Effective management of ONLINE Conference Calls and virtual meetings

 There are 2 important ways to manage online conference calls and effective handling of virtual meetings

1.  Organizing the call

2.  Leadership during the meetings

Important steps to note during the Organizing the calls:

1. Time management - Rehearse all important calls
2. Duration of the call based on the agenda and number of participants
3. Tasks split as micro activities for tasks and smaller audience
4. Issue resolution calls to identify dependencies and vendor involvements
5. Extend invitees to dependent resources on technical aspects
6. Subject:  Summarize on the call to address queries, clarifications and approval requests
7. Keep agenda crisp and state the urgency s needed
8. Outlook Repeats/ recurring invites not adding as issues
9. Bullet points on agenda for clarity to discuss and give background
10. Repeats should not be more than 7 weeks or 2 months
11. Invites can be extended and knowledge shared 
12. You should know your participants and customers management
13. Action items log appended in the minutes with ETAs (Expected time for action completion)
14. Keep watch on the silent spectators for their feedback
15. Know the features of the bridge line
16. Go on mute during noise behind you
17. Record the meetings with the permission of the participants
18. Disconnect single line of disturbance
19. Audible and clarity is important
20. Speak slowly, with right modulation, pause and listening to others

Importance of Leadership during online calls

1. Controlling of the call is important
2. Identify line ups of key stakeholders
3. Information to get from resources participating
4. In Project calls, round table to capture risks and constraints from all concerned
5. Repeat calls with continuous trackers, action items log for continuity and process
6. Time zones availability to be embedded in the invite itself
7. Conflict management is vital for leadership
8. Severing of the tasks, changes and need for managers to provide resources during on and out of business hours
9. Maintain harmony on calls with no blame game 
10. Provide correct information in calls and get info on the root cause analysis if needed
11. Identify management calls is in operations management and not project management
12. Buy in on due dates and expected time for delivery during the calls itself
13. Decision and discussion groups to be clearly identified
14. Trackers with percentage completion on the tasks needed for calls
15. Voice modulation to command authority
16. Handle the ice breaking filling the gaps
17. Give an opportunity for all people on the call to talk
18. Make sure bridge is not silent
19. Provide clarity and audibility to all is important
20. Set priorities, goals and action owners for tasks as a leader

The above principles of management of calls will bring in effective program management and also to address all issues, risks and concerns managed by the teams.   It is important both for the person organizing the call, moderating the call and leading the call to know these basic but mandatory principles of effective online call management

How to manage stakeholder issues

• Prepare a project plan with the technical teams
• Schedule the call with scope and tasks
• Pre-preparation for the call is important
• Confirmation with all technical teams and call in control during ownership conflict
• Technical resource non-responsiveness should be clearly handled 
• Tracking project status with slippages handled effectively by leaders
• Change window management - change not going as per plan 
• PM to facilitate to conclude on issues and PM decision watch on roll backs
• Checking point calls during changes is important

Project Manager efficiency is key during Calls -  Few Tips and Tricks

• Meeting invite should have proper audience, call details, agenda, key stakeholders and action items defined
• Customer requirements gathering calls should have organizers and bridge participants clearly defined
• Identify the issue or the problem that the customer is not happy about the project or progress of the program
• Scope creep - with additions or deletions of the CR Process
• Deliverables not in quality-  technical fixes to be identified
• Missed milestones and deliverables - how to bring them back to the track
• Red and Amber calls presentation to the customer diplomatically with offered solutions and back to green plans
• Customer non-responsiveness situation, leaders should try to have one on one discussion to get their inputs
• Escalations on team members - all criticisms to be handled privately
• Change outage windows extended or roll back needed- should be thoroughly communicated to the customer
• End customer or application owners approvals for Go/ No Go -  plan B preparedness to handle the same

It is very important that we follow these practices which are effective for having global programs and projects spread across various time zones, geographies and cultural background with multiple technologies spread across the world...

History of Lean in Technology World and key components of Lean Methodology

 The IT world caters to the requirements of the Service Lines and Delivery Centers:

History of Lean:

Started in 2006 in Hyderabad based on Toyota Production Systems  and Lean is to identifying and elimination wastes... They are for value and quality and enrich customer values.

Balance Lean:

1. Eliminate Waste based on lean

2. Eliminate bottleneck scenarios - inflexibility

3. Invariability -focuses on Six Sigma and 3 variances

Production Systems - NO MORE- NO LESS

• Inflexibility and Invariability
• Set of Best Practices and based on lean principles
• Enable global delivery consistent excellence
• For quality, standard processes
• Efficiency and defect prevention

Three types of Productivity losses

1.   Eliminate waste based on lean-  Waste based on quality

2.   Eliminate bottleneck scenarios -  Inflexibility

3.  Invariability focuses on six sigma + or - 3 variances

3 Ps to focus on

1.  People - mindset, behavior and capability (MBC)

2.  Process - Operating System

3. Performance - Management System - Metrics, measurements, visual boards

8 Types of Waste -  IITWROOM

1.  Intellect

2.  Inventory

3.  Transportation

4.   Waiting

5.   Rework

6.  Over-process

7.  Over-production

8.  Motion

7 Levers to eliminate waste:

SSPRRRF

• Segmenting complexity
• Standard Operation
• Pooling
• Redistribute activities
• Reduce non-variables
• Reduce incoming work
• Flexible Staffing system

Operating Systems focus on the Lean components

• Delivery catalog
• Advance pooling 
• Maximum utilization
• Minimum idle time
• Cross accounting 
• Skill management 
• Standardization
• Quality and Productivity
• Staffing Flexibility
• Three components of a pool
• Min pool size 
• Single service component
• Co-location of pool members
• Advance Pooling Requirements
• Shared resources
• Skillsets 
• Segmentation and dispatch process
• Pool size - Project pool structure
• Co-location of resources
• Language
• User id compliance
• Dispatching requirements
• Segmenting
• Batching
• Distribution / Swing
• Pick, Push, Pull
• Pool Structure
• Dispatching - incidents, problems, changes
• Simple requests maintenance
• Dispatching workflow
• Receive incoming demand
• Segment by complexity
• Batch work to manage lows - by rules
• Assign to available technician
• Trigger swing or hands-off
• Pool Dispatches
• Queue monitoring
• Workload management
• Performance management
• Continual improvement
• PICK
• Self-selection
• Not recommended
• Bad batching and picking
• No control to dispatch
• PUSH
• Dispatch automatically
• Reduces control
• Rework
• Sub Optimal decisions
• PULL
• Recommended solution
• Assigned resources availability
• Framework and delivery catalog
• Service Catalog
• Compliance Task Accountability Matrix
• Solution design and pricing
• Contracting
• Mapping
• Transition to Delivery

#KnowYourCountry #KnowIndia - What is Republic Day? Interesting facts about Republic Day

• The Indian Republic Day, which is celebrated on 26th January every year, commemorates the day on which the Constitution of India came into effect in 1950 by replacing the Government of India act (1935). 
• After Independence, on 29th August 1947, a resolution was moved for the appointment of a Drafting committee to draft a constitution for the newly independent India with Dr BR Ambedkar as the Chairman. The Draft committee submitted its draft to the Constituent Assembly on 4th November 1947.  
• After nearly two years of deliberations, the Constitution was adopted and came into effect on 26th January 1950. With that, India officially came to be known as the “Republic of India”.
• As the Indian Constitution incorporates a synthesis of flexibility (contemporary challenges) and rigidity (essential nature), allowing it to respond to the emerging circumstances and situations from time to time, the Indian Constitution is known as a Living Document.
• The president unfurls the flag on Rajpath in New Delhi, followed by other celebrations.
• 
• When the flag is unfurled on Republic Day, it is closed and tied at the top of the pole. The President unfurls it without pulling the flag up as it takes place on Independence Day. On Republic Day, the country celebrates the day when the Constitution was adopted.
• Republic Day marks the occasion when the Constitution of India came into effect on January 26, 1950. 
• The constitution was created and was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949.
• Since the India Constitution came into effect in 1950. The first Republic day parade was held 1950. It took place at the Irwin Amphitheater (now Major Dhyan Chand Stadium). Three thousand Indian military personnel and over 100 aircraft participated in the parade.
• In the initial first four years, the venues of these marches were Irwin Stadium, Red Fort, and Ramlila Grounds.
• The first parade at Rajpath was organised in 1955. Pakistan’s Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad attended the event as chief guest. It was the first of the only two times that a Pakistani leader was given the honour.

• The Beating Retreat ceremony, which takes place at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on January 29 every year, traces its origin to a tradition from the 1600s. This tradition to announce the return of the troops began when King James II ordered his troops to beat drums, lower flags and organise a parade to declare the end of a day of combat.
• The first foreign military contingent, French Army soldiers, took part in Republic day Parade in 2018.
• A salute of 21 guns and the unfurling of the Indian National flag by Dr. Rajendra Prasad heralded the historic birth of the Indian Republic on January 26, 1950.

• PS:  All Images are taken from internet for information purpose only.  Kindly request the owners of the images to inform in case you want them to be removed.  

Chennai Poets’ Circle conducts Annual Seminar and Launch of the Anthology ‘Efflorescence 2022’ at T. Nagar TAG Auditorium- 22 Jan 2023

 After three years Chennai Poets’ Circle had their annual seminar at T Nagar on a Sunday morning  22 Jan 2023.   

Chennai Poet Circle is a 25-year-old organization with members all over India and abroad and its annual seminar is an event for its high-profile speakers and professional conduct of the event and comraderies the members share, a close-knit relationship they cherish. This year it was held on 22.1.2023 in its annual seminar at TAG Auditorium, Ramakrishna Mission School at T.Nagar, Chennai.

 The annual anthology 'Efflorescence 2022' consisting of poems from 103 poets and 9 young poets are included in this collection. It was a mind-blowing experience to listen to the young poets, as young as 7 years old and definitely Poetry is safe in their hands.  

Dr. V. Rajagopalan, retd HOD of English department Madras Christian College was the chief guest avd addressed the gathering with his scintillating speech. Paper presentations by Saranya Francis and Vishnupriya started the poetry session.

 Famous poets Pankajam Kollareth poem’ The Fire of Passion’, Umasree Raghunath’s ‘Shakthi’ are also included in the anthology. Hema Ravi,  the curator / editor of the anthology Efflorescence 22, and all editorial advisors did a great job and were present at the occasion

#KnowYourCity, #KnowYourChennai- Magnificent Churches of Chennai City - Part- 3 - Little Mount National Shrine & St.Thomas Cave, Little Mount,, Chennai

 Little Mount National Shrine (Chinnamalai)

1. According to legend, St. Thomas, a disciple of Christ, lived out the remainder of his days in a rocky cave, known as Little Mount (Chinnamalai).
2. Today, Little Mount is home to a Portuguese church dating back to 1551, as well as a small altar to St. Thomas and a palm print believed to be left by Thomas himself as he fled.
3. This historical place has been made sacred by the presence of St. Thomas, the Apostle. He was the first missionary, a direct witness of Jesus, who handed over the Christian faith in the first century.
4. Little Mount is a cave in which St. Thomas hid in AD 68 and did penance. There is an opening to the east of the cave through which St. Thomas escaped when his pursuers caught up with him here. 
5. The palm print and hand print near the tunnel’s entrance are believed to be those of St. Thomas himself. 
6. We will also see the masonry cross cut at the top of the hill which is believed to be the cross before which St. Thomas prayed.   
7. Another interesting aspect of this cave is the spring inside the hill which is perennial and is supposed to be the miraculous creation of the St. Thomas himself
8. The cave at Little Mount is a treasured memory of St. Thomas, as it offered him a silent and serene space to reenergise himself in prayer and meditation to preach to the people and to baptise them.
9. An impression of the apostle’s own hand, the bleeding cross, the perpetual spring and the right foot impression of St. Thomas evoke revered memories of his presence at Little Mount, who exclaimed in profound faith: “My Lord and My God!”
10. He was stabbed to death and martyred at St. Thomas Mount. He was buried at Santhome, where the magnificent cathedral now stands.

Faith:  Roman Catholic,  Timings : 6 am - 8 pm Location:  

Little Mount, before Saidapet Court

https://littlemountshrine.org/

#KnowYourCity, #KnowYourChennai- Magnificent Churches of Chennai City - Part- 2 - Luz Church, Mylapore, Chennai

1.  Commonly referred to as the ‘Church of Our Lady of Light,’ the Luz Church was built by the Portuguese in the year 1516. 
2. Though it was renovated under the British rule, the architecture that we see at present has typical Portuguese designs. 
3. According to folklore, when Portuguese sailors were once caught in the rough sea, they saw a bright white light that guided them to the shore. 
4. Later, a church was constructed at the same place after a few years.
5. Besides the main altar, which is the key attraction of the church, the structure has beautiful patterns of Baroque ornamentation and Gothic arches. 
6. The gilt-carved wooden reredos cover the entire wall behind the altar and look beautiful.
7. Every year, on the 15th of August, a grand mass and car procession is organized to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Light
8. Location: Mylapore, Chennai
9. Timings: 08:00 am – 11:00 am, 01:00 pm – 05:00 pm (All days of the week)
10. Denomination/Affiliation: Roman Catholic

Chennai International Book Fair 2023- A annual ritual of visit to the world of books

Pics says it all.   Missed the Notion Press stall this year in the book fair, or probably, I missed being at the right stall.  Enjoyed Queer Publishing Stall,  been to Emerald Publishers owner by my friend Nalini Olivannan and Went in search of Sixth Sense Publications and happy to find the Chennai Bloggers club book - "After the floods'' which had 21 authors writing the anthology and happy being one amongst them.  It feels good to find your book amidst millions of the books in the Book fair !!!

First time the LGBTQ community found a voice at the International Book Fair,  The Queer Publishing stall was quite a big turn for inclusivity in the society.  It makes me feel proud of our Constitution for providing equal rights to all human beings in India.  I know the struggle these trans sisters had on the first couple of days of the book fair, but glad they won their way and finally are able to make few sales for the books through the stall

Felt happy meeting Perivavallavan's mother at the fair and appreciated her for the longest legal battle she fought and won for her son.   I am no one to comment on a judicial proceeding and aftermath long judicial custodies of those involved in a former Prime Minister's assassination.  

But the resilience of the mother, to single handedly fight, run behind court rooms and hearing after hearing., fighting for appeals, went for Presidential Plea and knocked the doors of every politician in search of justice for her son.  The mother showed utmost belief in justice, waited almost 30 long years, amidst long struggle for justice, managing the household, losses and unsurmountable hurdles her way.   

People were amazed to her will and courage, wisdom to understand complex IPC sections to support their case.  She did not hesitate to travel the length and breadth of the country seeking justice.   She left behind her typical shyness, and wore a sleeve of grit and determination with single motive to set her son free before she dies.  She walked thousands of miles and joined every call with the voices of justice,  and she emerged as victorious as any other woman in the history pages of India.  

Jai Ho, to the mothers of this Nation who take on courage as the only weapon as they fight the battles of life.    Jai Ho, to the mothers, who inspite of their own pain, withstand the turbulences to protect their children and families..  Jai Ho to the mothers, all around the world, who keep the wellbeing of the family first than themselves.   Jai Ho every mother,...to my grandmother who raised me, my mother who taught me,  my sisters who mothered me with wisdom and support,  to my daughter, who mothers me with the generational gap knowledge and mother in me who craves to provide love to all around.   Jai Ho Maa Darthi....Jai Ho Mother Earth!!!!  

Thanks to my better half who ensures we visit the book fair every year!!!

It was also so nice to Giri Traders stall having Pooniyan Selvan in English translated by Ms. Sumeetha Manikandan.  

Enjoy Reading..Paper back is the best!!!  Authors, keep writing...The Mighty Pen is powerful than the sword!!!

A Journey of Corporate Woman to Entrepreneur - 4th Edition of "Chat with Umasree Raghunath" in JAIMAA Times 17 Jan 2023

 #jaimaaTimes #umasreeraghunath

#weeklycolumn

Talking to one super woman every week for sure is keeping me highly motivated.

JAIMAA Times weekly edition carries 4th edition of "Chat with Umasree Raghunath" with Niraimathi, Executive Director of Zyvana Integrated Services...

women around do not stop surprising and felt so good connecting with her discussing Entrepreneur challenges and more so when they move in from the l

ucrative corporate career!... With Bala Chandar

#BookReview : The Powerful, The Powerless by Shiva Dhuli

 

The Book -  “The Powerful, The Powerless”  indicates the larger divide in the society between haves and have-nots.   This fictional novel contains characters which are seen around us in daily lives.   The characters those represent the top layer of politicians and corrupted system  and the downtrodden who are suppressed and kept suppressed always by the society for no fault of theirs.  

The Poor remains Poorer, and The Rich becomes Richer.     The darker side of our thinking is clearly brought out in the novel, which is for serious readers and deep thinkers.  The power struggle politicians who use powerless underprivileged lot for their own benefits is clearly brought out in the novel.  

Not many writers can weave this story brining in the harsh realities of life.   This fiction is not for fun reading but for people who have thinking about the hard lives around us, show empathy and try to be good at least within our levels of control.

Summary of the Story.

The story starts in the hospital beds of two people waiting for their time to get the organs for transplantation and ending up talking about the story of the person who seems to be powerful at beginning but of the most powerless background.  They pray for miracles in life.   The main characters Bharat and the Government man Kanskumars is introduced to us from here.  Bharat starts narrating his story to Pasupathi in the hospital ward, about his story, struggle, losses, and everything that can be sad in one’s life. 

The transition of a destitute boy, abused in childhood, traumatised as a teen, and transforms into a well-educated professor is the picture we get from the story of Bharat.   How a politician can destroy the world of a commoner for his greed and political upliftment, how the love world of this young man shatters with murders, kidnaps, and killings.   Eventually how he gets framed for a  murder someone else does and murder is made to look like a suicide.    The repeated scenarios that show the pathetic circumstances that evolve around the protagonist, and despite of all the odds, spends time with hope and revival  in life.   Shiva Dhuli weaves this tragic situation around us, and we can find many Kanskumars and Bharaths around us!!

Circle of connecting dots

1.      Political incorrectness with all its corruption, greed, and heartlessness

2.     The great divide between the working class, labourers and politically and financially rich is portrayed in dept.

3.     The story strongly supports the title of the book

4.     Journalist tragedies, erasing of judicial evidence and portrayal of the characters wrongdoing is clearly brought out.

5.     How government and opposition, always try to rub on the mud slings on each other and trying to dispose of each other convenient for their political vendetta.  

6.     It is not just the powerless, but also the struggle of the powerful to remain at power.    They represent lack of justice, spreading of hatred and evil around us

7.     To me, personally, the story has a gripping view of the society and some chapters felt dragging and the reader would love to have a speed in the story.  However, for this kind of a serious subject, you can introduce all characters at once and rush into the sequential events.

8.     Shiva Dhuli, clearly brings out the uncertainty and continuous suffering of the downtrodden and how society in general, ensure that the poor remain poorer.    There is no known mystery but an unending misery that is deeply conveyed

9.     This novel showcases the realities in life, which we fail to acknowledge around us

10.  Final say:   good novel to read.  To think.  To redeem few things around us if we can.     Fortunately, to a reader who is sensitive it will hit straight in their head for some deep thinking.   Unfortunately for readers who do not like serious stuff, this book can be lengthy and not to the speed.   But be prepared to unwind with the unfortunate power struggle, powerlessness, and nothing in our power to control anything powerful around us. 

I brought the novel from Amazon India .   Good work Shiva Dhuli.  More power to your pen!!!