Lean operations, this subject has fascinated me since lecture one. I have a special connection with this subject, maybe because of my mechanical background or maybe because we have one of the best lean faculties teaching us and bringing his vast industry experience to the classroom. It was during one of his lectures I realised that lean concept are as much applicable in one’s life as they are in the industry. I realised that by applying lean concepts in my personal life I can improve my academic performance and relationships with friends & family. Soon I started observing how I spend my time and what are the things I do that do not add value to my life whether personal or professional. After a week of observation, I did an analysis. The results were an eye-opener, I found that I spend most of my time on activities that do not add any sort of value to my life. Then I took it a step further and decided to use lean concepts to improve my performance. I decided not to spend much time on things that do not add value, for example, social networking, Netflix, gossip, etc. rather I started focussing more on pre-readings for the day, lectures and case studies which is surely enhancing my learning experience. A small change like reading about the topic before the lecture has brought a significant change in the process of learning. I find it easier to understand the lecture and able to relate to it just because of a small change of reading beforehand. After learning the concept of KAIZEN I decided to bring small changes in my life like a daily walk after the dinner, reading at least three HBR articles in a week and waking up early. The changes I feel now is I feel healthier, I am nourishing my business acumen and I do not have to hurry for early classes as I have plenty of time. In addition, to measure the improvement in performance I set some parameters and one of my parameters is GPA, which went up from 6.43 to 7.86 just by applying these concepts.
When I think about a memorable classroom experience this is the one that pops up in my mind because of the changes it has brought with it. It could sound a little strange that I was able to connect to the subject in such a way that I started applying its concepts in my personal life. However, I believe learning is not restricted to the classroom only. If someone believes that s/he have learned a concept then s/he should be able to see its various applications in various fields and mine happens to be my personal life.
Which ABG company I would like to join?
Being a major in operations if I get to work for Ultratech Cement Limited, it would be a big opportunity for me, as I would get a chance to launch my career with the largest cement producer in India. This would provide me with a platform to show my talent and apply learnings from the classroom in the real world.
- Shubham Prajapati
