TRAMSCOOP_final cut

Issue 001 March 18
TRAMSCOOP
The Quarterly Quill
FAREWELL
MR.
CENTURION!
From SASI-
BUSA to TRAM
Ani gets candid
about his journey
in TRAM
Catching up with
Automation
Tete-a-Tete with
the Automation
queen – Adrienne
Hill
BROUGHT TO YOU BY TRAM COMMUNICATIONS

.
Designed, edited and compiled by:
Suresh Kumar
Lead Projects Analyst
TRAM – Access Management
Concept and content by:
Lakshmi S Suresh
Business Analyst
TRAM – Centre of Excellence
Special Thanks to :
Jose Guzman, David Oesterreich, Mariam
Cherian

PAGE 1
What’s
Inside
02
Premier Special :
About TRAM
10
Industry Connect
– Catching up
with Automation
03
Edition Special :
SASI-BUSA to TRAM
14
Rockstars of TRAM–
Leader in Spotlight,
VOC Champs
06
08
Leader Speak : Meet Jose Guzman,
Newest director in TRAM
AmEx in the news :
Latest news from The
Square

Premier Special
PAGE 2
A bout TRAM
2017 has been a
whirlwind of a year for
TRAM. For one, we went
from being Systems
Assurance and BUSA to
TRAM. This was also the
year we started Project
Robin hood or in
other words Test
Collapse, which has
resulted in a 1.9MM
dollar SQP saves already.
Another feather in the
cap has been the extent
of Automation in
BUSA, which is now
known as Access
Management. With the
help of Automation,
Access Management has
been able to achieve an
overall cycle time of 2.9
business days.
Test Collapse and Automation continues to be our priority for
2018 slog with Expanding footprint so that we are the one stop
shop for all testing and access needs.

Edition Special
PAGE 3
SASI-BUSA
to TRAM
- Anirban(Ani) Roy
The journey, The change
and the Man behind it all….

Edition Special
PAGE 4
When I first came into this organization, known
as ‘SASI-BUSA’ to the outside world two years
back, I had two objectives in mind: a.) Get the
organization in shape, b.) Give it a new identity.
Looking at the first challenge, there were three
questions that we had to ask ourselves, First,
what is the nature of work that we do and is that
something well known about around the
company? Second, who are the people that come
into this organization and where do they aspire
to go, what is the pull-push factor for these
people? and third, how do we shirk off the tag
‘Unsung Heroes’ from ourselves? how do we
make sure that people think about us well before
things go bad and we are applauded for the
things that go great?
Thinking about the second challenge,
giving a new identity to ‘SASI-BUSA’ was
not only about creating a logo,
rebranding, roadshows and stuff. It was
more about customers and vendors
being able to relate to us in terms of
what we do as well as our own team
being able to feel proud about our daily
work. The name ‘SASI-BUSA’ stood for
Systems Assurance, Systems Integration
and Business Unit Security
Administration, which meant, if
someone is fundamentally not aware of
what these functions did, it would
become difficult to reach out and work
with them. There was no mention of the
word Testing and therefore no relation
with Test Collapse, the word
remediation was missing, which was
one of the most critical aspects of
System Integration and while BUSA had
moved over from just creating IDs to
providing a complete consulting and
Access Management experience, it was
still being thought of as System
Administration team.
“It’s important to grow
yourself personally, try
leaving on a high!”

Edition Special
PAGE 5
So I sat down with all the Managers
and Directors in the organization to
explore some combinations and went
to Tom Taris and Vikram Nangia with a
few names. Fortunately, in hindsight,
Vikram wasn’t quite impressed with
any of the options that we suggested
and Tom had one question for us,
‘What are we actually doing?’ We Test,
We remediate and we manage
accesses, so, voila! Testing,
Remediation and Access Management
–TRAM. Today, if we look back and
wonder whether it shook up things a
bit? It did! The System Assurance got a
name which was primarily their task,
day in and day out, the Remediation
team got a new identity for
themselves and BUSA now referred to
themselves as those who manage and
not just create or administer accesses.
The way this addressed the second
challenge was, it started becoming
a known acronym across GSN,
some people liked it, some laughed
at it, but overall it was a great
visibility booster for us. That was,
however, half the job done. It was
now imperative for people inside
the organization to encourage the
usage of this name ‘TRAM’. The
Directors were advised to use the
word ‘TRAM’ every once in a while
in their staff meetings, BURs and
even informal interactions.
Gradually, once we start referring
ourselves as TRAM, rather than the
patriarchal names SA or BUSA, the
relevance and the popularity of this
acronym will increase, which will in
turn have far reaching benefits for
us as a unit

Leader Speak
Meet Jose
PAGE 6
The newest director in TRAM
Guzman
Lakshmi S Suresh caught up with the newest big boss in
TRAM – Jose Guzman, below are a few excerpts from the
meeting..
Jose Guzman joined TRAM in November 2010.
What fun fact would you like people to know about you?
I grew up in a rural town in Texas and I was very involved in the Future Farmers of
America organization. As part of the program I raised award winning chickens which I
auctioned off and used the earnings to buy my first PlayStation.
What is the best part of your Job?
My favorite part of my job is helping people visualize their potential and helping them
grow and develop in their lives and careers.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
As I child I wanted to be a Chemical Engineer. I carried that thought with me until my
third semester in college at which point I started Organic Chemistry and discovered
that a career in that area was not for me after all.
Your very first Job:
My very first job was in Texas where I would operate a cotton module builder after
school. A cotton module builder is a huge machine that compresses freshly harvested
cotton into a cuboid weighing 10 metric tons. As a 13 year old it was so much fun to
go and create this enormous module, it felt like I was playing a real life version of
Tetris.

Leader Speak
PAGE 7
What would you do if you didn’t have to work?
I would probably cook every day. I love finding new recipes and figuring
out new cuisines.
Personal slogan or favorite quote:
If you can’t fly, then run.
If you can’t run, then walk.
If you can’t walk, then crawl.
But whatever you do,
You have to keep moving forward.
-Martin Luther King Jr
Best professional advice you can offer:
The best advice I can offer is to invest time in yourself. A career is a journey not a
destination, challenge yourself to continue learning and expanding your skillset.
Who’s the one person you always look up to?
I have many mentors but the one who I talk to most often is my uncle who works for
the Walt Disney Company. He immigrated to the United States as a young adult as a
day laborer and has evolved into leading an engineering department. He is the
definition of a lifelong learner and has an great way of listening, talking through
problems, and offering feedback.
What according to you are the best ways of handling work pressure?
I handle on the job pressure by prioritizing what I need to do. I create a list of my top
three must do tasks before stepping into the office every day and ensure that those
three items get completed as early as possible. Getting your priorities completed
early in the day helps keep you on track while giving you time to focus on “fires” that
will eventually happen throughout the day.
The best place you’ve been on a vacation to so far:
My fiancé and I visited the Tenorio Volcano National Park in Costa Rica that is home
to el Rio Celeste. It is a beautiful light blue river and waterfall that has spectacular
views and very diverse wildlife, it was one of the most serene hikes we have ever
done.
What are some of your favorites?
Food: Anything slow cooked in a smoker
Movie or Book: Organize Tomorrow Today by Dr. Jason Selk
Musician or Band: Nathaniel Rateliff

News excerpts from The Square
PAGE 8
AmEx in the
News
Business Update: Strong Q4 and
Exceptional Year
American Express ended 2017 with record
Card Member spending, 10 percent revenue
growth in the fourth quarter and a positive
earnings outlook for 2018. Like most U.S.
companies, American Express felt the upfront
impacts of new tax legislation, which resulted
in a quarterly loss. Excluding that one-time
impact, our earnings per share were $1.58 for
the quarter and $5.87 for the year – at the
higher end of our most recent outlook.
“Your relentless focus on executing our game
plan over the past two years has made a big
difference,” said Chairman and CEO Ken
Chenault in his note to employees. “By the
close of 2017, we accomplished what we set
out to do – and then some.” Based on this
performance and the company’s position, Ken
announced an additional benefit for eligible
employees globally – a one-time contribution
to the company’s profit sharing programs that
amounts to 2.5 percent of pay.
AmEx Jumps to 23rd rank on
Fortune’s 100 Best Companies
Fortune Magazine released its 21st
annual 100 Best Companies to Work For
list and American Express made a big
jump. We ranked No. 23, marking our
highest ranking yet. In 2017, we ranked
No. 69 (we’ll let you do the math on
how many spots we moved up).
Here are a few stats about the study:
• American Express has been
included on the Best Companies to
Work For list for the past 15 of 16
years
• The study measures characteristics
such as: executive team
effectiveness, innovation and
people-focused programs
• The list is based on survey
responses from colleagues, who
rate a number of workplace
elements, including trust in
managers, compensation, fairness
and camaraderie.
• More than 310,000 colleagues
participated in the survey for the
2018 list

News excerpts from The Square
PAGE 9
American Express CEO
Ken Chenault bids adieu
to AmEx after 17-year run
It will be the end of a 17-year run at
the helm of Amex, and a 37-year
career with the company. Named
CEO in 2001, Chenault, 66, is among
the first African Americans to run a
Fortune 500 company, and he
recently completed a two-year
turnaround. In a statement he said,
"We're starting a new chapter from
a position of strength and this is the
right time to make the leadership
transition to someone who's played
a central role in all that we've
accomplished."
American Express acquires
personal assistant app Mezi
Mezi, an artificial intelligence-powered
travel app developed by Pune-born
twins, has been acquired by American
Express in an all-cash deal. The deal size
is pegged at $125-150 million, making it
one of the largest cash acquisitions in
the Indian start-up space.
AmEx Outduels Citigroup for
Exclusive Rights to Hilton
Cards
American Express Co. has struck back
against Citigroup Inc., winning exclusive
rights to issue credit cards for Hilton
Worldwide Holdings Inc. and ending an
agreement in which the two banks
shared the business.

Industry Connect
Catching up
PAGE 10
with Automation
Automation – referred to by some as the fourth
scientific revolution after the Industrial, Electricity
and the Internet, is the process of getting robots
and computers to do the repetitive and difficult
stuff. Let’s have a look at some of the key aspects
followed by an interview with Adrienne Hill – VP,
RPA – Automation CoE
Current Trends :
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) – essentially just software that is configured to perform
tasks human’s normally perform using a set of standard rules. Execution is abstracted from
view.
Robotic Desktop Automation (RDA) – Same as RPA but executed on the CCP or end user’s
computer. Typically used to help pull or push data to the multiple applications the user is
working with to completed a single process.
RPA and Integration with Other Tools/Services – Use of RPA or RDA alongside other tools
that help enhance the capability. An example is OCR – the robot can extract text from
images using an OCR – enables it to be able to automate processes that have a
requirement to read scanned semi-unstructured or structured documents. Another
example is using RPA and interfacing with tools that provide intelligent capabilities such as
artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML).
Intelligent/Cognitive Automation – essentially applies to all of the above but with some
elements of machine learning applied to it – which in simplistic terms means the
automation will be able to, based on large amounts of data, start to make it owns decisions
using probability.

Industry Connect
PAGE 11
On the horizon – Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and More:
Autonomics – Self learning engines. Autonomic computing is not a new term, it came from
IBM in the early 2000s. It refers to self-regulating or self-healing systems. RPA could use
autonomics to better handle anomalies in a process or recover from an exception based on
a set rules that govern it.
Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning – Algorithms can be trained to search through
data , group and cluster data and arrive at certain decisions.
Virtual Agents – Having meaningful and effective interactions with customers – relevant
conversations with customers. Examples: IPSoft, Amazon Alexa and Google Voice Assistant.
Computer Vision – Exists in self driving cars and our phone camera’s today – think facial
detection when taking a picture. As this technology gets better there will be many
applications for robots to better interact with the world around them.
Neural Networks - Algorithms to detect patterns. Applicable mostly in the area of robotics
to how it can be used to cluster and organize unlabeled and unstructured data. Also used
alongside deep learning to establish correlations - this can be applied to predictive
analytics.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) – A computer’s interpretation of human language in a
useful way. Intelligent chat bots might use NLP to determine sentiment or the tone of the
language in a text message or spoken word.

Industry Connect
PAGE 12
Cost-and-Coffee
with Adrienne
Hill
Let’s see what Adrienne Hill – VP, RPA-Automation CoE
has to share about her team and about AmEX :
How has your visit to India been so far?
I love coming to India, I love meeting the teams here, I generally work harder over here
than I do at home.
Tell us something about your team – RPA Automation.
Our team works around the core value of ‘thinking outside the box’ day in and day out,
eliminating challenges that involve menial tasks and require a human point of view.
We also focus on driving relationship care through Automation and having a much more
levelled conversation with our customers.
Moreover, our team has embodied the enterprise, we do everything for the enterprise
from an RPA-Automation standpoint:
Centralised procurement of Robots
Demanding a lower support rate for Robots
Open Training environment on RPA Automation for all employees.
Overall, I am really proud of the wonderful job we are doing inside this department.

Industry Connect
PAGE 13
What is your take on Steve’s town hall and the strategy for winning?
The key takeaway according to me is the update in performance metrics. I feel, with this update,
the individual goals will become much clearer, while emphasising the need for teamwork. RPA-
Automation cares about teamwork, we care about collaboration. The new parameters are more
enabling rather than encouraging competition. The focus will now be more on aligning
individual goals with the overall enterprise strategy. In this way, we all can win.
What according to you is the Ideal Candidate for your team?
One characteristic I like in my team is Diversity, therefore we look for candidates from different
backgrounds and work streams who bring in varying perspectives in the workplace. Apart from
that, the ideal candidate should be technologically curious, should have a growth mind-set and
possess excellent relationship skills
Which is the one thing in life you are most proud of?
My son, he is in college right now and he is doing a great job.
You have worked with teams in AmEx across the globe, despite of the cultural differences,
what unites AmEx employees across the globe?
One thing unique about AmEx is the way it raises leaders, this has earned us recognition
globally. The culture in AmEx is all about mutual respect and listening to others, which makes us
excellent team workers.

Times of Tram
Rockstars of
PAGE 14
TRAM
VOC Champs
Sahil Sehgal, Lead Projects Analyst,
TRAM – Access Management
“Sahil had demonstrated unparalleled focus
on Service Delivery and his ability to drive
results which was highlighted by the
excellent support provided on highly critical
and time sensitive projects.”
Bhashwati Thakuriya, Business Systems
Analyst, TRAM – Testing

Times of Tram
PAGE 13
Leader in spotlight
Prerna Tannan, Team Leader,
TRAM – Access Management
Tell us something about your Team:
I personally believe that best teams
“WIN Together”and I am really proud to
have a team which understands the
balance between the purpose and
unity. They work together, learn
together, loose together and grow
together which make them do
exceptional work together.
2018 Focus Area for you:
Focus on Solutions
Major Achievements in your career:
Opportunity to lead
Things you indulge in for personal
growth:
Meditation & exercising. As I believe
Healthy body leads to healthy mind.

No words…
Just memories…
NO WORDS…
JUST MEMORIES

Issue 002 JUNE 18
COMING SOON IN
THE NEXT EDITION!
WELCOME
CHANGE!
AXP Internal
BROUGHT TO YOU BY TRAM COMMUNICATIONS
19