Introduction

The BbyB Beacon is an electronic publication to keep the members of Bit by Bit informed about the current affairs of the company. It contains announcements of important events like training programmes, Management Review Meetings, etc.

Contact Information
 Any contributions to the newsletter in the form of technical articles, or items of general interest, are welcome. Please send them to padmabaliga@bbyb.sdc.int or padmabaliga@bbyb.com

Editorial                                                                                                                    (top)

Spring is in the air, the flowers have begun blooming and with the festival of Holi to look forward to, March promises to be a colourful month indeed.

March was named after Mars the Roman god of war because January and February, being cold, were unsuited for warfare, so essential to the Roman Empire. March is also immortalised in the phrase, “mad as a March hare”. During Holi in March, everyone lets their hair down as the colours begin to fly. Close on the heels of Holi, we celebrate Ugadi, the start of a new year according to the Hindu calendar, with a change in the moon's orbit. Most Hindus begin the day with a taste of the bitter neem and the sweet jaggery – symbolising the bitter and sweet experiences of life.

BbyB Beacon wishes all its readers a Happy Ugadi – with more jaggery and less neem in it!

Padma

From the Management

Dear All,

This month we got the news that StaffBank has won the NHSP national contract. This achievement is even more spectacular given that our competition was the big boys – British Telecom, Deloitte etc… That said, the hard work only begins now and the next 9-12 months will be extremely busy for the StaffBank team.

Construction is going on in full swing and with the roof coming up we have gone past a major milestone. We have already started erecting the walls and soon will be starting work on the interiors. We still haven’t been able to finalize a day for making the actual move but I am quite confident it should be sometime in June 2006. As soon as we do have a date I will inform you.

Regards,
Raghu

Projects News

StaffBank                                                                                                            (top)

This month was a very good one for the StaffBank team because we were informed that StaffBank had won the NHSP National Contract. This is a great achievement for the BbyB-BHP team considering that the competition was from giants like BT and KPMG.

Raghu Shenoy thanked everyone specially the StaffBank team for all the effort that went into winning this contract.

He also conducted a meeting on 14th February at 4:00pm for the StaffBank team to discuss the AfC payments, changes to SBonWeb, Oxford go live, etc. He discussed the need for StaffBank to be user friendly, since we can't expect all users to be computer literate. Hence, StaffBank will be modified such that when a User is working on a screen, the next steps/ screens will be automatically displayed.

As usual StaffBank had a very tight schedule for the month of February. Arun was busy with payroll for Plymouth, Swale and Medway, request reports for OCR, changes required for Non-Afc payrolls and bug fixes for Southport after upgrade.

Usha was busy with StaffBank day to day issues and worked on NHSP North Invoice module changes, changes for Oracle Interface file, some Version releases, and getting Oxford trusts into StaffBank and the NFC Agency invoice reports as well.

Sreedhar was busy working on Audits for CCS, StaffBank on Web bug fixes and enhancements and the design documents for the change control NHSP141, which is a major change control that we received.

Chaitanya made changes to StaffBank - HomeCare module for a demo. Chaitanya got married this month to Yogita and so was on leave from 4th to 19th February.

Sajayan created some reports for Helpdesk system, and was engaged in some bug fixes for StaffBank on Web, and the release of StaffBank on Web version 2.08.04 to Guys and Thomas and Whittington and the release of StaffBank on Web version 2.00.01.19 to NHS Professionals.

Uma made changes like Activities, Contact Amendment, GP Security And converting Access to SQL server in LinguaBank.

Sachin was involved in NHSP invoice reports, NHSP 29 and NHSP 31.

Prathiba was busy with data preparation for Oxford and Medway.

Jayashree tested Scot Nursing Home Care, NFC reports, NHSP 29, NHSP 129 and Essex PCT payrolls.

Saraswati tested NHSP 31 payroll for Plymouth, Swale and Medway, LinguaBank, BHP-105 and bug fixes for SB on Web. Our testing team member Sunder has not been keeping well for 15 days due to typhoid and we all hope he will join us next month.

Saraswathi for StaffBank

MESaLS                                                                                                                  (top)

MESaLS in May 2005
It has been rather a hectic month for MESaLS. The first release of MESaLS Version 4 will be going live on 13th June at Solihull. Soon after that, British Red Cross (BRC) and Wigan are scheduled to follow suit. Naveen will be present during the Solihull installation and most likely during BRC installation too.

With the new version of MESaLS, we will also be using the Handheld versions developed completely by BbyB. This will include both Windows Netpad and Pocket PC versions. Solihull will be going live with Windows Netpad devices where as Wigan is expected to go with the Pocket PC based devices. The work is underway to include the Stock Input/Modifications functionalities for imminent release.

The first release of Version 4 will be showcased in NAEP Conference to be held from 28th – 30th June 2005 in Blackpool.

We are expecting a very busy and challenging next few months with MESaLS V4 growing in features and functionalities.

pFACT                                                                                                                   (top)

PFACT had a hectic schedule in May as usual.
There was a lot for the PFACTian to cheer about and feel proud.

We could get out the oracle version two months before beating the deadline and also a later version (1.09) of SQL and Oracle on the same day and on time!

We also enjoyed an outing with a Movie and dinner at Pizza Hut on 24th May 2005 to celebrate the release of 1.09 on time.

Some feedback from our Client’s clients…

I know there have been issues regarding the pFACT system but please be assured that the feedback from the pilot testing over the last week or so has been excellent.

Please keep up the good work

Thanks

Hamish McCardie
Management Accountant
University of York

Sepia                                                                                                                   (top)

It has been a busy month for Sepia with the development of features requested by Dorset. The last couple of months have been spent primarily on Dorset's functionality with odd bits of bugs and changes from current set of Live users. Dorset is expected to go live in the later part of March. I will be travelling to UK in March for their go-live and initial few days as a hand holding exercise. Find out what happens by visiting this page next month. See you then.

Shashidhar for Sepia

New Office                                                                                                           (top)


The new office is taking shape and suddenly, June seems a lot closer. The walls are coming up and before you can say Jack Robinson, we are sure, work will begin on the interiors.
Here are a few on-site photographs.

Other News                                                                                                        (top)

Success Banks At StaffBank!

Dear All,
We have just been informed that StaffBank has won the NHSP National Contract! This is a real great achievement for the BbyB-BHP team considering that the competition was from giants like BT and KPMG.
I want to thank all of you specially the StaffBank team for all the effort that went into winning this contract.

Regards,
Raghu

The month of February 2006 has been very special for the entire StaffBank team, for that is when the team heard about StaffBank winning the NHSP National contract. Which in essence means that BByB-BHP will be the software service providers for temporary staffing solutions for NHS for the coming years. Given that there was competition from the biggies like KPMG, BT etc. this has been a wonderful achievement by the BByB-BHP team. Having said that, it didn’t come as a surprise to many of us, for we have some one like Mr. Raghu Shenoy, the man leading the StaffBank team. I personally feel that no one else would have understood the requirements of NHSP better than Mr. Raghu Shenoy, who has been successfully leading the project for over 7 years now.

Well, now that we have been able climb the first step of the ladder, there’s a lot more to be done to make it to the top. I am sure, that the entire StaffBank team will put in their best effort to make it a grand success.

Here’s wishing all the best for the entire team.

Arun for StaffBank

Felicitations have poured in from all sides and seen below are some of them.

Chaitanya’s marriage

Chaitanya’s marriage with Yogita was the other happy event of this month. BbyBers could not make it all the way to Amaravati where the wedding took place (incidentally, in Hindu mythology, Indra’s capital is Amaravati) but all of us wish him a happy married life and years and years of domestic bliss. Seen below are a few pictures of their holiday in beautiful Ooty and Coonor.

Holidays                                                                                                                 (top)

30th March, Thursday will be a holiday on account of Chandramana Ugadi.

Colleagues Cognizant                                                                                           (top)

This month, the limelight shifts to two remarkable young men, Datta and Sree. Get to know more about them as they candidly answer all the questions posed to them.

B.N. Dattathreya

Datta joined BByB in May 2004 as Testing Engineer and has worked on the SMS Service project for StaffBank and on MESaLS. Quiet and patient, tall and lean, he is possessed of a wry sense of humour. Here are some excerpts from the chat we had with Datta.

1. What do you enjoy the most in BByB?
The work environment

2. Would you like to suggest any changes in the work culture here?
No changes. Let it be as it is.

3. Whom do you enjoy working with?
I like to work with anyone concerned. I enjoy learning more about their working styles and finding out what makes them tick.

4. The secret of your height?
“I am a Complan boy”

5. Has your height been an advantage to you? Explain if yes or no.
Yes... I am always in demand when people want things from the top shelf. (smiles)

6. You are known to be an experimental cook with a flair for the unusual. What culinary concoctions have you been cooking up recently?
Yes, I’m an experimental cook. Recently my roommates and I prepared Italian Rice. And I think we were daredevils to finish that stuff.

7. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Patience is my strength and too much patience is my weakness.

8. How do you spend your free time?
I read books, watch movies and enjoy shopping.

11.Ten years from now, you will be…?
I see myself as a business analyst ten years from now.

12. What is your take on life?
Life is a mystery.


Sreedhara Rao

Sreedhar rocks. He’s as witty as they come and is never stumped for an answer. He has been with BByB for over 4 years and started off with CPA on the Web and then worked on Beams on the Web, followed by HiQ Invoicing System, SpanER and now StaffBank on the Web and associated projects like CCS. We present glimpses of Sree in the conversation we had with him.

1. When did you join BbyB?
My first innings was from November 2000 to October 2001. My second innings started on the 01st of October 2002. So far I am not out!!

2. What do you enjoy the most in BbyB?
It’s the atmosphere. It feels like a home away from home. It is something that would be missing in a bigger company. You know, here I am a name, not a number.

3. Would you like to suggest any changes in the work culture here?
Well, there is a lot of scope for improvement in the work I do, so until I can improve, I don’t think I can suggest changes in the work culture. Rest assured, when I get really efficient, I will start picking on others!!

4. Whom do you enjoy working with?
I really enjoyed working with Shubha because we were both new here and it was a learning experience for us. After that I enjoyed working with Rejeen and still later, when I got into StaffBank, I love working with the team. There was a time when some of us were learning UML. That was a team I enjoyed working with too, particularly Guru and Chaitanya. The person I miss working with the most is Arun Kumar. We had a very good rapport and I loved working with him.

5. You are seen to be very trendy these days. How does it feel experimenting with different hairstyles and hair colours every now and then?
It isn’t something new. It all started off when I got spectacles. I used to break my specs so often that I got opportunities to try out different frames all the time!! Later, when I passed out of school, the length of your hair was no restriction and I started growing it and then chopping it off. Sometimes I decide to keep a mustache and sometimes I just shave it off. It’s mostly impulsive. I never pre-plan a look.

6. You are known to be a great fan of Chiranjeevi and Ram Gopal Verma. What is it you like about them?
Well, them and a lot of others too!! I never miss an Aamir Khan movie either!! And about what I like about them, it’s obviously their talent! I think they are very talented and are very good at what they do. But I’m more of a director’s fan than an actor’s fan. I’d watch anything by Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Zemeckis, Peter Jackson, David Fincher, Tim Burton, Mani Ratnam and of course, Ram Gopal Verma!! My DVD collection grows with respect to directors’ works rather than actors’ works!!

7. There is a rumour circulating that you have seen Rangeela 150 times. Comment.
No comments!! Let the myth grow!!

8. If a genie appears all of a sudden and grants you 3 wishes, what would you ask for?
1. Peace on Earth!! I know it sounds clichéd, but I really think it would be nice to have peace for a change!!
2. No more P1s in StaffBank ever!!
3. Whatever I wish for should come true all the time!!

9. You are known to be a die-hard fan of music. Tell us more about your collection and passion for music.
I have been collecting music since a very long time. I generally tend to favour the 70s music. But it isn’t just limited to that. I absolutely love Pink Floyd and Roger Waters. I have over 500 CDs of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters live concerts and all their official releases. I collect anything related to them, books, CDs, DVDs, LDs, 8 Track Tapes, cassettes, Vinyl, anything. It’s an addiction!! I was fortunate enough to meet Roger Waters when he had come to India to play and I even did a 2 hour special on Pink Floyd on Radio City a couple of years back, about my collection. In fact 70% of the music on my IPod is Pink Floyd and related projects.

Besides that I listen to a lot of REM, The Cranberries, Enigma, Kraftwerk, Queen, Meat Loaf. And I am a big fan of Rahman too. I collect all his releases.

10. You had promised us that you would lose weight by feasting on pizzas. Has there been any progress?
I didn’t promise anyone I’d lose weight feasting on pizzas! It is a hypothesis I have and it still needs to become a theory!! I have managed to eat at least one pizza every week this year, but I haven’t had the courage to weigh myself!! So, as far as progress is concerned, I am doing the research by gorging on pizzas, but am yet to come up with some conclusive evidence to support my hypothesis.

11. Life is…. ?
… the best thing that ever happened to me!!

12. Ten years from now, you will be… ?
In Bangalore!!