Time Management in Valmiki Ramayana

The scene from Ramayana:


After Rama killed Vali, he makes Sugriva the king of Kishkinda and tells him to rest and relax
for the next two months of rainy season and after that help him in finding Sita. Sugriva gets
intoxicated with alcoholic drinks and pleasures of flesh that he forgets his promise to Rama.
After stern reminder by Hanuman, Sugriva sends messengers with orders to assemble the
monkey army in Kishkinda.

Meanwhile Rama sends his brother Lakshmana to warn Sugriva with a clear message that the
doors through which Vali was sent to netherworld are not yet closed. Hearing this, Sugriva
comes to Rama and apologizes for the delay. By then the monkey army arrives and Sugriva was
saved from Rama’s wrath. He divides the army into four squads and orders them to go in search
of Sita in all four directions of Earth setting a deadline of one month.

The squad that goes in the southern direction comes back only after four months but brings the
report on whereabouts of Sita. Hanuman brings the message from Sita that she will not bear to
live more than a month in the sickening situation she is in. The very same day Rama marches to
Lanka with the monkey army.

How the scene maps to the process:

Rama changes the schedule baseline three times in this project of rescuing Sita.
First time he postpones the activity “Send squads in search of Sita” by two months knowing
that not much can be achieved in rainy season. It will sap the energy of the monkey army to
carry the search in rain and it may kill their motivation to fight Ravana’s army later.


When Sugriva delays the search due to negligence and distraction, Rama reprimands the
monkey king, but still forgives him because he has marshaled the army. The baseline is now
moved to middle of fall season.


The monkeys returned only in spring season, but since they had valid reasons for the delay and
also they were successful in their mission, Rama admitted the delay.


But he marches towards Lanka and rescues Sita within the one month deadline that she set for
her rescue. Thus he shows that changes to schedule should be managed with appropriate
control on the dependencies.

Cost Management in Valmeeki Ramayana

Developing an approximation of the costs of the resources needed to complete the project
activities


The scene from Ramayana:
Rama helps Sugriva get his wife and kingdom from Vali and in turn takes help from Sugriva’s
monkey army to rescue Sita. He motivates heroes like Hanuman, Jambavan, Angada and Sugriva
to work for his cause who in turn motivate the army to wage a great war against Ravana and
win the war. Rama protects the army with his might from ruthless ogres like Kumbhakarna and
Indrajit.


At the end of the war, Rama directs Vibhishana to reward the monkey army with gold and
diamonds, which Vibhishana was more than happy to oblige, because Rama made him the king
of Lanka. Again during Rama’s coronation he recognizes the heroes of the war with memorable
mementos.

How the scene maps to the process:

Rama is exiled and in exile he looses his wife. To find her whereabouts and rescue her from a
tyrannical enemy like Ravana, he cannot afford to hire an army of men. He had to work within
the resource and cost constraints.

He befriends Sugriva, a monkey with a few known frailties, but a good character with great
potential, and works with him to complete the project activities. After successful completion,
Rama takes good care of the team that helped him.

In IT these days, many managers fret that they are not able to retain talented resources
ecause the team members abscond from the project and go away for greener pastures

But if the manager can motivate emergent people of potential with challenging work, safeguard them
from risks, and reward and recognize them at the successful completion of projects, be able
to better control attrition and in turn finish projects within estimated cost.

Human Resources Management in Valmeeki Ramayana

4. Human Resources Management - S.Ganapathy Subramanian


Definition of Manage Project team:

Tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues, and coordinating
changes to enhance project performance

The scene from Ramayana:

After killing Ravana and making Vibhishana the king of Lanka, Rama sends for Sita. When Sita
arrives, he tells her cruelly that he defeated Ravana only to uphold the honor of the family and
he is not interested in her as she has stayed too long away from him. He tells her that she can
freely choose to live with anyone else like Lakshmana, Bharatha or Sugriva. These words
gravely hurt Sita. She enters fire vouching that she shall be protected if she is truly chaste in
her heart. Fire God brings her back alive and gives her to Rama. Rama accepts her
wholeheartedly. The whole world finds what Rama already knew that Sita was pristine pure.
How the scene maps to the process:

This scene is usually misunderstood. But this scene should be seen in conjunction with an
earlier scene. When Rama goes behind a deer that Sita desired, He orders Lakshmana to stay
back and safeguard Sita. Sita was disillusioned to believe that Rama was in danger by Ravana’s
sting operation. She tells Lakshmana to go after Rama. Lakshmana replies that Rama will never
need his protection whereas she does. But suddenly Sita gets into a fit of anger and accuses
Lakshmana that he has come to the forest not to help them but lusting after her and that is
why he is letting Rama die away. She says, “May be Bharatha sent you to kill Rama and get
me.” For a character as spotless as Lakshmana, these were like arrows of fire into his ears that
he leaves. Soon Ravana comes there and abducts Sita.

When Lakshmana reaches Rama, Rama chides him for leaving Sita alone. Lakshmana explains
his action. Rama says, “Still it is a mistake that you disobeyed my order. It is going to lead to
great grief.”

For Rama his team includes both Sita and Lakshmana. He gave Lakshmana feedback on the
same day. Rama wanted to show Sita how it feels if one’s character is assassinated when one is
innocent at heart. So he created the scene, where he disowns Sita and then accepts her again.
Thus he gave feedback to Sita the very next time he met her after she was lost.

In another case, when Rama wanted to accept Vibhishana, Ravana’s brother who seeks his
shelter, into the team, he does not do it unilaterally. He takes the opinion of all the monkey
heroes. Among them, only Hanuman supports the idea of taking Vibhishana into the camp while
five others oppose it. But Rama convinces them that he can protect himself and the monkey
army from any danger and gives shelter to Vibhishana.

Communicat​ion Management in Valmeeki Ramayana

5. Communication Management - by S Ganapathy Subramanian

Definition of Manage Stakeholders:

Managing communications to satisfy the requirements of and resolve issues with project
stakeholders.

The scene from Ramayana:

When Sugriva saw Rama and Lakshmana coming towards his hiding place, he became jittery. He
sent Hanuman to find out who they are. Hanuman talks pleasantly to the brothers and finds out
who they are and why they are wandering in the forest. He makes a judgment call that they
will help Sugriva and Sugriva can return the favor. He takes them to Sugriva and forges
friendship between Rama and Sugriva.

Hanuman goes with the squad that travels in the southern direction, crosses the ocean and
finds Sita in the palace garden of Ravana. Ravana and the rakshasis threaten her life. She was
about to commit suicide. Hanuman tells the story of Rama and gains her attention. He knows
that this is Sita. But he still asks her who she is and why she is crying and listens patiently to
her lament and thus wins her trust. He consoles her with words, “Don’t cry.” He gives her the
signet ring of Rama and repeatedly assures her that Rama will soon come and rescue her.

He meets Ravana and warns him in the name of Rama and Sugriva. But seeing that Ravana is
too arrogant and realizing that terror can be answered only with terror, he causes significant
damage to the rakshasa army and burns down Lanka city to put fear in the heart of Ravana.
On return from Lanka he narrates to his monkey friends all the events that transpired and
motivates them to fight for Rama to rescue Sita.

Hanuman comes back to Rama and conveys the crisis situation Sita is in. He instigates Rama to
march to Lanka right away. He also describes the defense guard and security situation in Lanka
to help Rama strategize his offence.

After Ravana was defeated, Rama asks Hanuman to convey the good news to Sita. Similarly
when approaching Ayodhya in Pushpaka Vimana, Rama stops at a sage’s hermitage. He sends
Hanuman ahead of him to Ayodhya to tell Bharatha that he will arrive the next day.

How the scene maps to the process:

Hanuman is remembered for his prowess to move mountains and cross oceans. But more
significant is his communication skills through which he connected all the stakeholders in this
project and moved the events forward. Significant point to note is that he not only talks
pleasantly and coherently but listens attentively and wins other person’s trust.