COMPUTER AS AID TO EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT

Shri C K Hassan Koya (now Sr So /Construction/Calicut) my colleague introduced me to the wonderful world of computers, in the year 1995. At that time there was only one PC 486 colour monitor. The colours fascinated me but frightened by the jargons a few computer savvies spoke. Yet I was determined to try my hands on computer. Everyday in the evening after office hours I used to sit before the computer that was kept in a narrow room. At least minimum of one hour I used to sit before it.
I was at that time a Senior Section Officer of Establishment Audit Section. The section was in total disorganized as most of the works were done manually and the section has to depend on a few individuals for such specialized works. Further, the files were kept in a disorderly manner that no one can locate important files easily. I had tremendous tasks before me but I had to face them alone of course with the help of computer.

ORGANIZING AND INDEXING SECTION FILES:
As a first step to organize the files I listed out the files subject wise and number wise. I indexed them with the knowledge I gained as student of library classification. I had completed my Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS) earlier. I used the Dewey Decimal Classification for this purpose. Accordingly, the files were organized subject wise and number wise. Using the elasticity of Dewey decimal classification, it was easy to segregate the files. Further these files were given a distinct serial number on the top right corner for easy identification. Also the list of files according to the serial number was displayed in the cupboard for quick retrieval. I used Lotus 1-2-3 an MS DOS based spreadsheet for this purpose. Also I used the Norton Editor (NE) a predecessor word processor to word star to make word files.

PREPARATION OF PAY TABLES:
The preparation of pay tables until I joined the section was a highly classified secret practice and no one except one person was able to prepare it. In the beginning, I used to go and wait for the clerk to come and prepare the pay table. This is a basic document for the payment to artisans in the workshops. Incidentally, Carriage and Wagon Workshop, Locomotive Workshop, Electrical Workshops, Engineering Workshop, Flash Butt Welding Workshop, S&T Workshop, Press, General Stores Depot (GSD) and Mechanical Stores Depot (MSD) are under the administrative control of this office. This document will display each shop in many batches and groups duly indicating the cash amount to be disbursed. Eg : The Carriage Building Shop in the Carriage & Wagon Shop/PER, is divided into several batches so that there are enough pay clerks to make the payment. The money value of each group would be around Rs 5 Lakhs. The cashiers will draw cash using this document and handover the cash to the pay clerks and obtain acknowledgement. There was to be four batches for Carriage and Wagon Workshop, two for Loco Workshops, two for Electrical Workshop, two for Engineering Workshops, and one each for GSD, MSD & S&T. The cash total was to tally with the total cash amount provided to the cash office. Some of the shops in Loco, Carriage and Electrical used to intermingle and thereby create confusion. I studied the document for a week and found out that if the format can be fed into to computer, the secrecy and dependence would be eliminated. Accordingly, I used the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet to prepare the pay table. For two months I prepared parallel pay tables allowing the same clerk to prepare the manual pay tables. After two months, the clerk was surprised that I did not wait for him to prepare the pay table. Any one from the section could now prepare pay tables for the artisan payment. One of computer savvy clerks by name S Chandrasekar, was very enthusiastic about the new facility created by me. He was to prepare the payment duty honorarium for the staff every month manually. He hit upon an idea to link the pay table WK3 file with the payment of honorarium file WK3 using the vertical hold and horizontal hold facility available in the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet. Previously, the payment honorarium bill was to be prepared manually after ten days. Now after four months of computerized milieu of the pay tables and the list of pay clerks, the payment honorarium bill could be prepared within two days after the ninth payment.

PREPARATION OF QUARTERLY STATEMENT OF PAY AND ALLOWANCES:
This statement is prepared once in a quarter indicating the various types of establishment expenditure department wise and Primary Unit wise (e.g. 01, 02, 04, 06,07,08,09 etc. Three numbers of double foolscap were required to prepare the statement manually. The dealer is to collect the details from the bill passing register of each bill passing clerk total them vertically (primary unit wise) and horizontally (department wise). Also the statement had to indicate the number of staff group wise e.g. A, B C & D. I literally took pity on the clerk and together with him I explored the ways to improvise the methodology to mitigate the misery of the clerk. I encouraged all the staff to strike totals at the end of each page and the dealing clerk had to collect only the page total and enter in the appropriate lotus 1-2-3 wk3 file spreadsheet that is already loaded with arithmetical as well as logical formula.
DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR ANNUAL TRANSFER OF TIAs:
The most important task before any AAO Station Inspection is the annual transfer exercise that earnestly begins in the first week of February. There were about 100 TIAs in the HQs section as well as in the HQ. There were many sections in the HQ. The HQ, PRS, Rapid Force, Rates etc. The divisions are MAS, TPJ, MDU, TVC and PGT. Though the fifty percent of the TIAs are clustered in the HQ, it is the toughest decision to change them within their work spot. The outstation transfers are relatively easier as the division wise transfers are done due to the regional groupings. e g the TIAs from MDU normally would not prefer to go to TVC or PGT divisions and vice versa. It is this common minimum program among the TIAs of outstations helped smooth transfers. The speculations and lobbying would start as early as January as the dead line for transfer application is December. Until the transfer orders are published there will be daily-unauthorized orders issued locally over the teacups. Many a heartburn case is reported on the management or mismanagement of the TIAs’ annual transfers. This time my DY FA&CAO /T wanted to play it safe as she was genuinely interested in the welfare of the TIAs and their families. I suggested that computer can be used to create a data base consisting of station codes, names of optees for each station, number of years of service each TIA completed etc. these details were already available in the MS Excel worksheet format. I created a new database file incorporating all the details of each TIA. Earlier the Administration and Organised Trade Unions have signed an undertaking on the norms for transfer of TIAs. Then a station wise option wise and seniority wise statement was prepared. The list was displayed to Dy FA&CAO/T for her final decision. She according to the seniority of the TIAs, transferred the TIAs. Surprisingly, the transfer order was a total success. Meanwhile, a separate meeting was held for the TIAs of PGT and TVC divisions due to earlier mismanagement of transfer of TIAs on those two divisions. During the meeting, which Dy herself presided, made the norms of transfer clear and the vacancy positions were made available to the TIAs. That transparency won the hearts of the TIAs and they readily agreed for the proposed transfer. Probably, for the first time in SN section the TIA transfer orders were accepted whole-heartedly without any murmur.

PREPARATION OF SECTION PROFILE:
Another instance where computer came handy in the efficient management of sections is the preparation of section profile. Though the computational ability of the computer is exploited, the computer is used to store and retrieve the section profile. The section profile would contain the following: Staff Profile (DOB, DOA, EQ, previous experience, address etc) Work Allocation, List of Files & Registers, Training Details, register of registers, calendar events, internal and external reporting etc. this would serve as a ready reference to new incumbent section officers, officers and inspecting officials, internal auditors etc. besides the official information, it creates a personal relationship with the subordinate staff and win over their confidence. In a large organization like railways, the interpersonal relations are missing and that creates a rift at various levels. Cheerful and cordial relations would definitely improve the work output.