Business Excellence at Tata Power-DDL

"Business Excellence" (BE) is an integral part of Business Management and is the application of Quality Management theory and tools to run our business more efficiently. Business Excellence is the culture of Tata Power-DDL, which works as an enabler to our commitment to higher customer satisfaction, increase in stakeholder value and better process management through the never-ending cycle of continual improvement.

Business Excellence Maturity Index (BEMI) is an integrated framework which comprise of business excellence practices across Total Quality Management (TQM), Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Accreditations. The thought of customer driven business objectives & strategies, and continual & breakthrough improvement are being promoted through a range of BE initiatives.

1. Policy Management

The concept of Policy Management (PM) comes from Japanese word Hoshin Kanri. Hoshin means Policy / Direction and Kanri means Management. PM helps in development of the business plans which is driven by the Senior Leadership Team and cascaded across the organization. Under the PM framework at Tata Power-DDL, 3-year Mid-Term Plan (MTP) is set with defined business goals which is cascaded into Annual Business Plans. PM projects are undertaken by distributed leadership and mentored & reviewed by Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to achieve the defined business goals.

2. Daily Management

The vehicle of Daily Management (DM) is required to effectively achieve the objectives with regard to the job that every job unit of the organization is charged with. It helps for sustaining the improvements achieved through Policy Management (PM) and strengthens Continual Improvement. Daily Management at Tata Power-DDL aids the managers in closely monitoring the day to day / routine activities carried out as per defined processes through a fact-based approach. The Daily Management Quality Improvement Plan (DMQIP) is a comprehensive document aimed towards improving the quality of DM activities at Tata Power-DDL. It focuses on enhancing processes, efficiency, and overall performance on a day-to-day basis.

3. Improvement Management

Improvement Management (IM) is a systematic approach to identifying, planning, implementing, and monitoring changes aimed at enhancing an organization's efficiency, effectiveness, and overall performance. It involves the use of various tools, methodologies, and strategies to drive positive changes across different aspects of the organization, including processes, products, services, and people. SHINERGY is a dedicated in-house platform for registering and managing Quality Improvement projects being executed by workforce (TPDDL / BA) based on SHINE framework which offers a clear roadmap to identify, execute, and monitor improvement projects that align with our core values and business objectives.

4. Education & Training

In our journey towards achieving excellence through TQM implementation, it was necessary for employees to thoroughly understand & learn the various aspects of Quality. To instill a culture of quality and bolster TQM awareness, Tata Power-DDL established the Centre for Quality Excellence (CENQUEx) in FY 20-21 under the BE & TQM Department. This dedicated Training Cell was formed to drive excellence and promote TQM principles across the organization. A systematic framework outlining the “Level-wise Certification Programs on TQM Concepts & Applications” for Tata Power-DDL and BA workforce is developed to serve as a comprehensive reference guide for implementing and structuring training content.

5. Knowledge Management

The BE & TQM team facilitates and monitors the key approaches and organization level efforts on Knowledge Management (KM). We introduced SEEKH as a platform for learning and sharing knowledge. SEEKH is based on the principles of ‘Community of Practices’, wherein team members of a Group / District meet to share knowledge. Learning shared in SEEKH sessions are captured and stored in GYAN SANGAM 2.0(Integral Part of Sanchay) for sharing across Knowledge communities.

Gyan Sangam is the central Knowledge Repository and is equipped with key features such as Discussion Forums, Subscription to interested K-Communities, and sharing of Knowledge Documents based on SEEKH (KM framework) at Tata Power-DDL for systematic, effective management and utilization of an organization’s knowledge resources.

EDGE portal is a platform which is a repository of knowledge assets as well as serves as an Enterprise Social Network for the Tata group. The aim was also to share and learn good practices through structured documents as well as interactive content such as narratives, blogs, and Q&As.

6. Visual Management

The concept of '5S' has created a revolution in many industries including at Tata Power-DDL by enabling the establishment of Workplace and Visual Management at the organizational level. This practice has been implemented across offices, Grids, Sub Stations, etc. has helped in the reduction in waste and helping us in improving quality. Tata Power-DDL has introduced 6S concept, a modification of the 5S methodology which includes "Safety" as the 6th S. The added focus on Safety shall help to reduce further the risk of an incident resulting in Safe workplace.