An agile Project Manager: diverse role with great satisfaction
Meet Johan, Agile Project Manager at Equalminds. He’s part of the connecting link between business and IT for our customers. Because Project Management is a matter of coordination and communication. So, he will never have a lack of variation in his job!
Equalminds is specialized in the field of Agile Coaching and Agile Consultancy. Our objectives are obvious: ensuring efficient collaboration between the customers’ business and IT teams. This leads to more flexibility and effective automation, which creates real added value. “I already had a lot of experience as a Project Manager when I started at Equalminds,” says Johan Borms, who’s working as an Agile Project Manager at Napoleon Games.
Several scrum teams are working within the company behind various online casino games and sports betting services. “As a Scrum Master and Squad Lead, I supervise the client’s BI team,” says Johan. “The BI team in itself consists of two teams. One team is focusing on development, the other on operations.”
Soft skills
Johan’s tasks are very diversified. “On the one hand, there are the tasks within the context of each team, such as the daily stand-up and the grooming sessions during which we discuss new assignments and estimate their complexity and workload. But every two weeks, we also deliver a sprint. For this purpose, we often present a demo for the other teams and look back on the work we have delivered. On the other hand, we also keep a close eye on the bigger picture because it is important that all teams are in line with each other. We do this by developing and adjusting a high-level planning every 6 to 8 weeks.”
For a customer such as Napoleon Games, Equalminds helps to bridge the gap between business and IT. “Coordination and Project Management are the main pillars in my job as an Agile Project Manager,” explains Johan. Of course, the need for a well-developed set of soft skills is also quite obvious in this context. “You must be able to open up to the ideas of others and to interact smoothly with other people and teams.”
Talent
For Equalminds, the talent and skills someone can bring in, are particularly important. “Anyway, we first familiarize new team members with our own company,” says Johan. “This allows them to know our culture and what we do. This is often followed by a technical training in function of a concrete project. However, they can learn most during the project itself, of course, by working alongside a colleague and learning step by step.”
The corona crisis has changed the practical aspect of an Agile Project Manager’s work. “We are currently working from home, while we normally work on-site. However, this is actually just an extension of telework, which we have been doing for so much longer already. We closely collaborate with IT colleagues who are located in different time zones. This is often a challenge in terms of language and culture. But it’s still very cool to do.”
Variation
This is only one of the reasons why Johan would like to continue working as an Agile Project Manager in the next few years. “It’s a very diverse role giving me great satisfaction. Even though I have been working for the same client for five years now, there has never been a lack of variation. I get confronted with new challenges providing me new insights each time again, which keeps my job exciting day after day.”
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