Q What are some of your short term priorities?
The key challenges are to arrange long-term power availability and achieve
full customer satisfaction, in existing power shortage scenario resulting in
high power costs; to build competitive advantage through transparent and
value-add services; to find technical solutions for theft of electricity and
reduction of AT&C losses; and to maintain leadership position on technology in
Distribution business.
QHow critical a role does technology play to achieve a company's vision?
It is a part of R-Infra mission to become a technology-driven company;
attain global best practices and become a world-class utility; and create
world-class assets and infrastructure to provide the platform for faster,
consistent growth for India. R-Infra is already one of the best utility
companies in India that sets pioneering benchmarks in the use of technology
within the organization. It boasts of extensive use state-of-the-art technology
platforms such as ISU-CCS (a unique integrated billing and customer care
software from SAP), GIS, SCADA, DMS (Distribution Management System) etc.
Innovative services and initiatives have been integrated with these platforms to
provide several transparent, accessible, customer-friendly and value-add
services to our customers. Some of the examples of use of IT in tackling our
challenges include: accurately forecasting of power requirement on day ahead
basis; exploiting the existing IT tools in data collection; analysis and
developing applications for more efficient functioning of the business; and
looking out for newer technologies and applications in distribution business.
QWhat is your approach towards IT solution deployment to match business
requirements?
Top management encourages the IT department to carry out new developments
aligned to the vision of the organisation. It follows a PLAN — DO — CHECK — ACT
approach.
PLAN — IT Department is involved in the strategic planning and budgeting
process in order to meet the business objectives and formulation of IT
architecture. This helps in aligning its mission of becoming a 'Technology
driven organisation'. Top management involvement has helped to build credible
Decision Support Systems (DSS) at R-Infra that enables us to build an agile
organisation. We also encourage the IT team to identify best-in-class practices
for use of technology available world-wide, and facilitates its deployment at
R-Infra.
DO — All end-user departments and support functions are encouraged to work
with the IT department as a team, to suggest innovative use of existing
state-of-the-art technology platforms for enhancing process capabilities and
launching a range of value-add services for customers.
CHECK — The management reviews the performance of the key IT initiatives and
the performance of the IT department during weekly and monthly reviews. Head-IT
is one of the operating board members, constituted by the top management to
review business operations on monthly basis.
ACT — We encourage continual improvement in processes, services and products
through use of technology and innovation.