What's your job about?
Technology One provides a range of products which can be customised to meet the needs of consumers. For the first couple of months after I joined Technology One I was part of a team of graduates and we were given a project to complete as part of the Graduate Programme. This was a wonderful experience as we owned the project from start to finish, when we presented it to an audience from across the company.
I was then placed into the Business Process Automation (BPA) team, which creates generic software, that allows for the enablement of disparate processes across the TechnologyOne Enterprise Suite. The team works on deeply integrated applications for the enterprise like Workflow, Forms, and Web Services.
As a graduate business analyst, my responsibilities include researching changes to the applications as well as breaking them down into User Stories which are small packages of work. Details need to be added to the stories in the form of Acceptance Criteria, which will determine if the solution meets the requirements. These are passed to the developers to be implemented.
As bugs are reported by customers I investigate the cause and direct it to a developer to be fixed if needed.
Once development is completed on any work item I test the changes to make sure everything works as expected and confirm that the problem is solved.
Teamwork is important throughout the entire process to ensure a Compelling Customer Experience and to provide software of exceptional quality.
Occasionally my day includes cool events like Hack Days, Showcases and other social activities which make Technology One an awesome place to work at!
What's your background?
I grew up in Pretoria, the capital city of beautiful South Africa. While in high school I developed an interest in programming and decided to make a career of it. I attended the University of Pretoria and pursued qualifications in IT. During my undergraduate studies, I decided that I was not cut out to be a developer and I needed to find a way to use the knowledge I had gained in a way that made me happy. So, I completed a post-graduate qualification in Informatics, which would give me the opportunity to work in areas with the perfect balance of technical and analytical skills.
After moving to Australia, I applied to Technology One through LinkedIn. I was invited to attend the information day at HQ where I was amazed by the software, as well as the office environment. I was excited to be offered a position here, which started in July. The graduate programme was 8 weeks long, and then I was placed in the BPA team where I am now.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes, I definitely think so. There is some technical knowledge required, but nothing that you can’t learn if you have an interest in software development. Someone in this role will need problem solving skills and the ability to look at a solution from different angles to determine if it solves the problem. You will need to be able to think independently and creatively to determine the feasibility of customer requirements, as well as translate those requirements into smaller packages of work for developers to complete. Coming in as a graduate is great because you will be guided through the learning experience and you can look to others for direction while you find your feet.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I love my job because even as a grad I get the opportunity to voice my opinion and bring forth any ideas I have to the team. I am encouraged to take the initiative to drive my own career and I am trusted to fulfil my role diligently. At the same time, there is a high level of guidance and support available to me whenever I require it.
What are the limitations of your job?
Enterprise software is vast and complex, and Technology One offers several incredibly configurable products. While this is great for providing solutions, it can be overwhelming coming into a team of experts as a graduate. There is a lot to learn and it is a massive shift in mindset from the small applications I worked on in my previous job. Fortunately, there is a lot of support from people who have deep subject knowledge and help is never far away!
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