Chapter 4 – Tips From A Grand Father To His Grownup Grand Children- By Col (Retd) Bhaskar Sarkar VSM

Chapter 4: Efficiency

To understand efficiency, first we must understand the fundamental relationship between output, process and input as it pertains to the consultancy service. The relationship is diagrammatically represented below.

               OUTPUT <————– PROCESS <——— INPUTS

The Output is the end result we want. It can be design of a house, chicken dish or passing examinations.

Process is the method we adopt to get the output. Let us say that the output we want is a new dress. We can 

adopt different processes to get the output. We can buy a readymade one at a shop; we can go to a tailor and get one stitched or stich it ourself.

Inputs can be classified into five categories; men, material, money, machines and time.

To start with we decide what is the output that we want? Then we decide on a process and provide the inputs. Let us take a few examples.

We are responsible to provide the inputs. If the inputs are not available, even the best process cannot produce the desired output.

Overall efficiency = Output / Input = Fee / Cost. The man hour required for a particular job depends of the following:

Knowledge / skill of person. An expert designer will do a design faster than a junior design engineer.

Clarity of briefing. If the task is not properly understood, the chances are that the work would have to be done more than once. This is inefficient and adds to cost.

Quality of Equipment. Better the equipment, less will be the time taken to get the output.

If We want efficiency in operation, we must learn to look beyond cost to cost / benefit. Cheapest or the most expensive is not always the best solution. 

A proper briefing to the person doing a task is most vital. If the task or output required is not understood, the task will have to be done more than once. Extra time spent in detailed briefing is never wasted. If the management is not clear about the output it wants, it can never get it. It is always necessary to check back if instructions have been understood. Communication is not what has been said but what has been understood.

We must be clear about the output we seek. For example, if a 5 kg washing machine meets our requirement, we should not buy a 7.5 kg one. When it wants to buy a computer, they must know who is going to use it and what should be its configuration.

We must be willing to provide resources for what we want. Those tasked are not magicians. They can only produce results if required resources are provided.

We must understand the concept of matching or coordinating resources. This is particularly so when we employ a tradesman like a carpenter or painter to do something but have not procured materials for the task. Such unseen wastes add to cost and lower efficiency.

We must also understand the difference between a perfect solution versus a workable solution. Perfection requires a lot of effort which means a lot of time and perhaps money. Since resources, particularly time is limited, seeking perfection in one activity often results in neglect of other activities like spending time with family, taking physical exercise, sharing house hold chores and spending time on forecasting and planning. Seeking a perfect solution can sometimes lead to inability to meet deadlines. Finding a perfect life partner is almost impossible.

We will teach you 12 chapters written by Col Bhaskar Sarkar in 12 different posts on Khabaratganj.com