Meeting Title: Operations Leads Weekly Date: 2025-08-11 Meeting participants: Rico Rejoso, Uttam Kumaran
WEBVTT
1 00:14:30.380 ⇒ 00:14:32.009 Uttam Kumaran: Hi, Rika, sorry.
2 00:14:33.900 ⇒ 00:14:35.410 Rico Rejoso: Hi, UTM, how are you?
3 00:14:35.900 ⇒ 00:14:37.410 Uttam Kumaran: Hey, good, how are you?
4 00:14:38.590 ⇒ 00:14:40.080 Rico Rejoso: Good so far.
5 00:14:41.040 ⇒ 00:14:42.340 Uttam Kumaran: What’s going on today?
6 00:14:43.560 ⇒ 00:14:58.529 Rico Rejoso: I was adapting to the, I mean, Amber provided me with a lot of, learning materials for the, project management task, so I was going through it as well, and learning some of the stuff.
7 00:15:02.990 ⇒ 00:15:04.220 Uttam Kumaran: Awesome, okay.
8 00:15:05.670 ⇒ 00:15:12.940 Rico Rejoso: Okay, let me just share my screen for our, weekly operations meeting. One second.
9 00:15:20.100 ⇒ 00:15:20.515 Rico Rejoso: H.
10 00:15:21.350 ⇒ 00:15:22.270 Rico Rejoso: So…
11 00:15:23.810 ⇒ 00:15:37.329 Rico Rejoso: To start off the week, here’s our agenda for our weekly Syncon meeting. So last week, we discussed about the action items, which are the AOR review.
12 00:15:37.560 ⇒ 00:15:55.580 Rico Rejoso: annual switch for tool cost, exploring process for the book club, which could start this week as well. We’re, finalizing the date, and I was making adjustments based on your comments or your feedbacks on the Notion page as well. So, probably we can have this Friday.
13 00:15:57.230 ⇒ 00:15:58.489 Rico Rejoso: Oh, what do you think?
14 00:16:00.640 ⇒ 00:16:04.279 Uttam Kumaran: Yeah, I mean, I was sort of like, can we start this week?
15 00:16:04.740 ⇒ 00:16:07.250 Rico Rejoso: Yes, Friday this week. I think that.
16 00:16:07.250 ⇒ 00:16:08.869 Uttam Kumaran: Okay, okay, okay.
17 00:16:08.870 ⇒ 00:16:12.799 Rico Rejoso: Yeah, that’s the day that most… most of us are, available.
18 00:16:12.960 ⇒ 00:16:15.869 Rico Rejoso: For this kind of activities. What do you think?
19 00:16:17.180 ⇒ 00:16:18.230 Uttam Kumaran: Okay, that’s fine.
20 00:16:18.480 ⇒ 00:16:19.980 Rico Rejoso: Okay, wonderful.
21 00:16:20.140 ⇒ 00:16:29.349 Rico Rejoso: For the annual switch for tool cost, we submitted this one to Leo Luna. We are just waiting for the response regarding this.
22 00:16:29.560 ⇒ 00:16:33.040 Rico Rejoso: We haven’t got any feedback yet from them on this.
23 00:16:33.120 ⇒ 00:16:37.539 Rico Rejoso: And for the AOR review, this was off track.
24 00:16:37.540 ⇒ 00:16:58.090 Rico Rejoso: I wasn’t able to book a meeting for, Amber Ouationst, for us to do the AOR review, but I was, I mean, I went through the AOR, spreadsheet, and everything looks good, we just need to set up a meeting with, the rest of the team so we can have everything reviewed and make sure that, it is, I mean.
25 00:16:58.300 ⇒ 00:17:04.129 Rico Rejoso: The items are assigned accordingly to each individual, or manager’s theaters.
26 00:17:04.319 ⇒ 00:17:08.289 Uttam Kumaran: Yeah, I think let’s plan on just doing an AR review whenever.
27 00:17:10.519 ⇒ 00:17:15.309 Uttam Kumaran: Or what I can do is, like, I can take, like… we typically meet on Wednesday.
28 00:17:15.899 ⇒ 00:17:20.269 Uttam Kumaran: And Thursday evening, we can maybe do aOR review on Thursday, if you want.
29 00:17:21.359 ⇒ 00:17:25.759 Rico Rejoso: For the Friday, I mean, prep meeting, yeah, we can do that. Thursday.
30 00:17:27.220 ⇒ 00:17:31.430 Uttam Kumaran: Yeah, we can do Thursday, because I’m trying to keep my Friday, like, pretty free.
31 00:17:32.210 ⇒ 00:17:33.510 Rico Rejoso: Got it, no worries.
32 00:17:34.120 ⇒ 00:17:44.429 Rico Rejoso: So let’s set it up for Thursday this week as well, so we can have this checked. And for the, functional update tracker, here are some of the things I listed out for this week.
33 00:17:44.450 ⇒ 00:17:59.370 Rico Rejoso: So, I was also working on the escalation plan for, individuals not properly logging their hours, although we don’t have much, team members who are not properly logging their hours, but recurring, I mean.
34 00:17:59.400 ⇒ 00:18:11.720 Rico Rejoso: instances that they did it for, like, the second time in a row, third time in a row, I want to make sure that we escalate it properly. Accordingly, right now, what I’m doing is making sure that I coordinate with their managers.
35 00:18:11.760 ⇒ 00:18:16.540 Rico Rejoso: or any, higher-ups individuals, aside from you and, Robert.
36 00:18:16.620 ⇒ 00:18:20.410 Rico Rejoso: To make sure that they were informed about the hours that were not
37 00:18:20.700 ⇒ 00:18:32.629 Rico Rejoso: logged properly. But upon or after that, we don’t have any plan yet, so we discussed it to you, but, I think it’s better that if we provide any sanction for it, rather than, a
38 00:18:32.820 ⇒ 00:18:39.869 Rico Rejoso: I mean, escalating it to you, knowing that you guys have a lot on your plate as well, every day.
39 00:18:40.840 ⇒ 00:18:48.600 Rico Rejoso: So I also discussed this with Amber. So we’re coming up with, coming up with this one, since I’ll be checking it every Thursday.
40 00:18:48.900 ⇒ 00:18:50.830 Uttam Kumaran: Along with Amber.
41 00:18:51.040 ⇒ 00:18:59.400 Rico Rejoso: We’ll provide you the updates, maybe tomorrow or Wednesday, regarding the escalation plan for people not logging their hours properly.
42 00:18:59.960 ⇒ 00:19:00.570 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
43 00:19:00.820 ⇒ 00:19:08.829 Rico Rejoso: Okay, then, for finance-related, I included a tax preparation that you also, forwarded through email.
44 00:19:09.270 ⇒ 00:19:10.260 Rico Rejoso: Oh.
45 00:19:10.440 ⇒ 00:19:19.580 Rico Rejoso: I’m just needing, I mean, I just need the instructions on what you want me to do for it, basically. If you want to pull it up right now, we can just go through that.
46 00:19:19.770 ⇒ 00:19:20.920 Rico Rejoso: Definitely.
47 00:19:21.290 ⇒ 00:19:22.900 Rico Rejoso: One second…
48 00:19:36.640 ⇒ 00:19:38.510 Rico Rejoso: This is the questionnaire, right?
49 00:19:39.550 ⇒ 00:19:43.090 Uttam Kumaran: Yes. Okay. I can only see… I can only see your…
50 00:19:43.660 ⇒ 00:19:46.670 Uttam Kumaran: Notion tab. Oh, yeah, here it is, yeah.
51 00:19:49.000 ⇒ 00:19:50.420 Uttam Kumaran: …
52 00:19:53.810 ⇒ 00:19:55.499 Uttam Kumaran: Okay, I hit sign in.
53 00:19:57.950 ⇒ 00:20:02.330 Uttam Kumaran: And then, here, I’m gonna send you the one faster via… Zoom chat?
54 00:20:03.180 ⇒ 00:20:03.790 Rico Rejoso: Okay.
55 00:20:04.970 ⇒ 00:20:05.670 Rico Rejoso: So…
56 00:20:19.670 ⇒ 00:20:21.070 Rico Rejoso: Is it 10 years old.
57 00:21:09.120 ⇒ 00:21:10.139 Uttam Kumaran: Did it work, or no?
58 00:21:11.940 ⇒ 00:21:15.660 Rico Rejoso: Let me check, I had to log in earlier.
59 00:21:17.300 ⇒ 00:21:18.760 Rico Rejoso: Should work bang out.
60 00:21:22.760 ⇒ 00:21:25.520 Rico Rejoso: Same goes, it’s directing me to the vault.
61 00:21:25.790 ⇒ 00:21:27.330 Uttam Kumaran: Okay, one second, hold on.
62 00:21:27.610 ⇒ 00:21:28.220 Rico Rejoso: Okay.
63 00:21:36.600 ⇒ 00:21:39.079 Uttam Kumaran: Okay, can you check in the finance vault?
64 00:21:41.340 ⇒ 00:21:41.980 Rico Rejoso: Okay.
65 00:21:43.200 ⇒ 00:21:43.960 Rico Rejoso: What….
66 00:21:46.330 ⇒ 00:21:48.219 Uttam Kumaran: Oh, you don’t have finance, wait, why not?
67 00:21:50.480 ⇒ 00:21:52.150 Uttam Kumaran: You know, I’ll give you… Sure.
68 00:21:56.950 ⇒ 00:21:59.050 Uttam Kumaran: Yeah, you should see it in the finance wall.
69 00:22:01.270 ⇒ 00:22:02.289 Rico Rejoso: This one, right?
70 00:22:02.990 ⇒ 00:22:04.180 Rico Rejoso: George Finance.
71 00:22:29.920 ⇒ 00:22:31.149 Uttam Kumaran: Go to View All.
72 00:22:37.230 ⇒ 00:22:38.770 Uttam Kumaran: You should see under S.
73 00:22:40.880 ⇒ 00:22:42.420 Uttam Kumaran: the Sora band, yeah.
74 00:23:02.740 ⇒ 00:23:03.710 Rico Rejoso: Bing….
75 00:23:07.970 ⇒ 00:23:14.310 Uttam Kumaran: Okay, so yeah, basically… The goal is we have to just finish, like, all the items on this…
76 00:23:15.650 ⇒ 00:23:20.160 Uttam Kumaran: on this survey, so I guess, like, what would be helpful is, like, if you could just help me
77 00:23:20.460 ⇒ 00:23:22.889 Uttam Kumaran: like, what I need to provide.
78 00:23:23.790 ⇒ 00:23:27.509 Uttam Kumaran: I can then… Try to get you those materials.
79 00:23:30.180 ⇒ 00:23:33.030 Rico Rejoso: Okay, I think we’re on the purchase sales in that.
80 00:23:33.800 ⇒ 00:23:38.780 Uttam Kumaran: Yeah, but I think it would be great if you could just tell me what we need for all the items, and then I can get you that.
81 00:23:40.970 ⇒ 00:23:41.610 Rico Rejoso: Okay.
82 00:23:44.810 ⇒ 00:23:46.929 Rico Rejoso: Oh, do you want us to do now, or later?
83 00:23:47.270 ⇒ 00:23:50.329 Uttam Kumaran: We can do it later. Got it. Yeah.
84 00:23:50.540 ⇒ 00:23:55.219 Rico Rejoso: Of course, if and ever, I will, send you a Slack message regarding this one.
85 00:23:58.250 ⇒ 00:24:12.979 Rico Rejoso: Okay, proceeding with the, our meeting with Operations Weekly, next on list is the, gathering of credentials for CD and Amex. I think it’s on the Finance Board, is that right?
86 00:24:18.450 ⇒ 00:24:22.320 Uttam Kumaran: Yes. Although, is it in there?
87 00:24:23.250 ⇒ 00:24:24.069 Rico Rejoso: this one.
88 00:24:24.070 ⇒ 00:24:25.960 Uttam Kumaran: Good evening, yeah, yeah.
89 00:24:26.140 ⇒ 00:24:27.400 Rico Rejoso: This one hurt.
90 00:24:28.580 ⇒ 00:24:29.260 Rico Rejoso: Yep.
91 00:24:29.530 ⇒ 00:24:35.539 Rico Rejoso: Got it there so I can, get those statements and send it to, Leo Luna later.
92 00:24:36.280 ⇒ 00:24:37.040 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
93 00:24:37.040 ⇒ 00:24:38.340 Rico Rejoso: Alright, then…
94 00:24:39.450 ⇒ 00:24:46.100 Rico Rejoso: This one, to fasten the process of invoice ensuring Clockified reports are available 48 hours after the EOM.
95 00:24:46.770 ⇒ 00:24:47.720 Rico Rejoso: …
96 00:24:49.250 ⇒ 00:25:10.809 Rico Rejoso: I think, this was mainly on our part, since we weren’t able to fully check, and we got delayed for some individuals, like for Demi, Awish, and Miguel. But other than that, everyone, was able to follow the instructions as we remind them. We remind twice during the month of July, and they were able to upload it accordingly. We just have those three individuals
97 00:25:10.900 ⇒ 00:25:13.909 Rico Rejoso: well, I guess two individuals now.
98 00:25:14.000 ⇒ 00:25:18.219 Rico Rejoso: That we’re watching closely to make sure that their hours are tracked accordingly.
99 00:25:19.900 ⇒ 00:25:20.530 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
100 00:25:21.530 ⇒ 00:25:35.509 Rico Rejoso: And other for the tools and system, I think that we’re just waiting for response and feedback, don’t have access to some of the tools. I think what you provided me are all the tools that we have right now, right? Other than that, all the rest were, like, free.
101 00:25:35.510 ⇒ 00:25:38.649 Uttam Kumaran: And I think I’ve basically given us everything that we have.
102 00:25:39.550 ⇒ 00:25:51.260 Rico Rejoso: Okay, go ahead and take that off, waiting feedback. The recruitment process, SOP, I think a last thing that we need is just finalize the loom questions, although I saw your reply to Amber.
103 00:25:51.270 ⇒ 00:26:05.609 Rico Rejoso: And I also submitted, like, 5 questions that we can use for the initial part of it, for the Loom video, and I’m just waiting for Amber’s confirmation, if we can go through with that, so I can finalize the SOP.
104 00:26:07.170 ⇒ 00:26:07.750 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
105 00:26:07.750 ⇒ 00:26:14.929 Rico Rejoso: Alright, book club, we’re on this one, just need to plan and book the meeting for Friday. Risk register.
106 00:26:15.280 ⇒ 00:26:20.389 Rico Rejoso: … Let’s see if we can start, metrics for the team.
107 00:26:21.300 ⇒ 00:26:39.279 Rico Rejoso: So, the impact, or, I think what’s gonna happen is it’s gonna affect the whole team, and right now, we don’t have, like, I mean, a whole process on how we can measure success, for each team, although I came up one for the marketing team, which is through their,
108 00:26:39.360 ⇒ 00:26:48.369 Rico Rejoso: linear ticket completion, for the, for every month. And also, every cycle, we also want to check
109 00:26:48.370 ⇒ 00:27:01.089 Rico Rejoso: Because the goal was to not let the tickets get into the next cycle, but rather get at least 90 to 100% completion for all tickets on the current cycle.
110 00:27:01.450 ⇒ 00:27:05.350 Rico Rejoso: So that’s one of the plans that we have, or strategies, …
111 00:27:05.510 ⇒ 00:27:15.470 Rico Rejoso: to measure success, and also, measuring… I mean, looking at the clockify hours versus the actual hours, which we can do using the operating app.
112 00:27:16.110 ⇒ 00:27:16.960 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
113 00:27:16.960 ⇒ 00:27:24.160 Rico Rejoso: I think, I used this one earlier when I was looking at Miguel’s hours, wherein he reflected 12 hours for…
114 00:27:24.490 ⇒ 00:27:40.469 Rico Rejoso: pull parts to go, and the rest of the hours was under Brainforge internal, where it doesn’t match the operating app as well. So I think that’s one way for us to measure success, if they’re really tracking their hours or being productive during their client works.
115 00:27:40.470 ⇒ 00:27:46.230 Rico Rejoso: If, we check on the operating app, reports as well.
116 00:27:47.310 ⇒ 00:27:47.900 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
117 00:27:47.900 ⇒ 00:27:55.839 Rico Rejoso: Alright, and the other one, delay in invoice process due to late Clockify reports, impact is that it may cause late payments.
118 00:27:55.840 ⇒ 00:28:09.490 Rico Rejoso: And what we plan to do, again, was to enforce our, I mean, enforce on reminding the team in regards to their hours. We are around 85% on this one, meaning that
119 00:28:09.490 ⇒ 00:28:12.849 Rico Rejoso: 85% of the team are compliant.
120 00:28:12.850 ⇒ 00:28:32.329 Rico Rejoso: when it comes to submitting their hours, it’s just that there’s, like, a few individuals who weren’t, but we’re going to keep a close eye on them, make sure that they do. And if and ever, we will be enforcing a 48-hour post-end of month to make sure that all hours are submitted, and those hours that will not be submitted is either a weekend delay.
121 00:28:32.330 ⇒ 00:28:51.620 Rico Rejoso: the processing of their invoices, which will also delay their pay, or, log those… log the only hours that we have after the 48-hour grace period, and the rest of it will not… will be unpaid, if not, post on Clockify accordingly.
122 00:28:51.830 ⇒ 00:28:54.020 Rico Rejoso: So those are, like, two options that we have.
123 00:28:54.380 ⇒ 00:29:05.229 Rico Rejoso: And we’re also, … what do you think of your feedback regarding those? Either we delay them, or, we just stick with the… what we have after the 48-hour grace period.
124 00:29:09.060 ⇒ 00:29:11.809 Rico Rejoso: Need your feedback on that.
125 00:29:12.500 ⇒ 00:29:13.490 Rico Rejoso: What do you think would be the….
126 00:29:13.490 ⇒ 00:29:20.129 Uttam Kumaran: Yeah, I think 4 days… well, basically, at the end of every week, we want to make sure that this is closed.
127 00:29:21.190 ⇒ 00:29:25.119 Uttam Kumaran: But it should be, honestly, like, 48 hours post-end of month.
128 00:29:25.380 ⇒ 00:29:29.159 Uttam Kumaran: Yeah, like, we basically start to delay, and then people have to get messages.
129 00:29:29.330 ⇒ 00:29:47.699 Rico Rejoso: Yes, because since we’re enforcing, like, a weekly, to… I mean, every week to make sure and remind the team that they log their hours properly, after 48 hours… after the 48-hour grace period by end of month, and they still haven’t, uploaded those hours.
130 00:29:48.200 ⇒ 00:29:55.209 Rico Rejoso: we will be sticking with the hours that we have. I think the only conflict would be those individuals that are on full-time.
131 00:29:55.460 ⇒ 00:30:07.470 Rico Rejoso: Or fixed salary. Yes. Because, there is… I think that’s the… that’s one reason why they’re complacent. It’s because they know that whatever happens, they’re still gonna get the amount.
132 00:30:07.640 ⇒ 00:30:10.530 Rico Rejoso: That we owe them every month since they’re fixed.
133 00:30:10.870 ⇒ 00:30:11.620 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
134 00:30:12.940 ⇒ 00:30:18.219 Rico Rejoso: Okay, so we’ll do that one. I also talked to Leil Luna and get their, …
135 00:30:18.660 ⇒ 00:30:26.760 Rico Rejoso: feedback on that, and they also agree to either one that we’re gonna implement. So we’ll stick with that, and let’s see by end of August.
136 00:30:27.800 ⇒ 00:30:28.380 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
137 00:30:28.380 ⇒ 00:30:40.369 Rico Rejoso: Alright, another one is delay in finalizing the recruitment process SOP. I think we kind of sorted this out, we’re just waiting feedback from Amber. You provided a go signal, you just wanted, like, the common questions that we
138 00:30:40.370 ⇒ 00:30:48.570 Rico Rejoso: or initial questions that we have for the Loom videos, I think it’s just the, metrics that we’re, trying to finalize.
139 00:30:48.570 ⇒ 00:31:05.909 Rico Rejoso: on what criteria we gotta base it from, because I think every department has… I mean, depending on the position they’re gonna apply for, like, if it’s AI and data, what question do you prefer for the Loom video, or do you just have to base it on the way that they discussed it during their Loom video, or…
140 00:31:05.910 ⇒ 00:31:13.590 Rico Rejoso: you know, because most of the… most of our Loom questions right now are, like, psychological questions, or based… based on their previous
141 00:31:13.690 ⇒ 00:31:15.770 Rico Rejoso: Previous works.
142 00:31:15.960 ⇒ 00:31:32.410 Rico Rejoso: just a feedback on their previous works, quick explanation. But if you want it to be, like, position-wise or, department-wise, we will be needing, a wish or Sam… or Samwell’s, feedback or suggestions on those questions.
143 00:31:34.290 ⇒ 00:31:41.440 Uttam Kumaran: Okay, yeah, if you just send me this SOP whenever I can review, then I can just put in, like, one or two questions, and that’s perfect.
144 00:31:41.820 ⇒ 00:31:47.059 Rico Rejoso: Alright, I’ll send it… maybe… I mean, I sent it after this meeting, so you can check it later tonight.
145 00:31:47.450 ⇒ 00:31:48.170 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
146 00:31:48.170 ⇒ 00:31:58.130 Rico Rejoso: Alright, that’s it for the register. For now, our action items will be to enforce, Clockify Hours.
147 00:31:58.390 ⇒ 00:32:06.200 Rico Rejoso: and finalizing the recruitment SOP, especially the Loom video questions, and…
148 00:32:07.930 ⇒ 00:32:16.600 Rico Rejoso: finalizing any metrics that we have for measuring team performance. So those are the action items that we will also go through by next week.
149 00:32:17.030 ⇒ 00:32:17.710 Uttam Kumaran: Okay.
150 00:32:17.880 ⇒ 00:32:26.509 Rico Rejoso: Alright, that’s it for my updates for the operations weekly. Do you have any feedback, questions, suggestions?
151 00:32:27.250 ⇒ 00:32:36.480 Uttam Kumaran: Yeah, I think probably I just, was gonna ask about getting Pranav, … For the Pranav interview?
152 00:32:37.400 ⇒ 00:32:45.759 Rico Rejoso: Oh, yes, I have it listed out, I’m sorry I haven’t gotten on that one. But let me finalize it, give me, like, around 30 minutes after this meeting.
153 00:32:45.940 ⇒ 00:32:47.299 Rico Rejoso: Okay, okay, no worries.
154 00:32:47.300 ⇒ 00:32:48.220 Uttam Kumaran: Alrighty.
155 00:32:48.530 ⇒ 00:32:50.079 Uttam Kumaran: Cool, I think that’s it.
156 00:32:50.800 ⇒ 00:32:59.830 Rico Rejoso: Alright, thank you so much. If that’s it, I’ll be, processing or going with the tax, then afterwards the CD and Amex statements, then for now.
157 00:33:00.280 ⇒ 00:33:01.299 Uttam Kumaran: Okay, okay, perfect.
158 00:33:01.420 ⇒ 00:33:05.770 Rico Rejoso: Alright, thank you so much for that one, Utam. You can always message me if you have anything, okay?
159 00:33:05.770 ⇒ 00:33:06.950 Uttam Kumaran: Okay, okay, definitely.
160 00:33:06.950 ⇒ 00:33:08.169 Rico Rejoso: Alright, have a good one.
161 00:33:08.320 ⇒ 00:33:09.339 Uttam Kumaran: You too, bye.