Monday
Good morning! Every day at 08:45 we have a daily, where we discuss the work planned for the day. As the product owner, you join to keep the feeling of being in control and to see if there is progress in the sprint, of course!
For a large client, we are doing a major BI implementation, where we have to make sure the product is consistent and well-implemented on all the small “islands”. Since I’m still relatively new to this industry, I definitely need help understanding the bigger picture. For this, I have weekly moments planned with the Lead Dev on the project, Ronald. Sometimes we dive into the details, which helps me understand the process from all angles.
In the afternoon, it’s time to work on the planning for the next sprint. This means we need to look at how to distribute the features over the sprints and refine them so they are ready for development. This seems simple on paper, but for a still-learning PO, it can be quite difficult to understand what needs to happen to actually deliver something. Sometimes I’m told not to overthink it.
Tuesday
A day at the office! Fortunately, I live close to the office, so I don’t have to leave in the dark. After the daily, I have a coffee moment scheduled to get to know other colleagues better. We all work remotely, and you tend to talk less about non-work topics. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to know a lot of people in the workplace, but you still notice that the best relationships are built during moments when you have less to do at the office, between meetings, at lunch, or just at the end of the day.
Then it’s time to get to work, as they say. I gave myself some dashboard work to better understand the models that have been created and see if there is perhaps more to be gained from the data. This is how I got started in BI, and I still enjoy doing it.
There’s always a catered lunch at the office. It’s a recommendation if you “happen” to be passing by the office. I would say, if you want to visit the office, plan accordingly.
In the afternoon, it’s time for some meetings with the client. These will mainly be about the status of the project, showing them what we have implemented and discussing what is going well and unfortunately sometimes not so well. The feedback can then be incorporated into both the product and sometimes the methodology.
Before I go home and dive into the movies, I take a look outside. This office is really a beautiful place.
Wednesday
On Wednesday morning, I do some final preparations before visiting a client with the lead developer on the project, Ap. We are going to meet with the Finance & Operations team to give them a demo of the reporting we have developed over the past few weeks, and we also want to hear their perspective on what steps they want to take in terms of data-driven work.
After a great meeting, Ap and I brainstorm how we can incorporate their ideas. We quickly build a Proof of Concept (POC) the same day to try it out. This way, we can quickly give feedback to the client on whether it is feasible or not. If it is still fresh in their minds and they are excited about it, it is always easier to work together. We will fine-tune it in the next sprint (and yes, we do follow through on that promise ????).
In the evening, I am not done with my colleagues yet. We have a game night every month, and this time it’s Command & Conquer. Apparently, it’s an old edition that some people get really excited about. It’s especially fun to see that certain people are expected to be really good at it, and then suddenly the person you least expect ends up wiping everyone out with a fleet of tanks. It’s an experience, to say the least.
Thursday
Thursday In the morning, the POs at All Your BI always have a planning meeting. Here we look ahead to see how we can better serve our clients in the coming period, and we also discuss how we can improve our own processes. It’s always good to take a step back and see where we can make improvements.
After the planning meeting, I have a few meetings with clients to discuss the status of the project and see if there are any issues that need to be addressed. It’s always good to stay in touch and keep the lines of communication open.
In the afternoon, I have a meeting with the team to discuss some of the more technical aspects of the project. We go over some of the code that has been written, discuss any issues that have come up, and brainstorm ways to improve the overall product. It’s great to have a team that is so invested in the success of the project.
Friday
Friday In the morning, a selected group of us visit Siemens for the Digital Experience Center tour. They explain to us the possibilities of Digital Twins and how they apply this to their clients. Super interesting! Just like the transparent TV that we get to see there, which of course grabs all of our attention.
We drive back to the office with Michael, where we first have a nice lunch together. After the late lunch, it’s time to dive back into the backlog and see how we can deliver the most value in the next sprint. This is mainly about putting the finishing touches on things, as most of the work was done during the past week. But I always like to go through it with concentration and then send an update to the client(s).
I quickly check my mailbox for any urgent matters, and the week is done. It’s always fun to chat with colleagues in the office and see if anything is happening over the weekend. We check if there are any special beers in the fridge and open a few. ????
