Two Budgets

Financial budget is okay and Finance Minister has done a reasonable job. Finance minister can allocate money for various sectors and a lot of mathematics and past trend must have been taken into the account, so I do not find any reason to criticize it.

What we need is: How to ensure that money reaches to allocated destination? We need administrative reforms for this. Everybody has its own eyes on UID project. The failure of this project will be victory of people who are averse to administrative reforms.

Well - I was expecting finance minister to offer tax savings for any individual/corporate if they invest in skill development programs. Skill development is need of the hour. India needs skilled people rather than educated people. I am talking about enjoyability of an individual. We should have someway to measure it.

I do not find any relevance of Railway Budget. It is a launching platform to become chief minister of the state you have dreamed for long.

We need to improve speed of our trains at least by 40% in next 2 years. Otherwise Road transport will overwhelm railways and trains will rum empty.

You Managing Projects or Projects Managing You!!

Well! Nothing to insult anybody's work as a Project Manager. I see project management as an art where you have to constantly learn by "what works" rather than "what are the normal practices". The most important factor is operating environment which changes very rapidly and often we fail to notice the changes and how it is impacting my project with the same pace.

Project Management is a simple thing in an ideal world but we do not live in an ideal world. As mode of communications are increasing, I feel more is communication gap and more confusion leading to chaos. Additionally, I feel we Indians have by nature poor skills as Project Manager barring one, Mr. E. Sreedharan.

I searched in old Hindi/Sanskrit literature about project management. I didn't find anything. Then I looked at various processes in Hindu Marriage and how these are carried day-by-day. If you look at a Hindu marriage by project management angle, you will get insights into what project management basics our old sages would have taught.

1) The first thing is - no parallel processing. Every process is pre-planned and pre-defined by a Pandit and it can't be changed unless something goes wrong in either family.

2) Role Definition: Roles are very clear. There is no ambiguity on which task will be carried by whom.

3) Time Management: Pandit has defined time for every event in advance. People do back calculation and make prior arrangement.

So, what I conclude is: Project Management is all about doing basic things correctly. If you try to do things faster or parallel, you may make your boss happy but it is more or less certain that you will screw lives of less mortals here or there. Project Management is doing things as it should be without being over smart.

Risk Scenario and how to handle it

The October 2008 successfully transferred the risk from private bank's balance sheets to government balance sheets.

The game has began with President Obama declaring a budget with huge deficit. President Obama is walking on a thin rope and I wish him all the best to him.

My simple statement is: Things are too much confused...The risk has gone to government. The bankers are back to huge bonus days. So, who suffered at the end of the day? The public is still suffering with unemployment and high inflation may add up if government is forced to pay higher interest on the bonds. High interest will led to higher unemployment and ...

The government should force banks to pay a levy or extra tax because government has been forced to save these banks. The government must not use public money to save these banks but it should use money from a separate fund collected through new tax.

RBI is indeed smarter the way it has controlled Indian banking system. It has beautifully balanced growth with safety. And It has forced banks and bankers to forget one word which is root of all financial chaos - 'Banker Greed'

Changing contours of Communication

As you move up in the organization and talk to ED or Group Chiefs or business heads, it becomes very important to listen what is not being said.

Yeah...more often than not, when I have thought from this perspective, it helps me to find out what may be going in their minds and how to deliver according to it.

I have found we indians are shy and we do not criticise somebody brazenly who is doing a decent job. We are poor in communication with emotions always involved. So, even bosses at that level will tell you - you did a good job. At the max, they will suggest you minor enhancements but the devil lies in their pauses and in their indications.

What you think is 'end of the road' is just the bend in the road. If you do not read it then, somebody else will and he will go beyond you.

So, please listen carefully to what is not being said. Rest will follow. However, contextual relevance is importance.