I like this year noble prize in Physics given for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources because I can relate to this invention which can impact me.

Few Observations

1. We all know that LED lights have 20 to 50 times more Life as well as 5 to 10 times lower power consumption. Longer life and Lower power is a dream for any product invention.

2. I learnt that The LED invention is about knowing Chemistry more than Physics. It was usage of Galium Nitride instead of Galium Phosphide which generated the light by activating certain types of electron. Thus for inventions – Connecting the dots across knowledge circles becomes important.

3. After a long time Japanese invention brought a noble prize. Can we relate that Japanese thinking process of Higher Efficiency, Higher efficiency, higher efficiency brought this invention.

(Here is an article published in Connect – our in-house newsletter) 

The vast expanse of stars and celestial bodies have tantalized man’s curiosity for eons. Indians particularly, have explored and attempted to de-mystify the planetary secrets for ages through keen observation of their movements and recorded the influence on earthly beings. Mars – known as ‘Mangal’ in India – the diffident, red-faced neighbour of our planet has evaded several attempts of humans in the past from entering its orbit and probing its mysteries. Only a few have succeeded thus far. Yet, ISRO’s (Indian Space Research Organisation) Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) – fondly called ‘Mangalyaan’ back home – successfully entered the Martian orbit in the very first attempt. But that’s not the only reason why the entire nation and world is talking so much about ‘Mangalyaan’ right now.

This critical space probe mission has all ingredients of a perfectly planned and executed project. One cannot set aside the fact that the overall cost of sending MOM into Martian orbit falls under $75m. That is less than how much money it took to make the movie Gravity (says scoopwhoop.com)! All the necessary equipment required for the mission was made to fit around a 1300 kg weight limit. From obtaining government approval to final execution, the entire feat was achieved in less than 15 months!

It is remarkable to think of how this zero-defect accomplishment was made in such short time period and at such low cost. The Indian space agency has achieved what American, European and Russian agencies could not. This success has indeed elevated the status of the “Made in India” label and placed us on a high pedestal in the global arena.

The reason why we are so excited about this phenomenal success in the Polaris banyan is because it humbles us, inspires us and exhibits very visible connect with our value systems – breaking limiting beliefs, achieving a perfect design, delivery excellence, getting first time right, zero-defect and extreme execution.

At the core of any successful project lies good design. The extent of collaboration within multiple teams involved in this project deserves applause to begin with. The efficiency with which the operations were handled is an essential lesson in the power of planning and skill of precision. Every single element used to build this spacecraft and launch it into space was accurately engineered to deliver extreme performance. The amount of risk taken and managed is awe-inspiring. It feels exhilarating to say that this can happen only in India.

There are lot of learnings to gain from this magnificent success story. The tremendous efforts, the commitment, the focus, the vision, the humility, the team work. And we are determined to take this far and deep into our practices to continue breaking grounds for all our customers. If the complexity of astrophysics can be dealt with so deftly, simplicity in financial technology can be achieved by adoption of the same principles.

Coming soon: Arun Jain’s take on the Mars mission – Mangal Pandey to Mangalyaan

The basic requirements while preparing any meal are simple – it must be nutritious, have variety, and must be easy to digest. A right proportion of all the ingredients that are mixed appropriately and heated at the right temperature for the right span of time satisfy all the requirements mentioned above.

Let us consider South Indian food. For instance, let us take an example of Sambar rice. Comprising of 1/3^rd dal and 2/3^rd rice, and some vegetables, this meal is without doubt a nutritious and healthy meal. However, the complexities in preparing this dish arises in the form of mixing the right proportion of all ingredients and boiling it for the appropriate amount of time, preservation of unused material, and fresh presentation every time.

A smart South Indian housewife cooks white rice only once and converts it into tamarind rice by using tamarind spices, or into coconut rice by using coconut gratings, or into lemon rice by adding lemon spices, thus providing variety.

Consider another example of Dosa. Using the dosa batter, different varieties of Dosa can be prepared. In fact, various recipes from the same dosa mix (different fermentation levels lead to preparation of different recipes) lead to zero waste.

While preparing any recipe, be it dosa or rice, the main focus must be on Planning and Usage of expertise at the right time i.e. preparation of the right dosa mix twice a week and preparation of the right masala mix for rice recipes.

More than 5 recipes can be derived from the same dosa mix and more than 18 recipes can be derived from the same white rice. This ‘expertise driven’ cooking model ensures ‘rich variety’ in ‘less time’ and ‘re-usability’ to present a ‘customized’ recipe each time.

Similarly, a Solution Architect has to Define Clear and referencible objectives (recipe), identify core ingredients (ingredients used to prepare the dish on the recipe), reduce complexities (eliminate unnecessary ingredients that would affect the quality of the dish), spot adversaries or constraints (failure points), and create efficient solutions within the defined constraints (cook at the right temperature for the right duration of time).

What is Management?

Management is nothing but managing  EGO, Greed and Fear.

Two of the four Kashaya or Negative properties of Human mind.

It may look to be more than these two like

1. Building and nurturing Aspiration
2. Aligning the goals to produce effective Action
3. Creating some value for the Humanity for which you can charge.

EGO here can be defined as ‘I am Different’. Most of management books are delivered on “Techniques of Being Different”

Greed is nothing but Fuel which drives people to become different.