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My Journey towards cracking PMP® in 1st attempt

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Ouchitya Karan || Gurgaon, 28.May..2023 For any project manager, passing the Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification test on the first try is a wonderful accomplishment. To ace the test on the first try, a lot of commitment, effort, and preparation are needed. I'll describe my road to passing the PMI PMP test on my first try in this blog. Step 1: Eligibility Criteria and Exam Preparation The first step towards getting PMP certified is to meet the eligibility criteria set by the Project Management Institute (PMI). I had to ensure that I met the requirements of having a minimum of three years of experience in project management, a bachelor's degree, and completing 35 hours of project management education. Then, I started preparing for the exam. I perused Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep book and studied the PMP Exam Content Outline. I also studied PMBOK, and Agile Practice Guide. Instead of enrolling in a commercial PMP Exam Prep course, I've started exploring th

How To Build A Culture Of Quality - A Holistic Approach

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Ouchitya Karan || Gurgaon, 17.Feb.2023 Every company strives for quality in its products, services, staff, and reputation, but it’s easier said than done. It can be quite easy to add it as your corporate slogan, publish it on your website, provide witty quotes about it across company break rooms, and even include whole sections about it in employee handbooks. But a true culture of quality must become embedded in the very psyche of every employee and carried across all aspects of the organization. To accomplish this, companies must take a holistic approach to quality. It must be peer-driven, supported by the highest corporate echelons, graciously rewarded, and comprise all aspects of the company: people, processes, products, and services. Since a culture of quality has significant financial repercussions also,  how can companies reach a state of nirvana when it comes to quality? Following are the tips for deploying a strategic quality management program: 1. Define your core quality valu

5 Quality Management Tips For the Automotive Industry

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Ouchitya Karan || Gurgaon, 08.Feb.2023 The automotive industry is believed to be an industry wherein consumers’ feedback regarding the quality of auto products and services is key in the sales process. High-quality and responsive offerings allow industry players to achieve profits and continued growth.  Yet to achieve production efficiency and maintain favorable clientele feedback, several aspects of a business’ processes would need optimization. From policies to manufacturing lines, it’s recommended that every automotive company make quality assurance an integral component of business management through smart operating decisions and practices. Quality management encompasses every aspect of doing business – covering internal departments, partner manufacturers, and the like. It generally includes routine quality checks to ensure that every working cog meets all safety standards, prototype specifications, and the like before rolling out a given product or service.  Continue reading to le

Coping with the Emotional Impact of a Layoff

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  Ouchitya Karan || Gurgaon, 05.Feb.23 Emotional Effects of Being Laid Off Being laid off can be an overwhelming and stressful experience of loss and change. For some people, a layoff could be a welcome relief from a difficult job situation or looked at as potential for moving on in their life. But for others a job loss can have a significant emotional impact. While people deal with change and stress in many different ways, the following is a short list of possible emotional, psychological and physical responses that one may experience. EMOTIONAL REACTIONS Anxiety Shock/Disbelief Irritability Anger Frustration Resistance Sadness Fear Loss of enjoyment or appreciation Feelings of worthlessness Loss of self esteem Shame PHYSICAL REACTIONS Fatigue Headaches Weight loss/gain Sleep disturbance Upset stomach Muscle pain Nausea Tips for Coping Maintain Supportive Relationships Talk with friends and family and let important people in your life know what is going on Accepting help and support f

Hard Work Vs Smart Work

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  Ouchitya Karan || Gurgaon, 30.Aug.2021 "W ithout hard work, nothing grows but weeds." said Gordon B. Hinckley which clearly states the importance of consistency and hard work if you want to achieve good in your life. But working hard doesn't always offer success on a plate for you, if not applied with brains. So the debate is going on which one to prefer Hard Work or Smart Work. Hard Worker: A hard worker is a person who consistently works towards what he perceives to be worth working, regardless of how dynamic the situation might be. Success for the Hard Worker doesn't come overnight but only after putting in long hours at work and depriving himself of the comforts of life.   Smart Worker: Allen F. Morgenstern said way back in the 1930s “ work smarter… not harder ”. The reason behind it is that a smart worker is a person who works towards what he perceives to be worth working for and applies his brain and efforts in the most efficient manner with the help of integr

Privatisation of Public Sector in India: A right step or selling family silver?

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Ouchitya Karan || Gurgaon, 29.Aug.2021 I ndia has a mixed economy in which both Private and Public Sectors exist especially in the areas of Banking, Telecom, Road Transport, Education, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Education among others. Many Business analysts and experts on Economy are of the view that privatisation  could speed up economic growth with the increase in competition while number of them find that the privatisation  could bring more problems like unemployment taking the economy backwards due to its inherent issues. Reigniting this age-old debate, on February 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “Government has no business to be in business”. So, should India opt for privatisation or continue with the current system?  But before we discuss the Pros and Cons, it is very important to read PM Modi’s speech.   “Government has no business to be in business” Highlights from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address on February 24, 2021   “When public sector enterprises were started