Details

Client

ESAB

Role

Project Manager, Team Lead, Design Lead

Year

2016

Summary

I was hired as a UX / UI Designer at Enfo but due to some circumstances, I ended up working as a Project Manager and Team Lead most of my time there.

I worked with one of Enfos biggest client ESAB and their software platform WeldCloud™. My role was to understand business needs, facilitate feedback, and present work. Including sprint planning, implement product strategy, product improvement, feature prioritization, tracking deliverables, and releasing software updates.

Methods

Project Management

Team Lead

Sprint planning

Information Architecture

Prototype testing

Persona

Design

While I was managing the project and ensuring that we were building and delivering the right things, I started to build a style guide and component library to unify the product(s), eliminate the inconsistencies, and speed up the development process.

Learnings

A product is as successful as it's plan

It was unclear who had the product vision or what that vision was. The product was released, yet no one used it (except the product owners and stakeholders). What problem(s) were we trying to solve? How well was the backlog prioritized? What was the definition of done?

Defining and understanding the problem is the key to a successful product. Without a clear vision and a roadmap, it's easy to get lost and be overwhelmed. 

Communication is fundamental

My first meeting with the client was quite awkward; I was sent for (what I thought it would be) an introduction and planning meeting - turned out it was the head of their department wanting to express his dissatisfaction with the delivery. Without having a proper overview of the project (or the status of the relationships here), all I could do was to listen and take notes. Luckily, this turned out to be a great strategy; the client calmed down and was content to have someone that listened instead of trying to sell him stuff. Listening is the first step to understanding, and understanding is fundamental to finding common ground.

Backlog grooming and sprint-planning

When I started this project, the backlog was an unsorted, overflowing mess. My first instinct was to clear and sort the backlog so that we could understand where we were going and how we'd get there. All the basics of sprints and how they should work had to be thought and practiced, both for the client and us, our team. To understand and define each story, split them up into smaller tasks, and estimate and measure how much we could deliver each sprint, then demo and get feedback at the end of each sprint was the first step to clarity and efficiency.

Learn to say no

Effective product management often comes down to making the best choices possible with the limited resources you have. Early on this project, I had learned to say no — too many ideas, suggestions, and requests or even urgent demands from both internal stakeholders and external customers - especially the ones that came in the last minute. This way, we could manage the expectations and deliver what we said we would.

Manage expectations

Not everyone knows product development or understands how much time certain things can take - That's why companies hire consultants. Our client had clearly no idea, but they weren't unreasonable; they just had no one to explain this stuff to them before. Once the backlog was in order, and we were on scheduled sprint-planning meetings, there was simply more transparency and understanding of how much we could deliver within a sprint.

Adapt and grow

This project was quite different and educational for me. I thought I would design but instead given other tasks and had to figure it out independently. It was somewhat weird - but I thought of it as an opportunity to learn and grow.