Home Competition Stories EXL Acumen 2018 National Finalist FMS Delhi's Mohit Dhall's Story

EXL Acumen 2018 National Finalist FMS Delhi's Mohit Dhall's Story

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EXL Acumen 2018 National Finalist FMS Delhi's Mohit Dhall's Story

Before jumping to how we felt after being declared the National Finalists of EXL Acumen 2018, let’s go through our motivation for the competition:

EXL Acumen 2018 was one-of-its-kind competition related to analytics

The case study was quite interesting and engaging

The reward of PPIs for the winners

So, with enough motivation for the competition, it was a cherry on top of the cake to get the desired results. They just added to our already excited state! It was delightful and we felt a sense of achievement to win the campus round since the competition had different aspects to it such as analytics, marketing, finance, strategy, etc.

We already had some experience when it came to the domain of the case, so we followed our own expertise along with secondary research. We spent a week of our time on the final case study. To provide a solution to the case, we sat together for long hours and would formulate different strategies. It was a great learning experience.

The most challenging phase, for us, was to link the overall strategy with revenue streams. We spent a lot of time formulating different ways of calculating revenue from our solution but initially, it was not making sense to us. With a lot of iterations and improvements in the methodology, we finally landed on a solution that met our standards and expectations from the team.

Our team ‘Carpe Diem’, of two, Somesh and I, had already worked in numerous college projects and competitions. We are a great team as we bring synergy to the table. He is good in areas where I lack and vice-versa is also true. This is, in my opinion, the main ingredient of a good team. We rarely had conflicts. That was one of the positive things about working with Somesh.

Our team's expertise was in analyzing the case problem thoroughly. Moreover, both of us have a great deal of patience and optimism. We take every challenge with a positive spirit even when our solutions are not working and with these traits, eventually, we always find the right way to approach the problem.

There were a total of six teams in the National Finale. Every team brought a different perspective on the case. But the team from IIM Ahmedabad called ‘Sunya Se Shatak’, was, in our opinion was our toughest competitor. Their analysis and flow of presentation were best among all the participating teams. The solution was very well formulated and it could be linked to desired outcomes with ease.

The judging panel consisted of more than 10 senior leaders from EXL. They were patient enough to sit through the entire time and paid full attention to our solutions. They asked relevant questions and highlighted the aspects that we could not even think of. We were provided with food, conveyance, and accommodation. In conclusion, it was a very well coordinated and managed event.

The primary learning is that more than the solution, the approach is important. Different teams using a different set of tools, techniques, and methods, making it very clear that every problem would require a new set of dimensions in its solution. The element of individual creativity in the solution is very significant.

Secondary, while providing solutions, one has to get out of their comfort zone, enhance their expertise level and think beyond regular aspects to deliver the solution which cannot be thought of.

It was a delight to meet participants from different campuses, the organizing team, and the senior leadership. We got a chance to have an informal conversation with the leaders. EXL Acumen 2018 provided us with more than what we had expected.

Edited by

Mohit Dhall - FMS Delhi

(Batch of 2017-19)

Mohit Dhall, an MBA student from FMS Delhi, is a Mechanical Engineer; has worked with Hitachi Air Conditioners for 2 years; a cricket player who can play the guitar a little; believes in simplicity and honesty.

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MBA B-School EXL Acumen 2018 EXL FMS Delhi EXL Acumen