Case study · MEP · Nagpur · 2025
From founder-dependent execution to data-based decision making. 3x growth in 15 months at TEPL, Nagpur.
TEPL — an MEP contracting and energy services business led by Hitesh Harkare — moved from informal practices, intuition and memory to AOPs, KPIs, weekly Saturday Performance Review Meetings, and data-based decision making, by progressively institutionalising 17 management practices across finance, sales, governance, operating rhythm, leadership, and culture.
growth achieved in 15 months
management practices institutionalised
path over 28 months through professionalisation
Client context
"The Saturday PRMs felt like a very powerful and much-needed step. It brought immense clarity, alignment and confidence in the way forward."
The Challenge
The company had ambition, relationships, and founder energy, but much of the business still ran through a combination of informal practices, intuition and memory. Planning was short-term, finance was cash-led, sales visibility was limited, decisions took time to close, and leadership was pulled into operational details.
The transformation goal was not to replace the founder's instinct. It was to convert that instinct into repeatable systems that managers could use, teams could understand, and stakeholders could trust.
The 4 Pillars of the Intervention
The work progressively moved from strategy conversations to management practices that changed the weekly operating rhythm of the business.
Financial Discipline
- Monthly P&L reviews
- Variance and trend analysis
- Vendor ageing and terms visibility
Operating Rhythm
- Annual Operating Plan
- KPI-linked review cadence
- Prepared meetings with clear outcomes
Sales Engine
- Pipeline dashboard
- Conversion tracking
- Customer trend analysis
Leadership & Culture
- Role clarity
- Outcome-based reviews
- Mentoring and strategic governance
The 17 Management Practices
The transformation was not one big strategy deck. It was the steady conversion of informal habits into operating practices.
| Dimension | Before | After 15+ Months |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Management Style | Founder-driven, informal, reactive | Professionally managed, structured, and proactive |
| Financial Control | No formal P&L tracking; cash-based decisions | Monthly P&L reviews with variance and trend analysis |
| Business Planning | No formal planning horizon | Annual Operating Plan with targets and KPIs |
| Sales Management | No pipeline visibility | Sales pipeline dashboard tracking leads, conversions, and closures |
| Customer Understanding | Relationship- and intuition-driven | Data-backed customer analysis and trend tracking |
| Vendor Management | Reactive follow-ups on payables | Structured vendor analysis across outstandings, ageing, and terms |
| Performance Measurement | Effort-focused and subjective | Outcome-based KPIs and formal performance reviews |
| Incentives | Ad hoc and discretionary | Structured incentives aligned to AOP and results |
| Governance & Board | Problem-solving and operational focus | Strategy-led, guidance-oriented, and forward-looking board rhythm |
| Decision Making | Discussion-heavy with slow closure | Data-based decision making — agenda-led, evidenced, and solution-oriented |
| Meetings | Unstructured with limited preparation | Pre-read data, clear agendas, and defined outcomes |
| Strategy Horizon | Short-term firefighting | Clear view on what to discard in 2-3 years and build beyond 3 years |
| Project Monitoring | Verbal and irregular updates | Structured project-level tracking and reporting |
| Organisational Clarity | Overlapping roles and responsibilities | Clear ownership, accountability, and role clarity |
| Culture | Loyalty- and effort-based | Meritocratic, performance- and outcome-focused |
| Leadership Role | Operational involvement at all levels | Leadership focused on mentoring, guidance, and strategy |
| External Confidence | Limited transparency | Improved confidence among customers and stakeholders |
What Changed
The business became easier to review, easier to govern, and easier to scale. Decisions moved from informal practices, intuition and memory to data-based decision making. Saturday Performance Review Meetings replaced ad hoc check-ins. Sales became visible. Finance became reviewable. Leadership began spending more time on guidance, mentoring, and strategy.
Most importantly, the company built management muscle. Growth became less dependent on heroic founder intervention and more dependent on repeatable practices.
What to read next
Could Your Company Use a Similar System?
If your company has ambition but the operating rhythm still feels informal, reactive, or founder-dependent, the first step is a focused conversation about what needs to become repeatable.
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