If you walk into the offices of one of India’s largest steel companies and ask any employee about their growth mantra, the answer is almost instantaneous:
“Better Than Before!”
Sustained growth in sales, profit and cash doesn’t happen by chance, it is built on disciplined thinking and consistent action. Ravi Gilani Founder & Managing Consultant, Goldratt Bharat has based his work on three timeless pillars that drive ongoing improvement.
- Plan Better than Before
- Demand more from self and others - be unreasonable
- Devil is in the details – go into the granularity
India’s industrial landscape has undergone a significant transformation over the past three decades. From capacity-driven growth to efficiency-led expansion, businesses have experimented with multiple frameworks to improve performance. Yet, for many organisations, the gap between effort and outcome continues to persist. Delivery delays, excess inventory, and stretched cash cycles remain common challenges despite years of investment in systems and processes.
Amid this backdrop, one individual has quietly shaped how several Indian companies think about performance and growth. Ravi Gilani, Founder and Managing Consultant of Goldratt Bharat, introduced the Theory of Constraints to Indian organisations in 1998. Almost three decades later, his work continues to influence how companies approach operations, cash flow, and business turnaround.
From the Shopfloor to Systems Thinking
Ravi Gilani’s journey did not begin in consulting firms or boardrooms. It began on the shopfloor. After graduating from IIT Delhi, he spent 21 years in operations at Tata Motors and Eicher. These formative years exposed him to the realities of manufacturing, where performance is defined by daily execution.
Working within complex industrial systems, he witnessed firsthand how organisations often struggled to align different functions toward a common goal. Departments operated efficiently in isolation, yet overall business performance remained inconsistent. This gap between local efficiency and global performance would later become central to his work. Instead of viewing business problems through abstract frameworks, he approached them as interconnected systems.
Bringing Theory of Constraints to India
In the late 1990s, the Theory of Constraints, developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, was still relatively unknown in India. While global management thinking was evolving, most Indian organisations were focused on cost reduction, capacity expansion, and incremental efficiency improvements.
In 1998, Ravi Gilani made a decisive shift. Recognising the potential of TOC as a systems-based approach to performance improvement, he introduced it to Indian industry. The idea was simple yet powerful. Every system has a constraint that limits its output. Instead of improving everything, organisations must identify and manage that constraint to achieve meaningful results.
This was a departure from conventional thinking. At a time when companies were spreading energies thin in improving all parts of their operations simultaneously, TOC argued for focus. It suggested that improving non-constraints does little to enhance overall performance. The real leverage lies in identifying the one factor that is holding the system back.
Over the years, this philosophy found resonance across industries. What began as a niche methodology gradually became a practical framework for solving real business problems in Indian conditions.
Building a Consulting Practice Grounded in Results
Through Goldratt Bharat, Ravi Gilani built a consulting practice that emphasised outcomes over theory. His approach was not to introduce frameworks and exit, but to work closely with organisations in implementing change on the ground.
Across more than 160 companies, his engagements have translated into measurable outcomes such as improved delivery performance, reduced lead times, lower inventory levels, and stronger cash flow and debt reduction.
Central to this approach is a structured weekly review mechanism that keeps organisations aligned on a few critical metrics. Goldratt Bharat’s weekly review process is a disciplined cadence to drive ongoing improvement, with a focus on execution and identifying preventive and corrective actions. Every week, try to be better than before than the past 13 weeks’ moving average.
Another distinguishing element is his stance on business turnaround. In an environment where cost-cutting and layoffs are often seen as immediate solutions, Ravi Gilani has advocated a different path. His work demonstrates that organisations can improve financial performance, grow profitably and reduce debt without manpower reduction. This philosophy has not only helped businesses recover but has also contributed to employment creation at scale.
Transforming Large-Scale Industrial Enterprises
Among the many transformations associated with his work, the turnaround of Jindal Steel is considered one of the most memorable turnarounds of India Inc. Over a multi-year period, the company achieved significant improvements in financial and operational performance.
Between 2015 and 2023, Jindal Steel achieved a substantial reduction in working capital, strong growth in revenue and profits, and a sharp decline in net debt. At the same time, employment increased by 30%, reflecting a model of growth that did not rely on workforce reduction.
The scale and sustainability of these outcomes have made the case widely referenced in discussions on business turnaround in India. Chairman Naveen Jindal has publicly acknowledged Ravi Gilani’s role in the transformation, highlighting the impact of his approach on the organisation’s performance and refers to him as a “living legend”
Beyond large enterprises, his work has also influenced mid-sized and smaller companies. At Paharpur Group’s flexi packaging business, a loss-making unit broke even within months and went on to achieve sustained growth over the years. Similarly, Eicher Engineering Components transitioned from prolonged losses to long-term profitability, demonstrating how the same principles can be applied across different scales of business.
Recognition and Global Standing
Ravi Gilani’s contribution to the Theory of Constraints community has been recognised globally. He is the only Indian recipient of the TOCICO Lifetime Achievement Award, a recognition that reflects his role in advancing the application of TOC in real-world business environments.
While awards acknowledge individual achievement, his impact is perhaps better understood through scale. Over the years, he has trained more than 200,000 professionals and contributed to the creation of over 110,000 jobs through business transformations. These numbers reflect not just consulting success, but a broader influence on how organisations operate and grow.
Ideas That Continue to Drive His Work
At the core of Ravi Gilani’s work is a set of simple yet powerful ideas. The first is the importance of focus. In complex systems, not everything matters equally. Identifying what matters most and aligning efforts accordingly can unlock disproportionate results.
The second is the emphasis on flow over efficiency. Improving individual components of a system does not guarantee overall improvement. What matters is how well the system flows from end to end.
The third is the belief in continuous improvement through disciplined execution. Rather than relying on large, infrequent interventions, his approach advocates regular weekly reviews and process correction. Over time, this builds sustained performance gains, resilience and agility in organizations.
Finally, there is a strong belief in growth without compromise. Businesses do not need to choose between people and profits. With the right approach, it is possible to achieve both.
Looking Ahead
As Indian industry continues to evolve, new challenges are emerging. Digital transformation, supply chain disruptions, and changing market dynamics are reshaping how businesses operate. In this environment, the need for clarity in decision-making becomes even more critical.
More than two decades after introducing the Theory of Constraints to India, Ravi Gilani’s work remains relevant. The tools may evolve, but the fundamental question remains the same: what is the one thing that is limiting performance?
By continuing to focus on that question, his work offers a framework for organisations seeking not just improvement, but meaningful and sustained transformation.
A passionate nationalist, he dreams of making Bharat the best place for next generation to live and work. He strives to do the impossible and exhorts companies to not be satisfied with their “underperformance”.