Graduate / 'orientation towards engineering' - admission to Engineering Management program [3]

Statement of Purpose

I have completed my four years of bachelor of technology programme at Shri Ram Swaroop Memorial College of Engineering and Technology (SRMCEM), Lucknow in the year 2010. I have graduated with a degree in computer science and engineering. My courses included software engineering and project management. I am presently working with Tata Technologies as a consultant; engineering and design firm that provides enterprise IT solutions. I am applying to the XXXXXXXX for financial aid and admission to the M.S program in Engineering Management. Detailed information of my academic record and other experiences are attached to this statement.

My undergraduate education at SRMCEM has not only given me a certain set of skills but has also helped me understand my fields of interest and my academic strengths and weaknesses. This understanding has made me realize that my strengths lie in managerial aspects of industrial and technological systems. The understandings of my interests were substantiated by my undergraduate final year project "Production Planning- under ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)". The insight of this project came from my summer internship that I did in Tata Motors Lucknow- production plant. I developed a system for management of issues and complaints in production processes during which I was exposed to the production and planning environment at the manufacturing industry and came across some of the best practices followed at the shop floor and assembly lines. This gave me an idea to develop a system that can control and plan the production in a manufacturing industry. The project enabled me to appreciate the interaction between manufacturing and the other functions of a firm especially information systems.

During the final semester of my degree I applied to an opening in Tata Technologies and got an opportunity to work with a global organization as a consultant, with Tata Motors Limited being our largest business client. Based on my interests and final year project I was assigned to the PP (Production Planning) module and from this point onwards I built upon my interests and enhanced on technical and managerial grounds. I got involved in five to six cost saving initiatives of Tata Motors on SRM (Supplier Relationship Management) and given a chance to manage these projects, delivered them successfully within the planned budget and timelines.

My project management skills grew stronger with a training and development program on Gartner research and tools of standardization in project management. I later got an opportunity to deliver a project of implementation of scanning for aggregate parts on assembly lines that integrated technology to manufacturing, as a Project leader. I always kept an eye on the room for amelioration in the practices followed by business and tried to abridge the space between technology and management. This helped me to get involved in implementation of best business practices for the production lines; specifically I initiated the project "KANBAN Revamp", which enhanced and capitalized the deployed system with real time usage.

Looking at my accomplishments and the ability to deliver on time my reporting manager gave me a chance to get engaged in the STU (State Transport Unit) Portal project; a nationwide initiative of implementing the portal functionalities to as many as 29 STU across India, as a project coordinator. This project involved operations management along with pre sales activities and gave me a chance to work cross functionally. I got involved in the project from requirement gathering phase to the deployment phase. Managing these projects I faced several challenges that honed my skill set and ameliorated my self- confidence.

Being in the production surroundings and working with the manufacturing team, being a process oriented person I believe that I have the qualities to be a good manager. I am a creative person and often think in a contemplative way about various issues of practical importance. Being able to identify patterns and relationships that are not obvious to others and perform over given roles and responsibilities are perhaps my greatest strengths. I want to pursue the course of engineering management to explore the luxuriant aspects of management and get a better insight of facets involved in an organization.

The XXXXXXX is one of the best schools in the world with one of the best orientation towards engineering management. The focus on the operations and supply chain management is of particular interest to me. The eminent faculty and the individualized nature of the program will definitely bring out the best in me. I hope you will take a favourable decision regarding my admission to the M.S. program and I look forward to joining the XXXXXXXX.

Yours Sincerely
Gaurav Singh Samant
Consultant, Tata Technologies