Job Evaluation Plan Section 1. Whereas, The City Of: Fill & Download for Free

Part one : A brief history about me. Skip to part two for my participation to the question.I work in Human Resources department in my city municipality. I've worked in different sections and have quiet decent experience of 10 years. In the past 4 years I started to make my own tasks by developing Access Applications using VBA. I was looking for boring tasks and just automate it and link it with the concerned parties with a beautiful UI. It quiet a deviation from my assigned job description by they have welcomed it and found my applications quiet useful for more than 30 employees. After 5 successful applications which have made their life easier I was rewarded for the best employee of the year 2016.Part two: My humble KPI application built by using Microsoft Access.So after earning my organization trust in coordinating tasks and find managerial solutions, hmm, why don't I design an app which can measure employees performance!!Reasons and issues:Equality of tasks distributed among employees.It's very hard to distribute tasks equally 100%, but why not 90 or 80% “Arriving late better than not..”Exceptional employees are always victims of additional work. I've seen it. So why don't we expose lazy employees to the fact that they suck comparing to others, and redirect more tasks to them based on numeric evidence that they really suck and must work their butts out. Because simply you can't really know if they are working with their full potential or not.The superior or the director must know what his/her employees are doing!Easy redirecting tasks to his/her employees according to the charts and trend indicators.Reward the employees monthly by a thank you letter or Email for the most points earned.Tasks cycling and rotation.Well some employees are happy with their simple tasks easy done thing. Whereas the next one have slightly more or complicated tasks comparing to the other. So the first would have less points anyways although he is doing his job! The other will get more points and will satisfy his boss, but that's not fair because the first one could but his tasks won't boost his trend. So this issue can be solved by recycling tasks among employees.Variety of experience and rise friendly competition. I have heard my workmates talk about who would break the record today and kept working hard to ask for more tasks while a dynamic trend waving before their eyes. I felt so good.This is the interface of the application. However, it was before the final release, so its the old version and now it has more features added based on employees feedback. Sorry its in Arabic because but you get the idea.The functions of the application.Security level that each employee has his own username and password.Delegations and permissionsNone get all the features, every employee has a certain permissions and delegations.How it works and how it was planned?Data base planning and normalizationAfter the idea was approved by the head of recruitment section where this application operate. We addressed all kind of tasks whether it has physical or mental effort and gave it a weight like (1*1) on click task and (1*5) for heavier tasks. Each employee evaluated his tasks based on their job description and rated it from 1 to 5 maximum. They I fetched the average and their final satisfying point for each task. Then I programmed it to be one click that give the task done, entry date with HH-MM-SS and the points assigned.Dynamic moving trends before their eyes so everyone knows what he is doing and compare him self to the other and react to compete for the winner of the month. And this is what exactly happening.Some “others” tasks can only be evaluated and entered by the head of the section only so none could misuse the application and it has a lot of restrictions underneath.The latest updates extends to additional three sections with more than 10 employees.Login Screen for employees and special one for superiors:The tasks of this application:directing/redirecting Emails = 1 pointCalling/receiving follow-up = 1 pointComposing a letter = 5 pointsLetterattachmentmental thinkingAttending interviews = 5 pointsField visitsUsing their own carsReception and handling a client for a query = 1 pointChecking and visually approving a healthy applications = 1 pointprepare a report = 3 pointProjectsLong period projects is counted based on days spent so = 7 points for a full day (8 Hours)Corresponding with the head of the section = 1 pointattending events or meetings = 5 pointsFinalizing hiring process = 1 for each type of finalizingThe downsides.. maybe!Typically every time I show this to anyone he say.. hey what if the employee just lie and spam tasks done! Hmm true.. If the employee has a moral decline in him while using the application, then what do you think he was doing without a tiny monitoring behavior ? What if he was hiding LOADS of stuff and delaying LOADS of tasks already because corrupted person is corrupted already whether with this app or not. Assumingly he was spamming tasks to earn points, eventually it will reach to “make no sense” trends because his superior is knowledgeable of the redirected tasks. However, I can feel the energy now after the completion of one month the declaring the winner of the month. Everyone seems excited and want to count everything.Disclaimer!!I don’t claim to be expert in KPI and all the job done based on my humble knowledge in quality as I hold bachelor degree in International Business (International Quality Management was part of the subjects) and this application was purely planned, brainstormed by me and based my personal experience and evaluation. Honestly after reading couple of articles about KPI none seems to have a definite answer on how it could be done, because its conditional and based on the nature of the work so please tell me if its even close to it.So I felt I wanted to share this and I hope I inspired you all.I want to say, at work, judge by number not feelings..

8 Steps to Starting Your Own Businessby: Candice Landau STARTING 559 Shares:This article is part of our “Business Startup Guide”—a curated list of our articles that will get you up and running in no time!People often ask us for a list of steps they can use to start their own business. From business type to business model to physical location, there are so many variables!However, there are things that every business needs to do to get off the ground. So, here are the eight key steps you need to take to start your own business. Just remember, be flexible. Every business is unique and you may need to refine this list as you go.1. Conduct a personal evaluation“Know yourself, and work in a job that caters to your strengths. This knowledge will make you happier.”– Sabrina ParsonsBegin by taking stock of yourself and your situation:Why do you want to start a business? Is it money, freedom and flexibility, to solve a problem, or some other reason?What are your skills?What industries do you know about?Do you want to provide a service or a product?What do you like to do?How much capital do you have to risk?Will it be a full-time or a part-time venture?Your answers to these types of questions will help you narrow your focus.This step is not supposed to dissuade you from starting your own business. Rather, it’s here to get you thinking and planning. In order to start a successful business, passion alone isn’t enough.You need to plan, set goals, and above all, know yourself. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? How will these affect day-to-day operations? You could conduct a SWOT analysis on yourself to figure this out.As you get started, your business will likely dominate your life so make sure that what you’re doing is stimulating and challenging, but not completely outside of your expertise. You’re going to be in it for the long-haul. Use what you learn from the SWOT analysis to think through what you want your life to be like, not just what you want from your business.Some good questions to ask yourself include:What would you do if money wasn’t an issue?Is money really important? Or rather, is making a lot of it really important? If it is, you’re probably going to be cutting out a number of options.What really matters to you?Do you have the support of your family, especially your immediate family? They may have to make sacrifices at the beginning, so it’s important to have them behind you.Who do you admire in business? Maybe there’s even someone in the industry you’d like to go into. Why do you admire them? What are their likable traits? What can you learn from them?Answering these questions (and many more) about yourself and your abilities isn’t necessarily going to ensure you’re successful, but it will get you thinking about your goals and about what motivates and inspires you. Use this time to make sure that you are matching the business you want to start to your personal aspirations.Be sure to take our quiz to find out if you’re entrepreneur material, too.2. Analyze your industry“The more you know about your industry, the more advantage and protection you will have.”– Tim BerryOnce you decide on a business that fits your goals and lifestyle, evaluate your idea. Who will buy your product or service? Who will your competitors be? At this stage, you also need to figure out how much money you will need to get started.Your “personal evaluation” was as much a reality check as a prompt to get you thinking. The same thing applies when it comes to researching your business and the industry you’d like to go into.There are a number of ways you can do this, including performing general Google searches, speaking to people already working in your target industry, reading books by people from your industry, researching key people, reading relevant news sites and industry magazines and taking a class or two (if this is possible).If you don’t have time to perform the research or would like a second opinion, there are people you can go to for help, like government departments and your local SBDC.Learn To Clean EffectivelySPONSORED BY CONNATIXYou've been cleaning wrong all these years - using probiotics to clean your house will leave it sparkly clean and healthy.There are also a number of less traditional sources worth turning to:Advertising representatives for statistics and data on your competition or the industry in generalList brokers sell mailing or email lists based on demographic attributes. Like, if you think your target market is people making above a certain income in south Texas, a list broker may be able to tell you how many people fit that criteria, to give you a sense of how big your target market actually is.Industry suppliers (again to get a sense of demand and for market information)Students who will likely be happy to perform research for you at an affordable fee.3. Evaluate your target audienceValidate your business idea by creating a pitch page.To determine how attractive your prospective market really is (your own desires aside for the moment), we suggest doing a market analysis.It will guide your research as you think about:How urgently do people need the thing you’re selling or offering right now?What’s the market size? Are there already a lot of people paying for products or services similar to yours? Have you honed in on who exactly your target market is? Being specific will help you focus your marketing message and investment.How easy is it (and how much will it cost you) to acquire a customer? If you’re selling enterprise software, this may require a significantly larger investment than a coffee shop.How much money and effort will it cost to deliver the value you would like to be offering?How long will it take to get to market? A month? A year? Three years?How much up-front investment will you need before you can begin?Will your business continue to be relevant as time passes? A business that repairs iPhone X screens will only remain relevant so long as the iPhone X sticks around. If your business is only relevant for a specific period of time, you will also want to consider your future plans.If you like, you can even take things a step further and consider the consumer needs currently not being met by businesses in the industry. This is a good time to take a look at potential competitors. And remember, the presence of competitors is oftentimes a good sign! It means that the market for your product or service already exists, so you know that you have potential customers who are willing to spend money on your product or service.While you’ve got the time, learn as much as you can about your competitors, about what they provide to their customers, how they attract attention, and whether or not their customers are happy. If you can figure out what’s missing before you even get started, your job will be made that much easier when you do finally set up shop.4. Set up your businessRealistically, registering your business is the first step toward making it real. However, as with the personal evaluation step, take your time to get to know the pros and cons of different business entities.If at all possible, work with an attorney to iron out the details. This is not an area you want to get wrong. You will also need to get the proper business licenses and permits. Depending upon the business, there may be city, county, or state regulations as well. This is also the time to check into insurance and to find a good accountant.Types of business formations include:Sole proprietorshipPartnershipCorporationLimited Liability Company (LLC)Spend some time getting to know the pros and cons of each business formation. If you need help, we’ve got a full guide on Legal Entities, Licenses, and Permits.While incorporating can be expensive, it’s well worth the money. A corporation becomes a separate entity that is legally responsible for the business. If something goes wrong, you are less likely to be held personally liable.Other things you will need to do include deciding on a business name and researching availability for that name.5. Start the planning process“Our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”– Pablo PicassoIf you will be seeking outside financing, a business plan is a necessity. But, even if you are going to finance the venture yourself, a business plan will help you figure out how much money you will need to get started, what it will take to make your business profitable, what needs to get done when, and where you are headed.In the simplest terms, a business plan is a roadmap—something you will use to help you chart your progress and that will outline the things you need to do in order to reach your goals. Rather than thinking of a business plan as a hefty document that you’ll only use once (perhaps to obtain a loan from a bank), think of it as tool to manage how your business grows and achieves its goals.While you might use your business plan as part of your pitch to investors and banks, and to attract potential partners and board members, you will primarily use it to define your strategy, tactics, and specific activities for execution, including key milestones, deadlines and budgets, and cash flow.In fact, the business plan does not have to be a formal document at all if you don’t need to present your plan to outsiders. Instead, your plan can follow a Lean Planning process that involves creating a pitch, forecasting your key business numbers, outlining key milestones you hope to achieve, and regular progress checks where you review and revise your plan.If you aren’t presenting to investors, don’t think of this as a formal pitch presentation, but instead a high-level overview of who you are, the problem you are solving, your solution to the problem, your target market, and the key tactics you will use to achieve your goals.Even if you do not think you need a formal business plan, you should go through the planning process anyway. The process will help to uncover any holes or areas you have not thought through well enough. If you do need to write a formal business plan document, you should follow the outline below.The standard business plan includes nine parts:The Executive SummaryTarget MarketProducts and ServicesMarketing and Sales PlanMilestones and MetricsCompany OverviewManagement TeamFinancial PlanAppendixIf you would like detailed information on how to write a business plan to present to banks or funders, there are plenty of online resources, including our own comprehensive guide.You will also find hundreds of sample plans for specific industries on this very website. Use them at your leisure but be prepared to adapt them to suit your precise needs. No two businesses are the same!Types of business plans:If you are simply creating a business plan in order to stimulate a discussion with potential partners and associates, you may want to consider opting for a “startup plan,” also known as a feasibility plan. As your business grows you can flesh out the sections as you see fit.In contrast to the standard plan and the startup plan, is the operations or annual plan. This type of plan is used for internal purposes and primarily reflects the needs of the members of the company. This type of plan is not intended for banks and outside investors. You will use it either to plan your company’s growth or expansion or to set company-wide priorities.If the latter is true and you are using the plan in order to direct your internal strategy, you are creating a strategic plan, a type of plan that will include a high-level strategy, tactical foundations of the strategy, specific responsibilities, activities, deadlines and budgets, and a financial plan.6. Have a plan for fundingDepending on the size and goals of your venture, you may need to seek financing from an “angel” investor or from a venture capital firm. But, most small businesses begin with a loan, financing from credit cards, help from friends and family, and so on.Investment and lending options include:Venture capitalAngel investment (similar to venture capital)Commercial (banks)Small Business Administration (SBA) LoansAccounts receivable specialistsFriends and familyCredit cardsFor in-depth information on funding, see our complete guide on how to get your business funded, which includes detailed information on each of the above-mentioned options.Note: A beautifully fleshed-out business plan does not guarantee you will get funded. In fact, according to Guy Kawasaki, the business plan is one of the least influential factors when it comes to raising money.To stand a realistic chance of getting hold of the funds you need to get started, you’d be better off first focusing on your “pitch.” Not only will it be easier to fix because it contains less, but you’ll also get feedback on it—most investors don’t bother reading the full business plan, though they may still expect you to have it.It’s also much easier to turn a pitch into a business plan than it is to pare back your plan.7. Set up your spaceYour business plan has been laid out, the money is in the bank, and you’re ready to go. If your business is online and you won’t need a storefront, you’re probably looking at building your website and choosing a shopping cart solution. Maybe you’ll be able to work out of a home office or a co-working space instead of renting or buying office space. But if your business needs a dedicated brick and mortar location, there are many considerations.Finding a location. Negotiating leases. Buying inventory. Getting the phones installed. Having stationery printed. Hiring staff. Setting your prices. Throwing a grand opening party.Think through each of these steps carefully. Your business location will dictate the type of customer you attract, what types of promotions you can run, and how long it will take you to grow. While a great location won’t necessarily guarantee your success, a bad location can contribute to failure.As you’re thinking about where you want to set up shop (including the city and state), consider the following:Price: Can you realistically afford to be where you want to be? If not, or if you’re cutting it fine, keep looking.Visibility: Will people easily be able to find you? Will they see your promotions and offers? Are you in the center of town or further out? How will this affect you?Access to parking or public transportation: Can people easily find you from available parking options and transportation routes? If they have to look too hard, they may give up.Distribution of competitors: Are there many competitors close to you? If so, this may be a sign that the location is premium for the clientele you wish to attract. It may also mean you do no business. Consider carefully how you wish to approach this type of situation.Local, city, and state rules and regulations: Look into regulations, as areas may be more stringent than others. Ensure there are no restrictions that will limit your operations or that will act as barriers to your store.Your marketing will set the stage for the future of your store. It will set expectations, generate hype (if done well), bring business in from day one and ensure that people know where you are and what they can expect from you.Your store’s layout, design and placement of your products will decide not only the overall atmosphere of the store but what products people see and buy. Consider the areas you want well lit; how you will display products (if necessary); what various colors will make people feel, and how people will move through your store.There are reams of literature on why we buy what we do, all of it fascinating and much of it informative. Begin thinking about how you shop—this will get you to think more critically about your own store.Consider: placing products low on shelves will mean that people are unlikely to see them and therefore unlikely to buy them, whereas placing them at eye-level will mean they’re seen first and are therefore probably more likely to be purchased.Your choice of products and how you decide to price them will create a reputation. Rather than stock everything of a similar price range from one or two catalogs, consider only choosing those items that will create the feel you want to become known for.If you’re a service business, build your services in a similar manner, considering your different clientele and the value they will get from the different options you have on offer. If a very affordable package will cheapen your brand, consider excluding it. If a pricier option will limit your clientele too drastically, maybe cut back on some of the services included.8. Prepare for trial and errorWhether you’re starting your first or your third business, expect to make mistakes. This is natural and so long as you learn from them, also beneficial.If you do not make mistakes, you do not learn what to do less of and what to emphasize. Be open-minded and creative, adapt, look for opportunities, and above all, have fun!The great thing about owning your own business is that you get to decide what you want to do and where you’ll grow.Was this article helpful?(91 VOTES, AVERAGE: 4.12 OUT OF 5)Sponsored ContentBusiness Planning Made EasyBY LIVEPLANLivePlan is the #1 selling business planning software in the world. Try it risk free for 60 days, or your money back!

So all of a sudden, there is an atmosphere of cooperation towards India. One has got to hand it to our Prime Minister for bringing about this wave of positive reforms, which, in his own words, has made our country the new ‘land of opportunities’.Global MNCs announcing investment plans in India, start-ups raising millions of dollars throughangel investors, billion dollar valuations, a TV series on entrepreneurship — this is what today’s Young India is talking about. After all these years, it seems, at least for now, Cricket and Bollywood have taken a backseat…“Digital India” and “Make in India” are the new visions set by the biggest entrepreneur in a country of over a billion people. This vision,along with regulations to ease business in India, has created a huge sea of opportunities for entrepreneurs to start their own gigs across various industries.But the category of lynchpins I would like to talk about here is the mini-CEO in a big form or self-starters inside a start-up called Product Manager. If you’re an aspiring Product Manager, the current conditions in India are fertile to reap a very successful career for yourself.In my last post, I wrote about the various roles a Product Manager must play at work to be successful.Here are the top 3 industries an aspiring Product Manager must target in India today.1. Information Technology IndustyUndoubtedly the information technology industry has been the game changer for the Indian economy, responsible in increasing the GDP growth from 1.2% in 1998 to a whopping 7.5% in 2012. According to NASSCOM, this sector experienced net aggregated revenues of USD $147 Billion in 2015 and is set to touch USD $225 Billion in 2020 as predicted by India Brand Equity Foundation.Let’s delve a little deeper here and see how this small bee transformed into a behemoth.Let me take you all the way back to 1967, when TATA group collaborated with Burroughs to set up the first software export zone, SEEPZ (Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone)in Mumbai, which saw 80% of the software export in the 1980s.Since then this industry has grown by leaps and bounds resulting in India becoming a giant in the IT industry and forcing the US President Barack Obama to come up with the slogan in 2009, “Say no to Bangalore, Yes to Buffalo” (Buffalo being a city in the US and not the animal)So let’s get back to the point. How does an aspiring product manager gain?For this we look at the two major components of the industry: a). Domestic and IT Export and b). Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).The growth in the BPO segment has been incredible, generating revenue over US$ 100 Billion in FY 2012, whereas the export and domestic revenue was $69.1 Billion and $31.7 Billion respectively.So now that the ever increasing revenue and GDP figures have given us a reason to breathe comfortably in the IT space in India, let’s see what’s cooking in this gigantic kitchen of IT in India today.As per India Brand Equity Foundation India is the largest sourcing destination for IT globally, accounting for approximately 67 per cent of the USD $124-130 billion market.This massive factory of IT employs around 10 million people, which has definitely led to the economic transformation of the country and rebooted the general perception of India in the global arena. But the USP for India lies in the cost at which it offers these IT companies offer services to the world: it is at least 4 times cheaper than the US.The World wants us, no, the World needs us. But the same reason is also responsible for losing out on the Nadellas and the Pichais to the US or other European MNCs which are able to give them a better life style, more respect and world class opportunities for growth.However, India is gaining prominence in terms of intellectual capital with several global IT firms setting up their innovation centres in India.While Bangalore sits comfortably as the Silicon Valley of India, Hyderabad is all set to change the dynamics in the near future.The biggest tech incubator in the country, spread across 60,000 square feet, is being set up there which will be home to a 1000 start-ups.India is now the fourth largest base for new businesses in the world, with over 3100 tech start-ups and the number is set to touch 11,500 by 2020 as per a report by NASSCOM.So what’s next? All experts are talking about SMAC (Social, mobility, analytics and cloud). Emerging technologies now offer an entire new gamut of opportunities for top IT firms in India.Social, mobility, analytics and cloud (SMAC) are collectively expected to offer a USD $1 Trillion opportunity with Cloud being the core under SMAC, increasing at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 30 per cent with very strong future evaluations touching US$ 650-700 Billion by 2020 as per IBEF’s recent report.The social media is the second most lucrative segment for IT firms, offering a US$ 250 billion market opportunity by 2020.The Indian e-commerce segment, US$ 12 billion in size is also witnessing robust growth offering attractive avenues for IT companies to develop products and services to cater to the high growth consumer segment.In this dense forest of IT there exists a land of opportunities waiting to be discovered, especially for product managers. There is a lot of promise which a numerous number of start-ups have shown.Every now and then we see the founders or the CEOs looking for these skilled Product Managers, because they realise that a Product Manager is one of those who can efficiently execute their vision.They are the ones who have the passion for the product like no one else, and works day in and day out to get the product shipped exactly how the customer/client needs.These pseudo-CEOs are the explorers in a company who have a vision for the product, and their job is to work with all other teams including Marketing, Sales, Finance, and Operations exactly in the way they want them to but without dictating terms.So that’s where the soft skills come into the picture, an important quality for a successful Product Manager to master. With all the MNCs investing heavily in the Sub-Continent in order to set up their R&D centres and manufacturing units, the stakes have never been higher.Plenty of opportunities for the ones looking to tap this hot space of Product Management are being formed as you read this. Surely you would see a new job posting for a Product Manager on Jobseekers login - iimjobs.com or Jobs - Recruitment - Job Search - Employment - Job Vacancies - Naukri.com by the time you finish this article. Do give it a try.2. Telecommunications IndustryAnother grand story in the making? Come let’s see.Before we get inside this one, let’s have a look at some statistics to understand how fast this sector has been growing.India already has over 1 billion mobile phone users, with smart phone penetration rate of 15%, having expanded at a CAGR of 19.22% over FY07-15.Teledensity, i.e. number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals, which stood at 18.3 in FY 2007 has seen a mind-boggling growth to 79.67 in FY 2015.With a very heavy consumption of data on handheld devices now, revenue from the mobile services market is expected to touch US$ 37 Billion by 2017, leading to a CAGR of 5.2% between 2014 and 2017, according to IDC.Going at this rate, IDC also predicts that India is expected to surpass US as the second largest smartphone market by 2017 as people continue to shell out money on smartphones and gradually upgrade to 4G.This sector is set to generate 4 Million direct and indirect jobs over the next 5 years, as per Randstand India. India’s large population and increasing penetration of smartphones were a boost in the arm for the telecom companies.The ‘Make in India’ campaign has had a fascinating impact on the Telecom industry, just what the doctor ordered. Companies like Samsung, Spice and Micromax have been manufacturing and assembling handsets in the country for some time now but new players like Xiaomi, Lenovo and Motorola have also joined the league. HTC, Asus and Gionee are next in line.The Government plans to roll out free high speed wi-fi in 2500 cities and towns across the nation, including setting up wi-fi zones in public places.Google has already announced setting up of free wi-fi in 400 Train Stations.But the real opportunity for the major players lies in rural India which has been untapped for quite some time now, with teledensity being a mere 15%. Lack of infrastructure to support telecom has been a major reason.Seeing this, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular plan to invest heavily over the next two years to expand their network infrastructure and distribution channel in the country.BSNL, currently facing the heat of competition and going through a rough patch in terms of declining revenue and higher cost, has enormous infrastructure, systems, manpower, 80% of landlines and 90% of broadband connections across the country is being looked at to bring the next wave of rural telecom penetration.Another wave of disruption being experienced right now is Mobile Applications which has made life simpler and easier. A win-win for all. Telecom has benefitted from this in a huge fashion. Let’s look at some figures from 2014.Number of Internet users in India in 2014 was 300 Million and the number of mobile internet users was 203 Million.Number of people who purchased something online was 40 Million and is expected to increase by 35% this year.Truly an epidemic in every sense of the word.This ever increasing expansion of the mobile ecosystem and huge demand for high-bandwidth apps has been keeping telecom companies on their toes and the competition has been very fierce. With all players trying to give that one-click delivery experience to the customers, you’ve got to agree that a lot of hard work goes into it.Product Managers in this industry have been a blessing for both the customers as well as the companies.Right from understanding the market feasibility and dynamics, identifying the customer segment, to coming up with innovative ways to acquire more customers, revenue planning, analytics, pricing and finally the end-to-end product lifecycle management and smooth rollout, can the exposure and learning get any better?3. Retail IndustryThis industry has gone through a complete makeover in the last 8 years. In 2003, believe it or not, IRCTC was the first one to setup a platform where people could buy tickets online, followed by AirDeccan (now Kingfisher Red) in 2004.But it was 2007, when Flipkart came into the picture and made a mark. E-commerce has really shaped retail in India. Now, we are moving towards m-commerce where shopping from mobile is becoming the new sexy. It is being really promoted by all the major players by offering some hefty discounts.So, looks like this industry is going to survive and thrive in the time to come. Wanna see some numbers?India’s retail market is expected to double to US$ 1 trillion by 2020 from US$ 600 billion in 2015, resulting from income growth and urbanisation. Retailing accounts for about 22% of the GDP of India.Retail shopping in the top seven cities was a massive Rs 3.58 trillion (US$ 57.6 billion). Online retail is expected to be at par with the physical stores in the next five years.India is one of the world’s fastest growing e-commerce markets, thanks to robust investment in the sector and rapid increase in the number of internet users, which we already saw in the above section.India’s e-commerce market is estimated to expand to over US$ 100 billion by 2020 from US$ 3.5 billion in 2014.M-commerce in India in 2014 was an unbelievable 41% of the total sales made online.With the ever rising need for consumer goods in various sectors, a lot of players including PayTM, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Tesco, IKEA etc. are just investingbags full of dollarsin the retail space. Some retail friendly initiatives taken by the Government include the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) to enable easier movements of goods across the country.The government has also approved a proposal to scrap distinctions among the different types of foreign investments by shifting to a single composite limit. E-commerce is the biggest wave of transformation in the retail industry, and this trend would continue in the years to come.Retailers must take advantage of the digital channels (e-commerce), which would enable them to shell out less money on real estate while reaching out to more customers in smaller cities and towns.Amongst the other reasons including a favourable environment, rising incomes, urbanisation etc. One major reason that stands out for me for this paramount success of this sector is the change in the shopping attitude of an Indian consumer, a vital increase in the use of IT and telecom has paved the way for e-Retail.An Indian consumer is now aware of brands and online shops for lifestyle as per need and occasion. But lack of loyal customers due to the presence of multiple players offering a whole array of deals and discounts is a major cause of worry which has been giving sleepless nights to big e-commerce players.This is where the product strategy, positioning and differentiation come into the picture. The demand for a smart workforce is the need of the hour for e-commerce, and mind you they’re willing to pay for it. Let’s see how a Product Manager can be a lynchpin for the Retail Industry.Depending upon on the segment of retail, which a Product Manager is managing, their work revolves around benchmarking products against the competition. They then develop a comprehensive strategy to address competitive positioning and differentiation of the product.Once this is done, they have to lay down a multi-release product roadmap. They have to work in conjunction with the Sales and Marketing to give them a product demo, descriptions and presentations. They basically equip them with everything that is neededfor the product.This is one of the most crucial steps for a Product Manager because the success of a product is marked by the sales it makes over a period of time. So if the product is not marketed and sold well, the whole venture could be called a failure and a Product Manager is the first one facing the heat of the stakeholders.If you are looking forward to obtaining the CISSP Certification, I would recommend you to join the CISSPTOP Services and gain their expert guidance.