Essay 1: Pre-Read

If we were to admit just one more student, make a compelling argument as to why the student should be you by describing an (only one) achievement in your personal/professional life that you are most proud of. What did you do that sets you apart from others? What did you learn? 400 words

After successfully delivering my responsibilities for GenX Nano, I was moved to Tata ZICA. It was significantly different from my previous projects in terms of design, complexity and scale. We had to manufacture two completely different platforms (Nano & ZICA) on a single line. The idea was to optimize the utilisation of existing Nano assets to compensate for its underperformance. I worked on transforming the single model line to a highly flexible multi model line, which is now an internal benchmark.

The project required a different skill set for quality and craftsmanship proving. We were given training by three experts from Jaguar Land Rover on Dimensional Variance Analysis (DVA). I lead a team of three for developing the DVA model to identify issues early at the design stage and have a flawless launch. In our presentation to the Project Director, Technical Director and Engineering team we proved that design stood at 56% as against the target of 100% PIST (Percentage Indices within Specified Tolerance). Thereafter for four months we intensively worked in CFTs to resolve issues and achieved the target.

We developed a new cluster methodology for body accuracy measurement that was 60% faster and represented true body quality. I lead two events - namely Screwbody (in South Korea) and FTN (Fit to Normal) - to prove the new methodology. It was also reviewed by Principal Engineers of Land Rover and they got so impressed by the time saving that they took our drawings for reference; personally this was my biggest achievement for our two year's hard work. Subsequently the new method was horizontally deployed in Pune plant. I could learn the importance of PDCA cycle and difference between a methodological and an unplanned attempt. It made me a firm believer of the saying, "Quality cannot be coincidence, it can only be the result of concentrated efforts”.

Leading quality maturation for ZICA gave me the exposure to various phases of car making and many industry experts. I could develop a holistic approach to problem solving which enhanced my troubleshooting skills. Through ISB’s comprehensive course and global faculty pool I intend to improve my critical and integrative skills that can help me develop a continuum of strategy, action, review and evaluation for addressing problems in any field. ISB’s experimental learning model combined with my leadership and analytical abilities can be a Launchpad for providing rapid advancement and actuating an upshift in my career.

Essay 2: Pre-Read

Describe a (only one) defining moment in your personal/professional life when you had to make a risky decision, and explain what you did and what was the outcome? 300 words

A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for. Tata ZICA is an important pillar of our design-next philosophy and because of my risk taking abilities, I was appointed to lead its VTTO (Vendor Tooling Try Out) in South Korea for hemming, one of the most critical processes in aesthetic development of a car. As ZICA was a completely new car, the aesthetic development was critical for its timely launch.

When we started trials the initial samples were significantly below the expected levels. This was due to both poor panel quality and equipment issues. Although the key focus for VTTO was to improve hemming equipment, the maturation could not be started because of substandard part quality. There were two choices, either we waited for the correct parts or we shipped the hemming dies without sufficient trials and did the maturation in India. Waiting for three months would delay the project and shipping the dies without maturation could be risky, time consuming and cost intensive. Understanding the impact on product’s time to market, I prepared a risk mitigation plan for quality improvement in India. I backed my plan with advance cost approvals and combined it with increasing capability of our tool room and managing hemming experts throughout the trial.

Although I was grilled for quality, cost and timeline pressures, I learnt to balance among the three. I understood importance of prioritization for delivering quality targets. This not only improved my debugging abilities but also enhanced my managerial skills. Customer focus became an important variable in my decision making. My biggest learning about focus on contingency plans came from the decisions which failed to meet our expectations. Finally, as a team, the plant is now capable of a complete maturation cycle and the learnings are useful during mass manufacturing.

Essay 3: Pre-Read What are your post ISB plans and how will your past experiences and the Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) contribute to taking you there? 300 words

Having gained experience in technical manufacturing and having a good sense of challenged – I would like to combine it with a better sense of business and leverage it to work within supply chain or product management roles to better purpose my skills. I intend to work in e-commerce, manufacturing or FMCG industries offering roles in Strategic Planning, General Management, Operations or Logistics. Thereafter, I plan to work upwards towards heading operations for a multinational firm. In the long term my plan is to become a functional expert and work as an independent consultant in Strategy and Operations.

In the past three years I have extensively worked upon product development of three passenger vehicles. Right from concept finalization through styling, design, prototype development to mass manufacturing, I have seen the complete cycle of car making. On the basis of previous learnings, I could identify risks early in project that helped us prepare for a flawless launch. Having attained the technical skills, I would like to develop my business outlook that will catapult me in a role that that fits me better and drives me towards my long term goals.

I strongly believe the Indian School of Business is among the few colleges in Asia-Pacific that can give me the global outlook and career upshift I am searching for. The highbrow global faculty pool can help me reinforce fundamentals and steer my career in the right direction. The comprehensive course and experimental learning model can help me learn better management practices. Core courses in Operations Management will refine my knowledge and the LEAD program will fortify my leadership skills. The ecosystem at ISB would be a strong boost to my immediate goals and the dense alumni network can help me establish my medium and long term goals.

Essay 4: Pre-Read - OPTIONAL

Please use this space to provide any other information not covered elsewhere in the application that could significantly impact your candidature at ISB.Note: It is not necessary for you to write this essay. Please use this space only if there is something really significant that you would like us to know. (200 words max)

In 2011 (third year of undergraduate) I was elected as the Convener of Mindbend 2011, the annual technical festival of NIT Surat. It was renowned as the biggest technical festival of the state and coincidentally, its 2011 version coincided with the golden jubilee of my undergraduate school.

Mindbend over 16 years had witnessed a diverse national crowd of more than 1000 students. We decided not only to triple in terms of numbers but also to scale-up the events, prizes money and quality of lectures. In order to promote innovative measures from budding technocrats we partnered with leading industries and colleges. Featuring the golden jubilee, two international teams performed at the opening ceremony. The event saw a mega quiz and an unconventional film making event. We also had a social cause E-Wastage drive associated with the festival.

I led a team of 6 core members, 12 event heads and more than 200 volunteers. For the four-day event we generated a sponsorship of more than 18 lakhs. I personally looked into critical departments as event design, sponsorship and publicity. Mindbend 2011 was budgeted at 43 lakhs, twice of its previous version and four times its older versions.