What drew you to a career at Cyara originally and how has the company changed since?
Initially I was attracted by a small, dynamic company where I felt I could make a difference. Since then, I’ve been engaged by the pragmatism of everyone, a ‘can do’ attitude and a willingness to embrace accountable continuous improvement. I’ve seen many small, incremental changes in the past year that are not obvious in themselves but are building a more robust and dependable development pipeline.
What does a typical day look like for you and what are you currently working on?
Well currently with lockdown my day starts by logging in and checking slack messages while getting the kids set up for remote learning, then a round of meetings, 1:1’s with team members, stand ups. After the initial wave, things settle down and I check Jira boards & reports, (and help the kids with remote learning), join a discovery session or have some more 1:1’s.
Sometimes I get a whole lunch hour, other times it’s a squeeze.
After lunch our India-based teammates come on-line, so it’s more stand ups, another round of 1:1’s and Scrum of Scrums, where all the Scrum Masters and Product Owners get together to escalate and mitigate risks and monitor progress.
After that, on a good day, I’ll be running an Agile onboarding session or a team training session.
Some days I’ll work up to dinner, others I’ll finish at 5 and cook dinner for the family.
Tell us about your work life harmony at Cyara?
With lockdown currently, work life is baked in together. But I’ve been supported by Cyara through some trying times over the past 12 months including receiving a care package when the family was in isolation for 14 days due to a Covid exposure. Flexible and realistic would be the best description.
Describe your current role at Cyara.
Officially – Scrum Master to three teams and Agile trainer. Unofficially – a change agitator and champion for process improvement.
How would you describe the culture at Cyara?
Cyara is a global company that spans many countries and cities. By adopting Slack channels dedicated to cooking, pets and other interests it’s been great getting to know everyone in a way that wouldn’t be possibly without willing and active participants. At the same time, everyone is ready to roll up their sleeves and deliver.
What has been the most empowering moment in your Cyara career journey?
Being given the support to make changes when suggested and being backed up to drive those changes through to delivery.
What are you passionate about in your role?
I’m passionate about Agile practices and pragmatic application of them. Changing and adapting processes consciously and for better rather than because a book told you to. And if it’s not working, remove it.
How does Cyara help support your sense of purpose in your career?
By being supported and backed in my approach and decisions.
What have you gained from working at Cyara from a career perspective?
I have found active support in my career progression at Cyara. Their focus on actively supporting and investing in their employees is rewarding, and the openness of all the employees from the top down is refreshing.
If you could describe Cyara as an employer in 3 words, what words would you use?
Dynamic, transparent, innovative
How has Cyara’s global approach to diversity helped you in your career so far?
I enjoy Cyara’s diversity in culture and experience that makes this place an interesting and engaging place to work.