James Borden

7.00 AM

As I am usually not quite a morning person, once I’ve managed to escape the comfort of bed followed by the usual morning ritual, I'm off to the station to jump on the train.

9.00 AM

Arrive at the client’s office, check emails for any changes to the days’ schedule and enjoy catching up with colleagues. One of the best things about working in the Marketing Services team is the variety of work I get to do on a day to day basis. It’s rare that two days are ever the same, from day one onwards I’ve been exposed to a wide range of tasks including aiding in the facilitation of discovery workshops, mapping out customer journeys, unpacking complex logic and configuring amazing solutions for clients. Knowing that each day I’m sure to be facing a new and exciting challenge is what keeps me motivated to continually improve myself.

9.30 AM

Stand up time.

The vast majority of our clients live and breath agile. A major part of this being the daily stand up. This is the time to talk about how our current sprint (think of a sprint as a cycle of work) is looking, what everyone has planned for the day and any blockers that may impede that plan. Today is project kick off, so this morning’s stand up consists of making any introductions that are required, designating initial tasks and aligning ourselves with client expectations.

10.00 AM

This time usually means it’s time to caffeinate! This is a great time to catch up with the team informally, discussing anything from projects to an upcoming footy match (Go Pies).

10.30 AM

Discovery workshop.

Aiding in the facilitation of discovery workshops is one of my most enjoyable tasks as it involves stripping back a business and diving into what makes the company tick. Being a graduate, standing in front of C-Suite executives questioning how they run their company can be rather daunting. However, IBM ensures you’re empowered and feel comfortable with your ability to keep your head above water, while support is always offered, if required. 

12.00 PM

Lunch time.

After working up an appetite during a jam-packed morning it’s time to sit down for a well-deserved meal with the team. An incredibly inclusive culture is present at IBM and lunch is a great time to spend some time with team members from all walks of life to discuss all things life (and of course a few laughs).

1.00 PM

Refuelled, it’s time to get back into it. Our IBM team books a meeting room and we sit down to unpack the findings of the mornings workshop. We revise any notes taken, post-it notes collected (we LOVE post-it notes) and begin solutioning. This is where things get interesting. We’ve been presented with a large-scale business problem. Now it’s time for the team, guided by our senior architect to convert it to a ‘tech solution’ of small, manageable chunks of work.

2.30 PM

Sprint Planning.

Now that we have broken down the overall business problem into chunks, it’s time to plan out how we achieve the overall goal. Prioritisation of tasks, estimates on how many hours these tasks will take to deliver and potential dependencies/blockers that may impede this sprint are all topics of discussion. The aim being that everyone walks out of this meeting with a clear vision on where we are, where we want to be, and how we are going to get there.

4.00 PM

IBM iX huddle.

A great part of working for a large organisation like IBM is the exposure to the amazing work the broader team does. The iX huddles involve getting all members back to the office, where one of our team members get the opportunity to showcase some of the awesome work they’ve done for a client. These huddles are very informal (usually enjoyed over a nice cold refreshment) and allow a bit of fun, networking, catching up with friends and of course learning a thing or two along the way!

5.00 PM

Time for a final check of the emails to confirm my schedule for tomorrow, take care of some admin and check in with the Graduate Network. Being a representative of the Graduate Network involves organising a range of things from social activities to breakfasts for new intakes. We’re currently in the process of organising a ‘hack day’ for graduates so I jump on a quick call with my counterparts to discuss logistics and budget. It’s important to note that every day is most certainly not as exciting or action packed as this one. There are plenty of days that require late nights, hours debugging or testing and plenty of hard work to achieve the optimal result for the client. However, the balance between working hard and having a good time while you’re at it is what makes IBM such a great place to work.

6.30 PM

Home – as I reach home my evenings are often split between catching up on the sports action of the day (massive NBA fan), diving into some Netflix or upskilling myself in areas of interest via the wealth of resources IBM offers employees through their learning portal. With thousands of resources and self-paced learning activities, you are enabled to ‘create your own destiny’.

11.00 PM

With another day wrapped up it’s time to start thinking about calling it a night and getting ready to do it all again tomorrow!