O&IP Core Application

Name : AMAN KUMAR

Roll No : CE16B116
Hostel : JAMUNA
Phone : 8428316508
Email Id : aknr97@gmail.com
Why do we conduct Shaastra ?

Shaastra is the annual technical festival of IIT Madras organized in the first week of
January every year. It is a festival of engineering that is celebrated for 4 days and
nights and consists of a huge variety of events , workshops , quizzes , shows ,
exhibitions , spotlight series , hackathons , summits and much more. It is the first
technical fest in the world to be ISO 9001:2015 certified. All of this makes Shaastra a
grand fest .

Shaastra was held for the first time in 2000. It's earlier two editions being with the
name of 'Pragma' held in 1997 and 1999 , whose success laid the foundations of
Shaastra. Shaastra plays an important role in the development of society and it is
conducted every year with the aim to fulfill the following :-

 To keep the Spirit of Engineering alive

 To keep the young minds Creative and Inquisitive
 Act as a platform for innovative engineers and entrepreneurs to showcase their
skills
 Motivate the budding engineers to go beyond limits in search of sustainable
and better future of the world

These reasons make Shaastra - need of the today for a beautiful tomorrow . It clearly
signifies Shaastra's importance . It is not organized to generate PoRs , but for the
improvement of the society and the entire world in which we live in. If we do not
conduct Shaastra next year , then following will be it's implications :-

 The future engineers and innovators will lose a remarkable platform to

learn, apply and recognize their skills
 About 400+ students of IIT Madras will lose an opportunity to learn the
management skills of organizing a technical fest of 40000+ footfall

Due to these reasons , it becomes a moral duty of a top engineering institution of this
country to organize this technical fest called Shaastra - The Spirit Of Engineering.
Vision for Shaastra 2020

My vision for Shaastra 2020 is " Improvement of all Stakeholder's experience of

Shaastra " . Special consideration should be given to the Organizing Team and
Participants which form the most important stakeholders of Shaastra , and we shall
make sure they enjoy the Shaastra to it's fullest.

The gap between future engineers and industry should be brought to minimum.
Shaastra shall promote social innovation along with advancement of technology with
the help of it's stakeholders , professors and entrepreneurs specially.

Shaastra in Future ( 5-10 years from now )

Shaastra should aim to become an international platform where people come down
to the land of IIT Madras to prove their scientific and technological skills. It will act
as a founder of the people who will come up with ground breaking ideas that will
change the world.

Shaastra will be admired by not only the Tech Society , but the entire world will praise
it's growth and development. It will not be just a Technical festival of IIT Madras ,
but the festival of each and every engineer and entrepreneur.
New initiatives for Shaastra

My major initiatives for Shaastra 2020 are as follows :-

 Hospitality : I would like to take Hospitality into O&IP department. There are
various reasons for this :
 Walker provides beds and bed sheets for participants
 Hospitality kit also have requirements which are usually arranged by
O&IP
 Booking of rooms is similar to booking of venues

Since all these works are done by O&IP , there is no point of having a separate team
to perform the same duties like us. Thus , Hospitality should be included as a sub
department of O&IP.

Hospitality Tasks are as follows :-

 Request to book rooms on the basis of registrations received online

from the hospitality portal
 If the rooms approved by CCW are more than required , then approve
all the requests on portal so that participants can make the payment and
confirm their accommodation
 Single room are given to 2 people and triple rooms to 5 people
 Updating the details of accommodation on hospitality portal
 Check in and Checkout update on portal by team
Team Structure of Hospitality

6-8
1 Head 5-10 Vols
Coordinators

 Revamping Sampark : Instead of organizing and completing the entire event

at the college , we should do a preliminary round there and invite the finalists
to come and enjoy the Shaastra. The finalists will not only come to participate
in their event but will increase the footfall of Shaastra. This will connect
Shaastra to other colleges in a better way.
Parameters of a successful Shaastra

Successful Shaastra is the Shaastra which fulfils all its objectives and satisfies the
expectations of all its stakeholders. Following are the few overall parameters which
makes Shaastra a grand success :-

 Footfall : Larger the audience of Shaastra , larger is its success.

 Sponsorship : More the sponsorship is raised , greater will be the limits which
can be crossed to make Shaastra successful.
 Social Media : Greater online publicity and huge likes on social media like
Facebook , Instagram.
 Press and Media Coverage : Number of publications in the news clearly
signifies the success of Shaastra.
 Budget : All the departments should be able to accomplish their objectives in
the allotted budget.

In addition to the above stated parameters , there are department parameters of a

grand Shaastra as well. These parameters are as follows :-

Department Objectives
Concept &  Attractive theme related ambience during Shaastra
Design  Good Interface Website and active social media handles like FB and
Instagram
 Fabulous videos, photos and teasers with considerable likes & shares
Envisage  Completion of projects in the stipulated time
 Publicity of Shaastra via these projects during Shaastra and outside
campus as well
Events  Increasing the quality and social impact of events
 Enough number of verticals to cover all the dimensions of
technology
Evolve  Conducting spotlight series with remarkable quality speakers
 Successfully implementing the new department and summit with
huge turnout from participants
Finance  Make sure Shaastra is held successfully within the budget constraint
 Payment and Reimbursements completed as soon as possible
Publicity &  Comfortable and smooth accommodation to all participants
Hospitality  Extensive coverage of Shaastra by Media
 Increasing reach of Sampark and Spark
O & IP  Optimization of all requirements and their proper recovery
 Providing requirements well before deadline
 Good quality of caterers
QMS  Make sure all the documentation and audit targets are met smoothly
 Updating of inter departmental activities regularly
Shows &  Interactive and engaging shows with huge turnouts
Exhibitions  Attractive gaming zone under TIF
 Conducting international exhibitions successfully
Sponsorship &  Raising high Sponsorship ( 90L+ )
PR  Successful Outreach campaigns
 Satisfaction to all the sponsors
Webops  Shaastra website with smooth user interface
 Developing all the portals well before time
 Shaastra App with easy to use features
Stakeholder Analysis for Shaastra

Majorly there are 6 stakeholders of Shaastra which are shown in the diagram below.
Following are the ways in which we can improve their interaction :-

 Organizing Team : It consists of all the students which make Shaastra happen
i.e. Cocas - Cores-Heads-Coordinators-Volunteers. The interaction among
the team members is essential for the success of any goal. All the cores should
make sure that their team is bonded together , hard working and punctual.

There should be informal sessions on a regular basis to make the team

bonded well. Treats will also help in this endeavor. Informal outings like trips
to nearby places also will help in building the sense of togetherness

Organizing Team

Partners Participants

Stakeholders

Media Vendors

Administration

 Participants : Participants include those of outside colleges and IITM students as

well who take part in events , workshops , competitions , etc. of Shaastra. They are
the most important stakeholders of Shaastra and hence their satisfaction is the
utmost priority.

Turnout of participants can be increased by good outreach campaigns , sampark ,

spark , etc. Arrangements should be make sure to provide them smooth and hassle
 free stay at IITM by giving them accommodation and engaging Shaastra for the
continuous 4 days. Timely distribution of certificates , prize money and caution
deposit would make sure they come again to celebrate Shaastra next year as well.

 Partners : They are the ones who give us the keys to open the Shaastra for everyone.
A good amount of sponsorship and kind deals lead to a successful Shaastra. Artists ,
speakers and Judges add the flavors to make Shaastra more professional.

Evolve , Shows & Exhibitions and Events team should make sure that quality people
come down to the land of Shaastra and give great insights and satisfaction to the
entire audience to make their experience joyful.

Sponsorship team should make sure that sponsors get all their deliverables on time
and feel satisfied. Their accommodation also should be taken care of genuinely.
Caterers should be given nice space to do business and their proposal should be
made in such a way that they join us again for next Shaastra as well.

 Vendors : They are the people who make deliver us all the basic requirements to us
as and when needed. Walker , Chandra , Kalyan , etc. to name a few. Coordinators
should make them as a friend as they are always there for us in times of needs.

We should make sure that we give them our requirements well before deadline so
that it is easy for them to deliver to us. Finance team should make sure that their
payments are done as soon as possible.

 Administration : It includes the dost office , Administration block , professors ,

HoDs , alumni and others who provide us with whatever help we need regarding
permissions , ideation of few events , judging a few as well.

We should meet them frequently and well before deadline to get our tasks done.
They will help us in all our needs if we ask them for help on appropriate times.

 Media : They help us a lot in getting coverage for Shaastra. Good media reach
means good footfall in Shaastra. We should make sure that articles regarding Shaastra
are published frequently in newspapers.
Plan to achieve a good bonding within the Shaastra team

Shaastra team is the backbone of all the events , workshops , lectures , competitions , etc.
that happen in Shaastra. In order to make Shaastra more successful than its previous
editions and impart a satisfying feeling to all its stakeholders , Shaastra team must work
together , hand in hand with each other towards the fulfillment of this common goal.

Following are the ways in which Shaastra team can be made more bonded :-

 Regular meetings of the team , department and core team as well , where each one
would discuss about their work , their lives and their plans. These meets will keep the
team , specially coordinators , connected with each other. Teams would become
more efficient in completing their tasks.
 Inter Department collaborations and sessions to foster team bonding among all
coordinators. These sessions will make all the teams connected and informative with
each other and their works as well.
Plan the Theme of Shaastra

Need of Theme : Shaastra organizes a huge variety of events , workshops , etc. Having a
theme associated with it would make Shaastra more organized and professional. Theme will
give Shaastra 'a direction' , all the events, lectures , competitions , etc will be held around the
center of a theme. This would streamline the work of Shaastra and improve its quality by
focusing on something.

My Theme for Shaastra 2020 : "Sustainability"

Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising on the needs
of future generations. It is a well known fact that we are exploiting the resources available to
us in an uncontrolled manner, without thinking about its implications on future.

Our environment is getting depleted to a great extent and it is high time that we start taking
initiative to stop this before future turn into full darkness. United Nations had already
launched the list of Sustainable goals that we have to accomplish by 2030 ( target set by UN
). Now it's time of Shaastra to contribute to this endeavor and promote a sustainable world.
Role of Shaastra departments to "Sustainability" can be made in the following manner :-

• Inviting Speakers who promote Sustainability

Evolve •Organizing Summit related to Sustainability

• Making projects on Sustainability

Envisage •Incorporating theme into their show

• Ideating and organizing events and workshops related to the

Events theme

•Conducting Shows that highlight importance of Sustainability

Shows & Exhibitions • Bringing exhibits from sustainable organizations

•Designing Shaastra ambience related to the theme

Concept & Design • Releasing videos and photos related to the theme

• Launching social campaigns related to theme

Sponsorship & PR • Cracking deals with companies that promote sustainability

• Incorporation of Sustainability theme into website and

Webops Shaastra app

O & IP • Make sure minimum waste is generated in Shaastra

Finance • Digitization of transactions to minimize paper use

• Giving sling bags to participants with sustainabiliy theme

Hospitality printed on it
Case study on the trade off that Shaastra faces between
expenditure reduction/revenue maximization and stakeholder
experience

We can face the following issues due to expenditure reduction / non-availability of funds
:-

 Less number of Shows or decrease in their quality

 No hospitality kit to accommodated participants
 Decreased ambience of Shaastra
 Low budget for coupons and team treats
 Low prize budget for winning participants
 Less number of Spotlight speakers
 Less requirements to be delivered by O&IP
We can go for following options in such conditions :-

 Increase the passport fees and it can be made mandatory as well for all the
participants
 Increase the accommodation fee for participants
 Huge optimization by O&IP to reduce the budget
 Increasing participation fee for some events, workshops, etc.
 Changing the hospitality packages to a minimum of 3 day and 2 night stay

Gold passport will give a better experience of Shaastra to the participants. Charge of Gold
passport can be kept at 550 rupees for single person , 950 rupees for two persons , 1250
rupees for 3 persons and so on. We can keep it in this way so as to generate more revenue.

Benefits of Gold passport will be following :-

 Free Shaastra badges and goodies

 Discounted T-Shirts
 Free Hospitality kit
 Reduced price for a few events and workshops
Team structure for O&IP department

2 Cores

3 Operations 1 QMS 1 Catering

Heads Coordinator Head

16-18 GA 2 Catering
Coordinators Coordinators
Detailed timeline of all the activities of O&IP department

Link for the google calendar :-

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/r/month/2020/1/1?pli=1&t=AKUaPmac9I0l3YO6l4-
4YY0lodLne0HJAwkmBOl17Lte9I1OoG7KzQSzPZl5viOwT04Fb4aVwtfUe_3YKY1jS4pm2IkhBPNHcA%3D%3
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 Department Application
1. Vision for O&IP department

I envision an "Efficient and Smooth" O&IP. Currently there are some issues( stated later
in application ) in our department due to which there are threats to it's functioning. It can
be made more efficient , more smooth and better than ever.

To implement my vision , I would like to following initiatives :-

 Vendors Sheet : A list of different vendors will be prepared to increase the number
of options for our requirements delivery. Currently we are having a fixed set of
vendors for last 2-3 years and there are not many backups as well if someone
defaults.
We will search for vendors who can give us requirements in a very short span of time
for all the different variety of requirements and make sure we have at least 3 different
options for each. This will make us more efficient.
 Mess Coupons Distribution : To make the distribution of mess coupons easier ,
coupons will be distributed from a fixed location e.g. Materials desk. Those who need
mess coupons will come to that location and collect from there.
This will smoothen the task of security coordinator who usually distributes it to
different people , going from one place to the other.

Social initiative for O&IP department

My social initiative for the department will be "Know Yourself Session" at a nearby
school. Target audience is students in the class range 6-10. In this session we will give them
a questionnaire to answer and then will give them a brief about what their answer tell them
about themselves and how they can improve themselves in overall aspects so as to become
a healthy , social and better human being.
2. SWOT analysis of O&IP team Shaastra 2019

Plans to avoid dropping out of coordinators : Generally, coordinators do not find the
work of O&IP very interesting and think that they are not learning any skill. They think that
it is waste of time. Due to all these reasons they drop out from the team.

We can avoid this by having informal meets frequently. In these meets , we will ensure
that they realize the importance of O&IP in Shaastra. Good team bonding would ensure
that they remain together and do not leave the team. The more time they spend in team,
they will get to know that they learn Planning , Management and Execution in O&IP
and hence will not leave the team.

SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
 Shows requirements were delivered within due time
 With only 13 GA coordinators , team worked very good without any major issues
 Water delivery and recovery of cans was good
 Approved NAC and CS department rooms 2 days before Shaastra begins

Weakness
 An HD projector swapped with a normal one
 CCW mess coupons delayed by one day
 Caterer stall were separated properly at the end of day 1
 No labor available on day 0
 Issue of 400 chairs missing with walker
 Some tables and a flex screen not removed from SAC till Saarang Day 0
 1 mike lost
 Non availability of DOMS department venues
 VIP care and transportation compilation sheet finalized on day -1
 Venue letter submission and confirmation got delayed
 Cab bill came about 1 lakh
 Smoke got stuck in KV for some time due to SAMCO
Opportunity
 Use of Shaastra stamped coupons as mess coupons till day 3 and then converting
them into CCW mess coupons ( exchanging ) to reduce wastage of coupons
 Buying HDMI-VGA cables instead of renting as their 4 day rent equals their price
 One coordinator can be allocated to each sub vertical of events for smooth
arrangement of their requirements
 Sharing online signed copy of letters with events heads to avoid issues in permissions
so that they can start their work hassle free

Threats
 Banners could not have been printed on time , which may lead to loss of sponsorship
next year
 Rejection of venues on last minute can lead to a lot of problems
 Caterers can cancel the deal a few days before Shaastra as MoUs are signed a week
ago only
 Special requirements may not be delivered , if given too late by Shows team
 Materials and equipments like projector can be lost at KV
 Fire can break out in KV due to caterers

These issues can be dealt with care if all coordinators are careful and responsible. Proper
following of timeline and keeping note of all the details , issues can be minimized.
Recruiting appropriate coordinators and making them accountable and punctual will
make sure nothing goes wrong in Shaastra 2020.
3. Selection of Operations Head , Catering Head and QMS Coordinator.

Recruitment of right and appropriate people is the essential part of laying strong foundation
for the team. There are several factors which can help in selecting the heads for the team,
important ones being stated below : -

 Accountability
 Leadership
 Attitude
Coordinator Accountability Attitude Leadership

Rajat Bhandari 4 4 4

Baldev Bishnoi 5 4 5

Yash Thakur 4 3 4

Nautam Sudhanshu 4 4 3

Dinkal Patel 5 5 4

Suraj Meena 4 4 3

Amol Sawle 5 4 4

Ratings are given as per following :-

1 - Very Poor
2 - Poor
3 - Average
4 - Good
5 - Very Good

As per the above rating analysis I would prefer Rajat Bhandari, Baldev Bishnoi and Yash
Thakur as Operations Head ; Nautam Sudhanshu as QMS Coordinator and Amol Sawle as
Catering Head.
4. Enabling GA Coordinators for sudden responsibilities and timeline for Shaastra 2020

GA coordinators will be given proper fundaes and tasks will be given to them for final
selection to make sure only the enthusiastic and hard working coordinators are selected.
Through this task and following deadlines over time , GA coordinators will be made
responsible enough to cater to sudden tasks and finish them without any issue.

Timeline is attached in google Calendar on following link :-

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/r/month/2020/1/1?pli=1&t=AKUaPmac9I0l3YO6l4-
4YY0lodLne0HJAwkmBOl17Lte9I1OoG7KzQSzPZl5viOwT04Fb4aVwtfUe_3YKY1jS4pm2IkhBPNHcA%3D%3
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5. My SWOT analysis

• Can complete last minute tasks easily

Strength • Accountable
• Team leader and very close to each team member

• Agrees to do all the tasks , does not say no

Weakness • Try to do all the things single handedly
• Easily convincible

• Familiar enough with people to ask help

Opportunity • Can make O&IP more professional
• A platform to learn management skills

• Not able to convince juniors to do work sometimes

• Inclusion of Hospitality can lead to some issues
Threat • Can get overwhelmed with tasks and hence loss of
efficiency
• Lack of proper team can lead to some failures