Buying house is like any other purchase. But do we plan when buy chocolates from a retail outlet? 99% would say no. When we go to buy clothes do we plan? 60% would say no. When we go to buy a car do we plan? Most of us would say yes. When we go to buy a house do we plan? 99.99% would say yes. The point I am trying to make is when amount of money involved in a purchase is more risk is also more as lot is on stake. Hence one needs to be double sure that you make the right purchase. If you go wrong most of us won’t be having an option to make a second purchase.

Process:

1. Estimate how much are you ready to spend
   1. Check how much monthly EMI are you ready to pay e.g. Rs 15,000 per month.
2. Decide what kind of property are you looking for
   1. Square feet e.g. 2000 to 2500 sq. ft.
   2. Number of bedrooms e.g. 2 or 3
   3. Amenities expected
   1. Wood work e.g. cupboards. Which wood being used?
   2. Electrical fittings e.g. Lights, fans.
   3. Flooring e.g. Tiles, Marble, granite etc.
   4. Windows e.g. sliding or wood.
   5. Doors material e.g. teak or rose wood. Designer or plain.
   6. Garbage space e.g. Sedan or hatchback size.
   7. Bathroom fittings – Branded or not. If yes which brand and model.
   8. Parking e.g. covered parking for 1 or 2 cars.
   9. Water facility – Source of water.
   10. Market e.g. Food World, Reliance fresh etc.
   11. School.
   12. Transportation facility e.g. public transport.
   13. Entertainment facility e.g. Mall, Multiplex, Restaurant.
   14. Gated community.
   15. Garden area.
3. Find a Home to Buy
   1. Find property which seems interesting over internet or advertisements in media or contact a real estate agent.
   2. Visit site and confirm if you like the property
   3. Confirm what all will the builder provide in constructed house
   1. Wood work e.g. cupboards. Which wood being used?
   2. Electrical fittings e.g. Lights, fans.
   3. Flooring e.g. Tiles, Marble, granite etc.
   4. Windows e.g. sliding or wood.
   5. Doors material e.g. teak or rose wood. Designer or plain.
   6. Garbage space e.g. Sedan or hatchback size.
   7. Bathroom fittings – Branded or not. If yes which brand and model.
   8. Parking e.g. covered parking for 1 or 2 cars.
   9. Water facility – Source of water.
   10. Market e.g. Food World, Reliance fresh etc.
   11. School.
   12. Transportation facility e.g. public transport.
   13. Entertainment facility e.g. Mall, Multiplex, Restaurant.
   14. Gated community.
   15. Garden area.
4. Do Risk Assessment – Confirm all tests below passes
   1. Does builder has approval from the government authority for the project.
   1. Confirm if documents mentioned in step 5.c are genuine by contacting:
   1. Bank giving loan.
   2. Reputed legal advisors.
   3. Hire a lawyer to confirm documents and validate all approvals acquired from government records.
   1. Confirm from various departments of the municipality to find out whether any notices or problems relating to the property have been issued and not yet satisfied by the builder.
   2. Confirm whether the property is in the name of the seller according to government and municipal records.
   3. If the builder can produce sanctioned building plan proof it is equivalent to above 2 steps. But it might be possible that bribery was used to obtain the approval hence it is advisable to get the verification done by you as well.
   2. Construction plan of house is correct & abides to vastu.
   1. Confirm with a knowledgeable architect to find out if there are any design flaws or potential design faults.
   3. Quality of construction is good – Check the constructed house. Perform following checks. 10 Things to Check Before You Buy a Builder House
   1. Reputation of Builder – You need to check up on the reputation of the “promoter”, “contractor” and “architect” of the construction. Visit other projects by them. Try to find problems and faults in their construction by talking to people.
   2. Cement – It is the most important criteria. Try to check up often, though surprise visits about the type of cement being used. Ask the builder about this? Ask him to explain why he feels the particular cement being used is the best…
   3. External Wall construction – If walls are 6 inches then construction is not very stable. 9 inch walls are better.
   4. The structure – From a reasonably distant vantage point, look at the house. Do the walls appear to be plumb and flat? From inside, are any walls bowed or not square at corners? When you jump in the middle of the living room floor, does it flex or feel solid?
   5. Water control – Does the ground slope away from the base of the house? Will gutters, downspouts and drainage pipes carry excess water away from the house…or into the basement? Is there any evidence of water damage?
   6. The roof – Is the roof new and in good shape? Does it look neat and properly applied?
   7. Details – Do you see signs of quality workmanship in the finish details such as moldings, tile work, hardware and paint?
   8. Kitchen & bath fixtures – Are sinks, toilets and tubs quality fixtures? Do they work properly? Is the water pressure good when you turn on the faucets and flush the toilet?
   9. Electrical system – Are the number and locations of receptacles adequate to the needs of the house? Is the main circuit breaker marked at least “100 amps”?
   10. Water heater, plumbing. Is the water heater gas or electric (gas is much more efficient)? Water supply pipes from the water heater to fixtures should be copper.
   11. Heating – Where is the furnace or heater located and what type is it? Are any rooms not heated? Do registers look adequate for heating the spaces? Is the house air-conditioned?
   12. Insulation – Look in the attic for insulation; R-19 (6 inches of fiberglass, for example) is a minimum in moderate climates; up to R-38 (12 inches of fiberglass) is required in cold climates. Remove a receptacle cover on perimeter wall to check for wall insulation.
   13. Fireplaces – Do they have screens or glass doors (doors are more efficient). What about dampers and log lighters? Is there a combustion vent that draws air from outside and a spark arrestor at the top of the chimney?
5. Get a Loan
1. Find how much interest is on home loan
2. Chose a financer giving best deal on home loan i.e. less financial burden and easy processing
3. Gather documents required for loan
1. Salaried Individuals
1. Salary slip/Form 16 A.
2. A photocopy of the first and last pages of Ration card or copy of PAN/Telephone/Electricity bills.
3. A photocopy of Investments (FD Certificates, Shares, any fixed asset etc. or any other documents
4. Supporting the financial background of the borrower.
5. A photocopy of LIC policies with the latest premium payment receipts (if any).
6. Photographs (as applicable).
7. A photocopy of bank statement for the last six months.
2. Self-Employed/Businessmen
1. A brief introduction of Business/Profession.
2. Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss account and statement of income with Income Tax returns for the last 3 years certified by a CA.
3. A photocopy of Advance Tax payments (if applicable).
4. A photocopy of Registration Certificate of establishment under shops and Establishments Act/Factories Act.
5. A photocopy of Registration Certificate for deduction of Profession Tax (if applicable).
6. Bank statements of current and saving accounts for the last 6 months.
7. A photocopy of Certificate of Practice (if applicable).
8. A photocopy of any bank loan (if applicable).
9. A photocopy of the first and last pages of the Ration card or a copy of PAN/Telephone/Electricity Bills.
10. A photocopy of LIC policy (if applicable).
11. A photocopy of investments (FD Certificates, Shares, any other fixed asset).
3. If a flat is purchased from the builder
1. Original copy of your agreement with the builder.
2. 7/12 extract or property register card of the land under construction.
3. Index II extract of your agreement with the builder.
4. Copy of N.A. permission for the land from the collector.
5. Search and title report (with the details of documents) for the last 30 years.
6. Development agreement between the owner of land and the builder.
7. Copy of order under the Urban land Ceiling (ULC) Act. (Required if land area is > 500 sq. m.)
8. Copy of building plans sanctioned by the competent authority.
9. Commencement certificate granted by Corporation / Nagar Palika.
10. Building completion certificate (if available).
11. The latest receipts of taxes paid.
12. Partnership deed or memorandum of association of the builders firm.
4. If the property is being purchased is in a Cooperative Society
1. Original share certificate of the Society.
2. Allotment letter from the society in your name.
3. Copy of the lease deed, if executed.
4. Certificate of the registration of the society.
5. Copy of the byelaws of the society.
6. No objection certificate from the society.
7. 7/12 extract or property register card in the society’s name.
8. Copy of N.A permission for the land from the collector.
9. Search and title report with the details of documents) for the last 30 years.
10. Copy of order under the Urban land Ceiling (ULC) Act. (Required if land area is > 500 sq. m.)
11. Copy of the building plans sanctioned by the competent authority.
12. Commencement certificate granted by Corporation / Nagar Palika.
13. The latest receipts of taxes paid.
14. Original Agreement to assign / Deed of assignment.
5. If constructing on own land
1. Original sale deed of land and extract of Index II.
2. 7/12 extract or property register card in your name.
3. Copy of N.A. permission for land from the collector.
4. Search and title report (with the details of documents) for the last 30 years.
5. Copy of order under Urban land Ceiling (ULC) Act. (Required if land area is > 500 sq. m.)
6. Copy of the building plans sanctioned by the competent authority.
7. Building permission granted by Corporation / Nagar Palika.
8. The latest receipts of taxes paid.
9. Estimate of cost of construction certified by the architect.
6. Sign agreement between seller and buyer on Rs 50 Agreement paper. An experienced lawyer should carefully draft this agreement. Many a times, because of an agreement that is not well drafted it becomes possible for one of the parties to default and get away with it.
   1. Agreement should cover following points
   1. Agreed cost of the land between seller and buyer
   2. Advance amount given by the buyer
   3. Time span in which the actual sale should take place
   4. What procedure has to be adopted if any of the parties default on the agreement
   5. How the losses have to be covered if any of the parties default
   6. Particulars of the land
   7. “Performance guarantee” clause or at least a “structural liability” clause. This will insure that the builder remains liable for any defect in the building for at least one to three years from the day he hands over possession to you.
   2. The next step is to prepare a title deed. Title deed could be written by a government licensed “Document Writer”.
   3. After the agreement is prepared, the next step is “Registration”
   1. The land is to be registered in a sub registrar office
   2. Along with the title deed, the other documents that are required for registration are:
   1. Original title deed
   2. Previous deeds
   3. Property/House Tax receipts
   4. Torence Plan (optional) etc. plus two witnesses are needed for registering the property.
   1. What is a Torence plan? = Torence plan is a detailed plan of the property prepared by a licensed surveyor that will have accurate details of the measurements including width, length, borders etc. This plan is needed only in some specific areas.
   5. For land costing more than 5 lakhs, the seller should submit either his Pan card or Form Number 16 during registration.
   3. Take all the documents mentioned above.
   4. Submit the document along with “input form” at the token window and get the token number.
   5. Wait till the token number is announced.
   6. On token number being announced, all parties to the document must present themselves before the sub-registrar to admit execution of the document, photographed, thumb impression and signature taken on additional sheet of paper in presence of sub-registrar.
   7. Pay the required registration fees and computer service charges in cash as per the receipt (Computer service charges are @ Rs.20 per page.
   8. The document will be returned within 30 minutes of getting the receipt.
   9. Note: Please deal only with Officers and staff of the Registration Department who always display government identity card with Government Seal.
7. If you are taking possession of house constructed after purchase then perform quality check as mentioned in 4.c.

1. Impact Analysis of a change to unit in a system
2. Root Cause Analysis
3. Achieve clear view and understanding of a system to take decisions and solve problems

Process:

CEP Assembly Overview

Key to efficient work management with ease and revolutionary outcome is:

• Visualize = Visualization helps in understanding.
• Articulate = Know clearly to the level of finest detail i.e. to the level of fundamental units
• Why = Knowing reason makes you realize the importance of it
• Process & Micro Process = Process helps in keeping one prepared with the steps that need to be followed to achieve what is desired. These steps being tested ensures desired results. Documented process ensures no critical step is missed and is followed in required sequence. Process after each successful implementation gets tested for reliability. Unsuccessful implementation reveals the weak spots which can be improved by putting micro process in existing process to handle it.
1. Micro process is the sub process within the main process to handle a problem faced during the execution of main process. This ensures that the end result is achieved even after facing a road block. It is like exception handling in computer programming. If error is not handled program fails to achieve the desired result and terminates. But if you handle the potential problem then end result is achieved.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA) = Problem seen is usually only a symptom rather than the main problem. Root Cause Analysis highlights the main problem. Treating the symptom is only a temporary fix while treating the root cause is a permanent fix. Hence it is Key.

They are the foundation. The key objective is keep the wheel rolling.

Process:

1. Articulate the scope of your work.
1. Open an excel work sheet
2. Create two work sheet one for TOP LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES work and second one for FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES
3. Go to TOP LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES tab and give heading “Scope of work – Top Level – <Person’s Name>” in first column and key in top level responsibilities under that.
4. Go to FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES tab and give heading “Scope of work – Top Level – <Person’s Name>” in first column and “Scope of work – Fundamental Level – <Person’s Name>” e.g. Scope of work – Top Level – Mayank Choudhary and Scope of work – Fundamental Level – Mayank Choudhary
5. Key in fundamental responsibilities i.e. responsibilities which cannot be broken down into smaller units, for each top level responsibilities. This ensures you are able to visualize.
6. Answer 5W for each responsibility to gain more clarity i.e.
1. Why is this responsibility required for business?
2. When does this responsibility need to be executed?
3. Where does the action required for these responsibilities need to be executed?
4. What action needs to be taken for this responsibility?
5. Who should take care of action pertaining to this responsibility?
2. Understand the complete system by developing system diagram
1. Identify the section of business system which you are responsible for
2. Identify other related units to your unit and articulate the relation between your unit and other unit
3. Business segment for which you need to keep the wheel rolling, make sure you have system diagram available to the level of fundamental units
3. Define step by step process for each fundamental responsibility and follow it every time the responsibility needs to be executed.
1. Monitor if the steps followed gave required result.
1. If yes no action required
2. If desired result not obtained then perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA) of problem using “How to Solve Problems?” and derive solution using “How to Create Solution?”
1. When planning a solution think first of how would you do it manually. then think of how you can convert each manual step into your solution.
2. While executing the process if one step gets stuck due to some problem and immediate solution to the problem is not available then find an alternative to the current problem. This will buy you more time to do RCA and find permanent solution.
2. If a problem in process is repeating then perform RCA and implement solution for it in process as Micro Process.
4. Managing sub activities to keep the wheel rolling
1. New responsibility or Action
1. Identify the key milestones.
2. Identify the potential problems that could be encountered in achieving each milestone.
3. Articulate the steps that need to be executed to achieve the milestone.
4. Follow the steps to achieve the desired output
5. While doing any activity if you encounter a problem or roadblock, do not stop there. Try to find alternatives to achieve what is required.
2. Emails
1. Quickly view all the unread emails especially ones sent TO you to find why is it written to you.
2. If important mark it with RED flag to be read again in detail and take action if required.
3. If not important move it to its destination folder.
3. Process Management
1. Stick to the process and push everyone to follow it.
2. If you are pushed not to follow the process then clearly understand why you are being asked not to follow this process cannot be followed.
3. Review the process and highlight the possible risk if the process is not followed.
4. Meeting / Call / Conference (face to face or remote)
1. Before any meetings derive the agenda of the meeting if you are the organizer. If you are an attendee review the agenda of the meeting.
2. Scrutinize the meeting using Quick Decision Making Process.
3. Understand your role in this meeting and what do you need to derive out of this meeting to keep the wheel rolling smoothly.
4. After meeting is over send out the minutes of meeting in email to all attendees. This documents what was agreed to do or commitments made or action items assigned to specific attendees. It’s always good to have it in writing than verbal.
5. Change Management in system
1. Receive requirement from client
2. Prepare understanding document of requirements
1. My understanding of what is required by business
2. Identify potential problems in requirements and mention that in document with possible solution for approval
3. Perform impact analysis of the change and mention it for approval
3. Send the understanding doc to business for review, clarification of doubts and confirmation if understanding is correct
4. Prepare implementation document
1. Step by step instruction of how the requirement will be implemented
2. Get the document reviewed by another person to get it cross checked.
5. Prepare estimate of the work to be aware of how long it’s going to take to complete the work. Inform the same to stakeholders
6. Implement the change using implementation document and stick to planned schedule
1. If schedule changes due to any reason then inform the people who are affected by the change about the changed schedule and why it has changed.
7. Test the changes
1. Prepare test case using template
2. Execute the test and log it’s result
3. If all tests pass then proceed to next step else perform RCA of problem, resolve it and retest. Repeat this until test passes.
8. Send out communication to business user for UAT testing
1. If all tests pass then proceed to next step else perform RCA of problem, resolve it and retest. Repeat this until test passes.
9. Prepare deployment document
1. Prepare step by step instructions with screen shots to be followed to deploy changes
2. Follow the deployment document to perform deployment.
3. Ideally no problem should be faced during deployment. If faced perform RCA to find root cause and derive solution to solve it.
6. Managing multiple activities / tasks together
   Human brain can handle only one task at a time. But to keep multiple tasks rolling time sharing can be done between all action items to progressively move each bit by bit. Planning your work in the beginning saves a lot of time and minimizes errors. But its very important to stay focused during multiple task management.
1. Open a notebook or MS Excel Spreadsheet
2. Note down all the steps that need to be done to complete the task e.g. You have 4 action items to complete and each action items has 5 steps each to be executed to complete it
3. Prioritize among the action items being performed i.e. among 3 action items which one is more important and require more attention than others. Give ranking to each action items like 1, 2, 3… No 2 action items can have same ranking. Doing this eliminates ambiguity
4. Execute 1st step of 1st action item. Continue to execute steps of current action item until you reach a step which is taking some time to complete.
5. During this waiting period shift to next action item and start executing steps of this action item until step is reached which is taking time to execute.
6. Move back to previous action item to check if the last executing step has completed.
• If YES continue to execute steps until a step is reached which is waiting to complete or all steps get completed
• If NO then move back to last executing action items step and check if completed. If still incomplete move to 3rd action item and start executing its steps.
• Continue this process until all steps of all action items complete. Key is continue with current action item until a waiting step is reached. Utilize this waiting period for status check of executing steps of all action items and then execute the step of action item which is ready to be executed.
5. The base line is:
1. Keep it rolling smoothly

Solution development can be explained as writing algorithm i.e. sequence of steps which when followed one can achieve what is desired. So, start with the simplest and the easiest way to move towards the destination i.e. what is desired. Then find how close have you reached and what is preventing from reaching the destination. Once the hurdle is identified modify the earlier path then move closer to destination. Repeat the process of identifying and editing the path till destination is finally reached. Once first cut of steps are available review them to reduce or simplify steps.

Procedure:

1. State the problem and root cause of the problem clearly for which solution is being derived
2. Articulate what is desired. Note down point wise whatever is desired
3. Articulate the simplest and most obvious way to reach the destination
1. Articulate how would you do it manually first
2. If automation is required then first think of platform which is capable of handling the automation of steps in 2.a. Think of 3 platforms at least.
1. Mention reasons (5 why technique) for each platform to indicate why they can support automation steps
2. Choose the platform which gets justified in step 2.b.i
3. Plan how to convert the steps of 2.a one at a time in automation platform
1. Define steps what needs to be executed to achieve as planned in 3.c
4. Execute the steps defined in 3.c.i
5. Create a prototype to test the path defined in Step 2
   1. Test 1: Did the path bring you closer to the destination? Yes or No
   1. How far have you reached? – Measure it using the number of desirables achieved
   2. Test 2: What is preventing the path from reaching the destination or all desirables?
   1. Perform root cause analysis using PROBLEM SOLVING skill
6. Articulate the simplest and most obvious way to overcome the root cause found
7. Edit the path defined in step 2 integrate the way identified in step 4
8. Perform step 3, step 4 and step 5 till all the desirables are achieved or destination is reached
9. Once a working set of steps are available audit the steps to remove non desired steps to reduce number of steps to be followed.

In our everyday life we need to decide on lot of actions to be taken. Some of them are so regular that we tend to stop thinking before taking the actions; we just do it. This could be dangerous as it’s like letting people cross across India boarder without check. Hence a check mechanism on all actions taken is required to ensure actions taken have the correct purpose and give desired results.

In Quick decision making, actions are already defined e.g. sending email, what should the email contain, speaking out something to a person etc. hence we just need to keep a watch and check each action before executing it. Since our focus is that the action should have a purpose and should be giving desired results hence we will use this as the foundation for quick decision making.

Process:

1. State clearly Action to be taken.
2. Ask question “Why should I take this action? (Purpose)”.
3. State clearly “What is the Expected Result?”
4. Find “What would happen if you won’t take this action?”
5. Determine if you should take this action by asking “Who should be taking this action?”
6. Conclude if action should be taken or not by ensuring all 4 parameters are GO
1. If purpose of action is valid then it’s a GO
2. If expected result is required then it’s a GO
3. If no action taken would have a severe impact then it’s a GO
4. If you should be taking this action (state reason) then it’s a GO

Process:

1. Identify complete list of what you want?
1. Ask WHY do I need to make this choice?  Use 5-Why Technique i.e. Ask why until no more why can be asked.  Be careful of not loosing track.  Ask why until the answers are relevant.
2. Ask what is good in each choice and identify which you want to take forward to the milestone.
1. For each good ask “Are you willing to compromise on this?”  Ones marked for compromise it should not be included in list of what user wants.
1. Ask “WHY do I need to make this choice?” i.e. choice between compromise and no compromise.  Use 5-Why technique and mention the reason.
3. Prepare list of “What you want” using above two results:
1. Include reasons for “why do I need to make this choice?” as requirements.  Reasons in Level 2 of hierarchy chart.
2. Include goods marked as NO (i.e. “cannot compromise”) as requirements.
4. Add any other one if available.  Other can be picked from previous experiences which was recognized as an important “What you want?”
2. Identify paths available which leads to the milestone
3. Identify number of items in “what you want?” list getting satisfied.  The items which are not getting fulfilled should be considered as Roadblocks
4. Identify roadblocks and bad patches on each path
5. Choose the path with no roadblock or bad patch and maximum number of items getting fulfilled step 3.
   1. If all the paths have roadblock and/or bad patch then choose the one which has minimum.
   1. Check if solution is available to overcome roadblock and bad patch
   2. If solution is not available derive a solution to overcome roadblock and bad patch
   2. If paths have same number of minimum roadblocks and/or bad patch then choose one easiest to clean of roadblock and bad patch
   1. Check which path has easy and available solution for each roadblock and bad patch.
   2. If solution is not available for both derive for both and see which is easy to implement

Problem is anything which keeps you away from what you desire.  Hence to reach what you desire you need to remove it or find a bypass.  Usually what you see as a problem is only the symptom.  So getting rid of symptom won’t remove the problem.  To remove it, the ROOT CAUSE need to be found and attacked.  So aim is to investigate and find the root cause.  Once found, choose the way to solve it.

If the source of problem is not getting identified due to steps being not visible use elimination technique to identify them.  Get system to last working state and then start adding the eliminated changes one at a time.  The change which regenerates the problem is the source of problem.

Process:

1. Identify what’s desired
2. Identify what is preventing you from getting what is desired i.e. PROBLEM.  Ask “What is the visible problem?”
3. Identify what is the ROOT CAUSE of the problem.
   1. Phase 1:  Locate the problem point:  Start point to identify the root cause is the visible problem.  Visible problem is one end of the thread.  You follow the thread to reach the other end.  One you reach the other end; Bingo!! There you find the root cause of the problem.  Best approach is asking for each step “What is the source off <current problem>?”
   1. Identifying source using elimination technique.
   1. If source cannot be identified as the steps being not visible in case of systems where complete system diagram is not visible and encapsulation; eliminate all the changes to system to take it back to last working state.
   2. Add new changes one by one to identify which individual change is triggering the problem.
   3. The change(s) which cause the problem is the source
   2. If required, to test the individual changes fast and without disturbing the original system create a small replica of the system with only the required components.  Implement the new changes one by one and test in it.
   2. Keep asking the above question until you reach the point where you find what is desired. At this point the previous step is the location of problem.
   3. Phase 2:  Find the cause of problem:  Once you reach the point where you find what is desired, from that point start moving in opposite direction again by one step.  Move to the previous step again and ask question “Why is <current step> causing <current problem>”.
   4. Continue to ask the above question until you can visualize a single step which is generating the undesirable result.  This single step is the ROOT CAUSE.
   5. If the answer in step c again suggests that the current problem is due to something else being required to give the desired result then it opens another thread.  Hence the visible problem is the open end and one need to follow down to the other end of thread i.e. the other thread also has the Root cause. Hence repeat step 1 to step 3.d for that thread to find the Root cause.
4. Once the root cause has been identified.  Find the possible options (at least 2) to get what is required out of the thread that is causing problem.

Then use the decision making procedure to find the best path to reach what is desired.