The processes and controls in the company were set up long time back. As businesses grew and expand, it became necessary to avoid delay, imbalanced authority and responsibility, bureaucracy, duplication and repetitive processes, outdated work threads, etc. Due to substantial change in business model also, it became increasingly important to have a well-defined management framework in place to ensure that processes are clearly defined, responsibilities are assigned and limits are set for decision making. This helps to ensure that everyone in the organization is on the same page, and that decisions are made consistently and efficiently.

It was decided to streamline and digitise the processes & controls and make it more robust and system driven. Business Management Framework (BMF) was prepared to set out the standard business processes, assigning responsibility to carry out these processes and setting authority limits across all functions, businesses and geographical areas. This resulted into value addition like, improved controls, eliminating overlapping of processes, delegation, integration of various businesses, aligning with parent company, decentralization and consistency across the organization.

BMF Definition:

1. Defining processes is critical for ensuring that everyone in the organization understands how things are done and can work together more effectively. It also helps to identify areas where processes may be improved or streamlined which can lead to increased efficiency and cost savings.
2. Assigning responsibility for process execution. It was important to assign responsibility for each process to specific person or team to ensure that all are aware of responsibility and to avoid confusion or duplication of effort. It’s also important to ensure that each person has necessary skill and experience to take responsibility and has necessary authority and resources to carry out assigned tasks effectively.
3. Authority limits that these persons would exercise with respect to commitment of expenses or funds on behalf of the Company. Establishing specific thresholds for the amount of money, time or other resources allocated to a given task without requiring additional approval. It also ensures that people are empowered within their areas and to avoid delays or bottlenecks that can occur when decisions require multiple levels of approvals. 

Revision Methodology:

While revising BMF, the following methodology was adopted:

1. Processes formulated for each business and supporting functions moving out from Corporate concept to Businesses.
2. Added new functions like Legal, HSSE, Commercial, Indirect Taxation, etc.
3. Engaged operation persons into revision and agreed the revision with Line Managers & Leadership team.
4. Interfaced with new policies like Ethics, Credit, Procurement, etc.
5. Introduced level of authority of a Line Manager of specific business stream.
6. Introduced the concept of Cross Functional Group (CFG) in key decision-making processes, negotiations, etc.
7. Levels of authority discontinued from earlier BMF were Executive Committee, Purchase Committee, Capex Committee and Investment Committee.
8. Adherence to overall authority matrix of the Company.

Conclusion:

BMF is critical for ensuring that all in the company are working towards the same goals and decisions are made consistently and efficiently. It will ensure that business can improve their overall efficiency and effectiveness and be better equipped to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing business environment.