HSD has over 20 years of experience in delivering high quality technology solutions that help clients, stakeholders and users improve their business and operations.
With the assistance of implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), HSD launched a new product to the market in partnership with Microsoft, the Dynamic 365 Case Management Accelerator (DCMA). It leverages Microsoft Dynamics 365 to improve the timeliness, transparency and effectiveness of your internal processes. In as little as 8 weeks DCMA can take standard procedures and develop them into workflows, enabling customers to meet operational and legislative requirements. DCMA improves oversight through real-time dashboards allowing quick responses to bottlenecks and provide accurate data to executives.
In this episode, Narendra Tomar discusses DCMA, why HSD implemented EOS and what have been the effects.
Transcript
Murray Smith: Welcome to Gripping Business Tales.
Narendra Tomar: Thank you, Murray. Thanks for having me. It’s great to be here.
Murray: As always, we start with two questions for our guests. Can you tell me about one personal success and one professional success you’ve had recently?
Narendra: I’ll start with the personal. Over the last six or seven years, I’ve been working late, and my body clock gradually shifted. I was going to bed very late and waking up late, and it just wasn’t working for me. About two weeks ago, I decided to change that—brought my schedule forward by three hours. It was tough at first, especially during the day, but now I feel more productive getting up early. As they say, early to bed, early to rise!
Murray: That’s always a good thing, especially as a CEO.
Narendra: Exactly. On the professional front, we’re an IT services company and have always delivered work orders—never really been a product company. But last year, we set a strategy to develop an innovative cloud product. By December, we had a product ready. The first couple of months this year were spent getting it to market, and that was a massive challenge—we’d never done it before. But the last few Level 10 meetings have been amazing. Everyone’s come together, and we’ve had great support from Microsoft. We’re having a soft launch next week and a hard launch by the end of March. So, a huge professional success—we’ve built our first real product.
Murray: That’s fantastic. Before we go deeper into that and EOS, could you tell listeners what HSD does?
Narendra: Sure. HSD is an IT services company—we’ve been around 24 years, since 1996. We specialise in delivering business systems using Microsoft technologies. Some of our biggest projects involve regulatory systems for government, especially in the education sector. These days, that falls under the term “govtech.” We’ve been a Microsoft Gold Partner for years, and most of our clients are federal or state government departments.
We started with MS Access and VB6 back in the late ’90s. Then in the 2000s, we transitioned and today we still maintain those skills but focus more on Microsoft’s cloud solutions, especially Dynamics 365 and Azure. We also started a new division a year ago called HSD People, to help with the skills shortage in IT in Australia, and that’s going well.
We’ve got about 55 staff, headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Adelaide, Sydney, and Canberra.
Murray: Great. And if someone wants to get in touch?
Narendra: Just visit hsd.com.au or call (03) 9875 5900.
Murray: Now you’ve mentioned EOS and Level 10 meetings. Let’s go back—what major challenges were you facing before adopting EOS?
Narendra: Going back to 1996 when HSD was founded, we operated on two pillars: do the right thing by the customer and be ethical. That worked well for years. But around six or seven years ago, when we grew to 30–35 people, we started to notice operational challenges. We’d have five or six projects running—some would go well because they had focus, but others would slip because attention had shifted. It created pockets in the organisation where purpose and vision became blurred.
Murray: So, you were losing a bit of control?
Narendra: Exactly. Our staff and managers weren’t on the same page. Messages got lost in transmission. We’ve always had great people, but things became reactive—we were just putting out fires. About five years ago, we started strategy sessions once or twice a year and brought in consultants. Each time we’d walk away with big documentation and action points—but then we’d go back to business as usual, and those plans gathered dust.
About 18 months ago, we formed an advisory board with experienced members. Their role was future growth, but they quickly noticed our internal alignment issues. Even though we were still delivering projects, we wanted to be more than just a typical SME—we wanted to stand out in the Australian IT community.
Murray: Sounds very familiar to other businesses I’ve spoken with. So how did you find EOS—and me, as your implementer?
Narendra: Interesting story. About two years ago, we were working on a major government project. I was COO at the time. You, Murray, were the sponsor on the government side. We had weekly governance meetings, and I remember how calm and fair you were, and how you communicated in a simple, effective way.
In August 2018, we delivered that project on time. You later left the agency, and we kept in touch occasionally over coffee. Around that time, I became CEO, and I started asking you questions about leadership and alignment. In early 2019, you gave me the book Traction. I carried it in my backpack for a couple of weeks, then finally opened it one Saturday morning. By Sunday I’d read three chapters and called you straight away—it really resonated.
We then invited you to present EOS to our board. They supported it wholeheartedly, largely because EOS came with a framework and long-term implementation support. That was a key difference from our past experiences.
Murray: That was our 90-minute meeting, which every implementer does. So now that you’ve been using EOS for eight months, how have things changed?
Narendra: The challenges we face now are very different—they’re more about new markets and products. The biggest change is that we’re on the same page. People know their roles and accountabilities. One of our managers recently told me how his team is now proactive—developers and testers tell him what needs to happen next, rather than the other way around. He can now focus on the customer experience.
Meetings are much more productive. We used to have long meetings that ran over time with little outcome. Now, we use the Level 10 format, and everyone scores the meeting. If we have a bad one, we know why, and we improve. Most weeks we’re getting 9s and 10s.
Murray: That’s brilliant. Let’s talk about your product—what is it?
Narendra: It’s called the Dynamics Case Management Accelerator. It’s a cloud-based solution that packages the common elements we’ve built over the years into a reusable platform. Clients get faster ROI and a better user experience. This is our first product offering, developed in partnership with Microsoft. We’ve always been a services company—now, just eight months into EOS, we’re launching a product.
Murray: That’s fantastic. As your implementer, I’ve seen the shift—from reactive to proactive. Your leadership team is now working on the business, not in it. That’s allowed you to build and launch a product, something that would’ve been hard previously.
Before we wrap up, what advice would you give to other business owners, whether or not they use EOS?
Narendra: People naturally resist change. When we started EOS, we were sceptical. But within three months, we saw real change. My advice: focus on working on the business, not in it. EOS gives you the tools to take a step back and observe your organisation from a helicopter view—see the horizon and chart a path. You set clear goals and accountabilities. Success follows.
Also, constantly check whether you have the right people in the right seats. That tool alone has been invaluable.
Murray: Even if people don’t use EOS, taking time to step back and ask “Where are we? Where are we going?” is incredibly powerful. Thanks so much for your honesty and insight, Nara. It’s been a great conversation.
Narendra: Thank you, Murray. Really appreciate the opportunity.
‘All of us know what we have to do….. we are getting permanent positive change week after week.”