Pathways#Innovative Planning#Level4#1 Managing Projects - Saving the Project!

 Good evening Toastmaster of the evening and fellow toastmasters. Today I am going to explain the recovery of an IT project at my work.

Last year April, I was asked by the customer to join a management meeting, in that meeting I was told that the client project manager wants to scrap the project as our team at offshore was not able to deliver even a single delivery as planned in the last one year. He requested the money spent on this project to be considered as sunk cost to his management as he doesn’t have confidence to deliver the project by December.

The customer has already spent more than a million dollars on that project. His management was totally surprised and afraid of the consequences from their senior management. If we go and tell the management that we are incurring a million-dollar sunk cost, then it will raise various questions on their management capabilities as well as us.

To save the face, we told the customer that we will analyze the root cause of this issue and come up with Go To Green plan. I started working on the root cause analysis. I started having extensive discussions with the customers and our team members and documented the issues and sorted them into the highest priority order. Some of the key issues identified are

1.      There is no dedicated offshore project manager for the 15-member team. Since we operate in Time and material mode, the customer thought that they could control the team from onsite directly.

2.      There is no dedicated technical lead who knows the existing system and helps the team with any queries.

3.      Requirements are not clear from the developer perspective.

4.      The current lead at onsite was overloaded and not able to reply to the team’s queries on time.

5.      Daily scrum calls are extended for hours, and the total daily meeting hours are around 3-4 hours on average due to various reasons, and it completely spoiled the team’s productivity.

6.      Daily extended working hours and weekend work have affected the team’s morale.

Due to all these issues, the team morale is low, and senior resources want to move out of this project.

Against these issues, we started writing our action plan. Dedicated project manager at offshore, Business system analyst at onsite and offshore for requirement clarity, dedicated technical lead at onsite. We presented this to the customer & the customer was convinced of the identified issues and the action plan from us. We projected the final release date within December with phased monthly releases in the subsequent months.

The only constraint we faced was that the customer clearly told us that they couldn’t pay for additional resources as they already burnt more than a million dollars into this project.

So, we had many discussions internally with our management and were convinced to invest non-billable resources in this project as part of our recovery plan but ensured that the profit margin won’t go below standard. Our management also agreed, and we added one Business System Analyst at onsite and re-mapped existing lead at offshore as project manager and added a replacement for him. We also added one Business System Analyst  at offshore. I took control as PM from onsite. 

We started strictly adhering to Scrum ceremonies. We ensured that the daily scrum meetings do not go beyond 20-30 minutes. Requirement walkthrough sessions are recorded and kept in the common repository for future reference. Requirement clarification queries from the team are properly addressed and the members started enjoying the work. We ensured to avoid weekend work and extended work hours to have the work-life balance. We also introduced a bi-weekly session on “Get to Know your team” where every team member will present about themselves nothing about the work. This session played an important role in getting to know each other and it really gelled the team together. The team members loved these sessions as they started hearing different life paths & ambitions of their colleagues.

The timelines for the phased releases are very tight so that even one slippage could push the project end date to the next year which the customer doesn’t want. We all stick to the plan though we had minor hiccups in the releases. At the end of December, we have done all the releases as planned. It is a great achievement for all of us who planned meticulously and worked very hard for this.

What I learned from this project are.

1.      Members in the team should enjoy working on the project.

2.      The leader of the team should enable the camaraderie within the team.

3.      Psychological safety should be provided so that the team will not be afraid of taking risks and showcase it as a safe environment.

4.      Key roles/Bottle necks of the project should be identified and addressed as early as possible.

5.      All the leaders within the project should be allowed to take decisions in their capacity considering the project objective and timeline.

Over to the TMOE!

Club-ISC - Feb 2025 - When life hands over a lemon…

One day I went for a walking in a nearby park. My attention was grabbed by. Waoh! Waoh! Waoh! Waoh! (Barking) .

The dog enthusiastically jumped like a bouncing ball, twirled like a twister and played with the fellow dogs. It played enthusiastically with the owner.

Suddenly I found something odd with that dog. I watched him closely and astonished to find that he has only three legs. It seems that the dog has lost a leg due to some accident. The dog showed no sign of handicap or remorse. I got awe inspired.

Good evening contest master, fellow toastmasters and guests.

On a warm Sunday morning, I got a call from my cousin.

He said “Next week … our Singapore uncle is coming for his house warming ceremony”.

I got very excited on hearing that our Singapore uncle Mohan is coming.

Immediately I started to think about my Singapore uncle Mohan. He was born and brought up in a middle class family. He finished his schooling and was very much interested in doing engineering. But, due to his financial situation he joined polytechnic. After that he worked in a mechanical lathe in Chennai. Seeking a better livelihood he went to Bangalore. When he reached Bangalore he didn’t have any money. He even slept in the railway station for 3 days with limited food like a pauper. Then he got a job in a company and worked like a bumble bee to become the top performer in his job.

After a couple of years working in Bangalore, he found an opportunity to work in Singapore and moved to Singapore. He was the top performer in that job also. After a brief stint in that job, he switched over to sales in another company. During the course of the job he frequently travelled all around the globe and he was regarded as the best sales person in the entire sales community in his field. In the meantime, he started his own venture in Chennai. Within five years the company progressed northwards and now at the age of 60, he is a multi-millionaire owning assets in both Singapore and India.

On the other day, I met him in an event. I wished him and asked ,

Me: Uncle, What is the major reason behind your success? Didn’t you ever worry when life handed you just a diploma?

Uncle: Thani, I was worried when I had just a diploma. At many times I thought how I am going to have a good life with the meager salary and with a diploma education. All my worries vanished and I was reincarnated after reading a story by Dale Carnegie.

Me: Oh! Can you please share with me the story uncle?

Uncle: Definitely!

Once upon a time a man lived in Chicago and had five sons. One day he called his five sons to a meeting and handed over a share of his father land to all his sons. The next day all his sons eagerly visited the land and shocked to find, that the land is present near the forest and is fully occupied by the most venomous rattle snakes. Four out of the five sons consider the land as barren and left. But one son thought he can do something with it. After couple of years, he started exporting the poison of rattle snakes across the globe to all the pharmacy companies manufacturing antitoxins. He also exported the canned rattle snake flesh.

When life handed him the most venomous poison in the world, he accepted it graciously and become a successful person. “Be the best in your job, everything will be taken care”.

When life handed him a small lemon - a diploma, he accepted it and went on to become a successful entrepreneur.

Nelson Mandela says, “It is what we make out of what we have … not what we are given, that differentiates one person from another”

Dear Fellow toastmasters, what is the thing that life handed over to you?  Are you worrying that the thing you received in life is worthless or very small?

When I introspect my life so far, Am I not given fairly by life? I really agree that life has given me far beyond when compared to my uncle.

My parents gave me a wonderful start to me by which I had done my master’s in computer applications, 18 years later I had done my MBA, through the course I got professional certifications. This month, I got my Japanese language certification N2. Though my lemons may not be comparable like other achievers, but I am trying my best to make it a lemonade.

Don’t worry about the lemon handed by the life; strive hard until you make lemonade.

What is your lemon?

Pathways#Innovative Planning#Level3#1 Descriptive Language - Excruciating Start!

 

Excruciating Start

Good evening toastmaster of the evening and fellow toastmasters. Today I am going to elaborate the commotions and feelings during my first term in my M.B.A course which started on October 2022.

I started my M.B.A journey like a person onboarded a ship to the promise land. We must take a minimum of 36 credits and maximum of 40 credits to graduate. Each course will have a credit of 1 to 1.5 credits based upon the duration and complexity. Each term is 3 months. If it is 1 credit, we will have 4 classes in 3 months. if it is 1.5 credits then we will have 6 classes in 3 months. So, I must complete 25 to 28 courses to get all the credits. All the classes are conducted every two weeks.

A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step, my M.B.A journey of 40 credits started with the 4 subjects of 6 credits in the first term. They are

Essentials of Marketing and Strategy

Human Resource Management

Critical Thinking

Business Analytics

Two classes were online, and two classes were conducted at the campus in the first term.

At the start, I was very eager to attend and learn but as the classes progresses, my eagerness started to fade away and it seems my ship headed for the hell instead of promise land.

Since I am going to the student life nearly after 18 years, I am totally out of sorts for the student life. After 2 weeks into the term, my hair in the head started withered like the leaves during the fall season. I started imagining myself without hair post completing my M.B.A.  

Critical thinking course is all about how efficiently we can solve the problem with how many effective solutions. It will be like 5 why analysis to find the root cause of the problem and address it.

While doing the Critical Thinking course assignments, my mind behaved critically ill, and I started behaved like a mad dog with my family. My family also understood the stress which I am in and started sympathizing with me. I have become the 3^rd student in my home after my son and daughter. Instead of critically thinking on the assignments, I started thinking critically about the next 2 years of my course that how I am going to fare the upcoming terms. Getting 40 credits seems to be like reaching the top of the mount Everest.

Though Business Analytics was interesting on hearing the stories in the case studies, I was tormented by the assignments in that course. Each assignment completion & submission has become a herculean task. I started working on late nights to complete the assignment and in the sideways saw my hairs in the head withering away. On passing of every day my head had become more shinier in the mirror. My wife cautioned me that I will loss all my hair in the head prior completing the M.B.A.

HRM (Human Resource Management) though it is more theoretical, I can study with somewhat ease when compared to Critical Thinking and Business Analytics. We studied the case studies of various HR process of huge companies and how it got evolved through kaizen.

Essentials of Marketing & Strategy is also more theoretical. It dealt with the various principles of Marketing & Strategy. More than the course, I enjoyed the dinner after the class with the fellow students and lecturers at the nearby restaurant called Spice Hub.

The dishes in that restaurant are still flowing in my mind regularly. The light brown fresh tandoori chicken with crispy baked salted potatoes placed around it with the tickling sound of the hot iron plate directly from the tandoori oven, blue berry lassie in the pot shaped bottle, the fragrance of the hot masala chai, the deep-fried squid with mayonnaise, the green evenly diced avocado-shrimp salad. I can say on and on. All the dishes are mouthwatering.

Even though the first term of 3 months seems to be a small mound in my 2 years journey, but I felt it like a mountain hill. Each week has become a great ordeal to me. My once sparkled eyes started possessing black rings around it.

I held on to my nerves to sail through the turbulent phase in my M.B.A journey. At-last I saw the light at the end of the tunnel after 3 months. I was able to complete all the 4 courses with good grades. Yes, I felt a sense of accomplishment which carried me for the next term though my head had become more shinier in the mirror. I had totally a different commotions and feelings in those 3 months which I faced huge challenge and started fighting with myself to improvise myself to tune to the student mode which enabled me to face the upcoming terms in the M.B.A course.

 

Pathways#Innovative Planning#Level3#3 Delivering Social Speeches - Best Mentor!

                                                                     Best Mentor!

Good Evening Toastmaster of the Evening & Fellow toastmasters and Guests.

Today I want to award the best mentor award to my mentor DTM Saro Velrajan for the guidance and insights he provided me for the past 10-15 years.

Around 2011, he returned to India after lived in the US for 12 years. I first met him in a toastmaster’s club meeting in 2013 in Chennai, India. At that time, he was taking club officers role & gradually moved to the district officer roles in his toastmaster journey. I was struggling to speak fluently but was eager to learn. Post one of my speeches, he came to me and asked whether he can be my mentor. I was happy and soon accepted it.

Post that, prior presenting my speech, I will share my script upfront, and he will review and revert with his comments. I will incorporate his comments and present my speeches.

Around 2015 when I returned from Japan after a 1-year work in Tokyo, In one of the club meetings he asked me about my job and my pay details. He suggested that for my skillset and years of experience, I am getting way below the market average pay, he suggested me to try for jobs in the market. I took his word and searched, within 1 year I got a good job with 30% pay rise.

Around 2021, he quit his high paying job to pursue his passion of corporate training. Last year he published his book on 5G wireless networking & about to complete his doctorate in his field. He is a prominent speaker in his field. He is so passionate about toastmasters, For any toastmasters related details, you can visit his website saroscorner.com.

Even though, I have moved to Japan, whenever I visit India, I will get his appointment and get his valuable feedback. Two years back, in one of the discussions, he asked me about my goals and suggested me to pursue MBA as he also done MBA in the US in the past. He told me that studying MBA will give an advantage to me to understand the business perspective behind the decisions in the corporate world. He convinced me that having MBA will provide me opportunities to enter the C suite. He also shared his experience of doing part time MBA during his job. He told that only the initial stage will be some hiccups, once you sustain the early months into the course you will be used to it, and you can easily complete the degree.

I took his word and joined part time MBA at Globis university in 2022 in Tokyo. Now it is 2024, I have completed the degree. I have become an improvised version of me now when compared 2 years ago. Thanks to my mentor.

Our relationship has grown beyond toastmasters and today I want to thank him again for the impact he had on me so far to bring the best out of me. I am very happy to award the best mentor award to my mentor DTM Saro velrajan. Thank you!

Pathways#Innovative Planning#Level3#2 Delivering Social Speeches - Thank You!

                                                                 Thank You!

Good evening Toastmaster of the evening and fellow toastmasters and guests.

Today I want to thank my wife, son and daughter for their patience for the last two years in enabling me to complete my MBA.

In 2022, when I told my wife that I was going to do MBA, she was not aware of the implications for her and the kids. She asked me couple of times that it is really needed at this age for me to do MBA. Since she came to know that I decided to do MBA on the suggestion from my mentor, then she understood that it is difficult for her to convince me not to do. I explained her the advantage of doing MBA in overseas university and the impact it will bring to my career. But she cautioned me to think twice prior enrolling to the course.

At that time, my son is 10 years old and my daughter is 7 years old. My wife worried that if I started concentrating on my studies, I will spend less time with my kids. I convinced her that in whatever possible way I will try to spend time with them which it turned out later to be not possible. In October 2022, the course started, and I enrolled 4 courses in a 3 month term so that I can get the target of 40 credits to complete the course within 2 years. It was so tough in the beginning as I am again transitioning myself into a student after 17 years with parallel work. Since I took 4 courses per term, it means each course will have 6 classes and 24 classes in a period of 3 months. It was so hectic; my world has become work and study. 

In some time, my wife pointed me this that I totally stopped spending time with the kids, but she understands the hectic schedule I am into. She started supporting me. My son and daughter also understand that I am also doing my assignments along with their homework. I promised them, that post my MBA, I will spend a lot of time with them.

In July 2024, I got all my maximum 40 credits even 3 months prior to the scheduled completion. I felt elated on this accomplishment. At this moment, I really wanted to thank my wife, son and daughter for their patience in allowing me to spend my time only for myself for the last 2 years. I appreciate their sacrifice and support they provided to me. Thank you my wife Gomathi, son Devaprasanna and daughter Khavipriya!

Pathways#Innovative Planning#Level3#1 Present a Proposal - Moving to Next version!

 Journey is more important than the destination!

Vision Statement

    To become a better version of oneself through personal development. 

Goal and Objective

    Acquire knowledge & transform yourself through continuous education.

    Move up the corporate ladder.

    To be an Entrepreneur.

Today’s Situation

    Tied up with the daily mundane job in the company.

    Less chance to move up the corporate ladder.

    Don’t know how to progress.

    Want to start a business but don’t know the rudimentary of business know-how

    Lacking in Leadership skills.

How Did We Get Here?

    Search.

    Anyone really interested in.

    Anyone who understands why they must?

    One who understand the economics and marketplace.

Available Options

    Professional Degrees & Certifications.

    Startup

What I did?

    Joined 2 year part time M.B.A in 2022.

    What is the gain?

    Practical Knowledge about

    Accounting

    Finance

    Marketing & Strategy

    Human Resources Management

    Technovate courses (Biotech Innovation/ Tech Innovation/Big data)

    Leadership courses

    Entrepreneurship (Venture Business Planning/VCF/International Business)

What I really gained?

    Understanding myself.

    Able to manage my time between my studies, work and family.

    Able to interact with people from diversified fields.

    Understand the basic components of business.

    Interacting with interesting personalities.

    Able to apply the learning at my work.

    Better version of myself when compared to 2 years ago!

Memories

Are you ready for your next version!

    Remember, Journey is more important than the destination!

Thank You!

    

Pathways#Innovative Planning#Level2#2 Connect with Your Audience - IT Service Industry

IT service industry

Good Evening Toastmaster of the day fellow toastmasters & guests. There are two main varieties of industry in IT. They are product industry & the service industry. Microsoft, Google etc are example of product industry where as Accenture, TCS etc are examples of service industry. Today I am going to share information about the IT service industry.

Like most of the hardware’s are manufactured in China, Most of the IT service/product industry majors operates from India as they can have affordable human resources. There are many types of services in the IT service industry. Some of the familiar are

1.       Application maintenance & support.

2.       Major enhancement/Projects

3.       IT Consulting

 

1.       Application maintenance & support.

In any big organization (Eg: Toyota, MetLife), there will be a huge number of applications both back office & external facing will be there. These are used to support the daily operations & enable business. For example, in insurance companies, there are departments for operations, Distribution & marketing, new product enhancements, Application & maintenance support. All these departments will have many applications either external facing or internal facing. Now I am working for an Insurance major where they are having 250+ applications. They are spending more than $10 million dollars yearly for the support & maintenance. To support these applications, having staff by the parent company is not an optimal solution. To support these applications, contract will be provided to the external vendors for 4-5 years contract. These are called as Application maintenance & support.

 

2.       Major enhancements/Projects

If the organization wants to do a major enhancement or develop a product, they have to go for major enhancement or a project. For this as per the defined internal process of the organization, the Request for proposal (RFP) will be floated with the preferred vendors. Then bidding process will be initiated & the vendor for that project will be selected for execution. For example in any insurance companies, yearly they will be releasing 3-4 new products. For each product, new project will be initiated.

 

3.       IT Consulting

In IT consulting, there are two major types, they are

1.       To do analysis on the problem & give a probable roadmap/solution. This will be normally 4-6 weeks of engagement where expensive consultant will be deployed to the client facility. They will gather/analyze data & propose a roadmap/solution to the customer. Then the customer can continue with the same vendor for execution or switch to another vendor depending on the approval of cost/solution.

2.       Another one is to provide resources alone, this is purely body shopping where the customer executes the project. The customer will request specialized resources & they will be charged on hourly rates.

Some major companies like IBM/HP provide both products & services. In any big customer organization, there will be preferred vendors & all the IT service request for App maintenance & support, consulting, major enhancement/projects will be executed through these vendors.  Some of the major IT service companies in the world are

1.       Accenture

2.       Tata Consulting Services.

3.       IBM

4.       Infosys

5.       Cognizant

6.       Cap Gemini

Etc

 

All these companies will have their majority of their bases in India. For language intensive region like Japan, bases are established in China also. The IT services will be provided with the Onsite/Offshore model of 25%~70% so that cost effectiveness can be managed. For example, in my current customer organization IBM is providing the App maintenance support with the support team sitting in China.

 

Onsite billing will be costly & offshore billing is cheap. Normally Onsite billing will be 3 times more than offshore billing. So customer prefers more offshoring of the projects to reduce the costs. From the employees in the service industry, most of them will prefer for onsite roles as the pay will be more compared to offshore.

 

These markets are so huge. For eg, my current customer organization in japan spends $200 million annually for IT alone. Now the service industry is spreading fast in China, Philippines etc.

                Hope my speech has provided some info on the operation of IT service industry. If you are working for any big organization, check internally to know about the current vendors who are providing IT app development & support. You will be more familiar with the type of activities that your IT department is doing.

Over to the TMOE