projects are currently grappling with information security risks. Concurrently, the lack of automation has posed significant challenges for more than 9,000 project managers, quality assurance engineers, and developers in project management. With annual losses of $6 million attributed to manual processes, the FI team has introduced CodeOps as a solution. CodeOps is designed to integrate source code and CI/CD systems, thereby mitigating information security risks, automating source code management, and establishing a closed-loop process when combined with a unified platform and other CI/CD tools. Furthermore, it enhances focus and ensures the accuracy of real-time data. In the past year, FI has successfully rolled out CodeOps across 150 projects, resulting in cost savings of $102,000. Looking ahead to 2025, CodeOps is poised for further expansion, with plans to integrate CI/CD and AI. The goal is to deploy CodeOps across all FSOFT/FI projects, exceeding 760, and achieve projected cost savings of $3.2 million. Additionally, the initiative aims to achieve 100% adoption of the tool among offshore team members.
• eCarePlus (GHC): eCarePlus is a digital platform designed to provide tools and functionalities that support remote health monitoring and care for the elderly and those suffering from chronic illnesses. It also facilitates connectivity between patients, their families, and the healthcare system through digital technology. Adhering to international standards such as HIPAA, HITRUST, and GDPR in the design and implementation of the healthcare data system, the GHC team has developed a comprehensive Data Platform that integrates medical devices to track patient data. This platform offers a wide range of features, including patient health monitoring dashboards, online appointment booking, and telehealth consultations. Available on the App Store, eCarePlus is currently being deployed globally, including in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. A notable example is the partnership with Toopan, a digital transformation leader in Nigeria, which has generated nearly $800,000 in revenue. With a focus on emerging markets such as Asia-Pacific and China, the GHC team is actively collaborating with DNB Malaysia, a 5G network provider, to bring standardized hospital-level healthcare experiences to remote areas in Malaysia. The team is also actively demonstrating the product to global business partners, aiming to achieve a revenue target of $2 million.
• akaUT Automation Tool (FA): In the software development industry, ensuring product quality is paramount. However, traditional testing methods are often time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to errors, and they typically require development teams with years of experience. The akaUT Automation Tool was developed to address these challenges by automating a significant portion of the testing process. Its primary objective is to replace approximately 70% of manual testing and development tasks, thereby reducing operational time, cutting costs, and boosting productivity. As of September 2024, the akaUT Automation Tool has been adopted by global corporations such as Yazaki, Panasonic, and Nippon Seiki. Positioned as a strategic asset for FPT Automotive, this innovative tool underscores the competitive capabilities of FPT/FSOFT. In pilot projects conducted in 2023 and 2024, akaUT has demonstrated impressive results, achieving a 9-12% improvement in productivity and generating cost savings of up to $69,000. Through the Bird Tank competition, the development team aims to showcase the capabilities of Vietnamese engineers on the global automotive technology stage.
• Timesheet Tool (CEP): Each month, the CEP unit estimates that 45 project managers spend an average of 1,728 hours collecting, consolidating, and submitting timesheet reports to meet the requirements of over 17 clients and 72 different projects. To address the challenges associated with data inaccuracies, time wastage, and compromised report quality, the development team created the Timesheet Tool. Employing an ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) process to automate the collection, processing, and storage of data from various sources, the tool generates detailed, visually appealing reports that adhere to each client’s specific requirements. This enables project managers to effortlessly view, input, export, and analyze data, thereby saving time and enhancing productivity. Introduced in the fourth quarter of 2024, the tool has already yielded significant results, saving project managers up to 14 man-months annually, equating to $48,000 in cost savings. Looking ahead to 2025, CEP plans to integrate the Timesheet Tool with the PET/FMAS system, aiming for broader implementation across the entire FSOFT organization. This expansion is projected to result in monthly cost savings of $100,000.

Despite being introduced for testing in last July, FPT Care from SSC has received high praise from the “Big Birds” by attracting over 4,000 employees and their dependents. This significantly enhanced the user experience, saving users valuable time with just a single click. Recognizing the global potential of eCarePlus, CDTO Dao Duy Cuong suggested that GHC should further emphasize the unique selling point (USP) of its initiative to compete effectively with industry giants in the international market. Meanwhile, the team behind the akaUT Automation Tool garnered significant acclaim from the judging panel at Bird Tank 10, not only for the initiative’s potential and widespread applicability but also for the team’s meticulous and well-prepared presentation.

In the final results, FA’s akaUT Automation Tool clinched the Gold Award. FPT Care for Relatives from SSC & iDO and eCarePlus from GHC shared the Silver Award, while the Bronze Award went to eCharger from FSK, Code OPS from FI, and the Timesheet Tool from the CEP team.

Moving forward to S2.2024, to inspire and motivate OB units, the Bird Tank organizing committee has expanded the award structure to specifically recognize initiatives from overseas markets. The first 20 IPs from qualified OBs will receive a VND 1,000,000 reward. Additionally, OBs participating in or winning at Bird Tank will be eligible for other awards starting from USD 100.