Vikram Solar, one of India’s largest module manufacturers and a leading EPC player in the solar sector, had ambitious plans — a 3000 MW portfolio and a goal to become the category leader within 3 years. To make this scale viable and profitable, their EPC business needed to become self-sufficient, managing projects independently of head office support while delivering on strict profitability targets.

Despite detailed planning processes, project teams were getting caught in a loop of revisions, cashflow fluctuations, and execution delays. The need was clear: a system that connects business targets with actual execution — and helps teams drive real progress on the ground.

The Challenge: Execution Plans Without Execution Control

At the core, Vikram Solar’s planning and review process was well-structured — business targets were set, translated into milestones, and departmental schedules were built to meet them.

But in execution, the process fell short. Teams were chasing targets but not driving flow.

Key gaps included:

• No stable reference plan: Catch-up plans kept revising cash flow and milestone dates, distorting the true state of the project.
• Misaligned objectives: Purchase teams focused on reducing cost, project teams focused on cash inflows — but neither aligned with on-time completion.
• No early visibility: Risks surfaced late. Delays were discovered only during reviews.
• Effort was high, progress was unclear: Daily coordination was intense, but management lacked real levers to control the timeline.

Ultimately, execution was being driven by promises and patches — not by flow or readiness.

The Business Impact

• Frequent revisions made baseline plans meaningless.
• Cash flow projections were always in flux, based on best-case catch-up plans.
• Cost-based purchase decisions (e.g., splitting orders to control price) delayed material availability and destabilized schedules.
• Project delivery confidence was low — and profitability was at risk.

The Shift: From Patchwork Plans to Flow-Driven Execution

Realization worked with Vikram Solar not just to implement a system, but to realign the way projects were executed — shifting from milestone-chasing to flow-based, batch-wise execution.

Key Elements of the Shift

1. ‍Prioritizing Project Flow Over Item Profitability
   • Instead of chasing the most profitable BoQ items first, teams began focusing on finishing one project at a time — improving cash velocity and freeing up working capital.
   • Example: Finishing switchyard and control room areas early to enable commissioning, even if some high-value items were pending.
2. Stabilizing Execution Plans
   • Instead of letting catch-up plans drive the baseline, a structured roadmap was created with defined phase sand closure criteria.
   • Major phases included:
     • Pre-Fullkit Phase
     • Fullkit Phase
     • Major Engineering
     • Execution Phase 1 C 2
     • Commissioning
3. Connecting Financial Objectives with Execution Reality
   • Execution was now designed to support cash inflows and shorten the cash-to-cash cycle.
   • For example:
     • Phase 1 inflow:4% (mobilization)
     • Phase 2 inflow:10% (MMS posts, DC cables, inverters)
     • Projects were planned to hit these triggers faster and more predictably

How It Was Made Real

• Management-Level Templates were created for ground-mount projects
• Streamliner was deployed to support the roadmap with real-time tracking
• Monthly reviews focused on compliance to the roadmap, not new catch-up promises
• Custom financial reports were added to link execution progress with business outcomes

The Result: Building Execution That Supports Profitability

This approach allowed Vikram Solar to regain control over its project outcomes — and do it without increasing management effort.

The teams now had:

• A stable plan that didn’t shift with every delay
• Prioritized execution, based on cashflow and readiness — not BoQ cost
• Reduced rework, fewer split orders, and early commissioning triggers
• Clear handoff phases, so that projects didn’t get stuck halfway

The impact went beyond a project — it improved how the business made strategic decisions across its entire EPC portfolio.

Conclusion

What Vikram Solar changed was not just the software — but the way execution decisions were made. From pushing teams to “meet the target,” they moved to enabling teams to focus, finish, and flow. And that’s what made their growth plan not just ambitious — but achievable.

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