What is your name and role?
I'm Mudita Bhave, and I joined Kainos just about a year ago as a Product Owner for Smart Audit.
Smart Audit, or just Audit as we usually call it, is Kainos’ SaaS solution for automating the process of auditing Workday. As a PO, I am responsible for the design and delivery of new features for the product’s platform. When not working on Audit, you can find me doing jigsaws, reading, or engrossed in music. I also love to travel.
How did you get into working in Product?
Before joining Kainos, I had been an SAP consultant for all my career of 10 years. There are not many opportunities in that space within Northern Ireland and all my roles so far had been based out of mainland England and involved a fair amount of weekly travel and staying away from home. As a mother of a 3-year-old, it was getting more and more challenging and after my last SAP contract I wanted to find a role within Belfast. That is when I came across this opportunity at Kainos for a Product Owner. I wanted a role where I could best leverage my skills and experience whilst being open to learn something new and this opportunity ticked all boxes.
So, I applied. A couple of interviews later, here I am! I completed a two-week Workday Certification course at the beginning and from then on dived straight into Smart Audit carrying out my duties as a Product Owner.
What inspired you to join Kainos?
I had heard great things about Kainos from a close friend who also happens to be a Kainos employee. A company is people, and during the interview process I could see for myself how every employee here lives and breathes the company values. It is this employee-first and inclusive culture that makes Kainos one of the 50 Best Places to Work in the UK!
Every individual here is valued and respected. You are made to feel welcome right from the very start. In my case, not coming from a Workday or Product management background caused no concerns whatsoever, and everyone on the team has been exceptionally supportive and helpful in my journey here so far.
Describe a typical day in your role
A typical workday in my role begins with a quick stand-up with the team where we share what each of us would be focusing on for the day and call out any issues or concerns or celebrate any wins. I started my role here during the pandemic when we were all working remotely, and these daily stand-ups proved game-changing in helping me understand what each member’s roles and responsibilities are and building a rapport with the team.
During the feature design phase I conduct Three Amigo workshops with the lead BA and UX designer where we discuss the requirements and design alternatives to agree upon the best design, making sure it is technically sound and the user experience is well thought of. After the design is finalised, I create the epic and user stories to lay out the requirements and design for the delivery team.
I regularly meet with the delivery teams for sprint review sessions and delivery planning where I get a view of the feature delivery progress. We prioritize the product backlog for the upcoming sprint and review the delivery timelines. Any challenges in being able to achieve the timelines are discussed and addressed.
I also conduct design review sessions with customers during the high-level design phase. Major features are presented to the customers to receive their feedback and validation, ensuring we are headed in the right direction. These demonstrations are generally carried out on prototypes of the upcoming features, and I spend time beforehand to work closely with the UX team to design and build the prototypes.
The product team also work quite closely with the Sales and Marketing teams to support product sales. So, another important part of the day-to-day in this role is carrying out and supporting product demonstrations to prospective customers.
We also meet internally as a team from time to time to discuss and prioritize our work and make sure our individual focus areas are aligned with the overall team goal. The wins are celebrated, and any challenges are highlighted during these meetings.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to join Kainos or considering a career in your field?
The only thing I would say is believe in yourself and give your 100% to whatever you do – nothing is impossible.
My colleagues at Kainos are one of the friendliest groups of people one could ever find; there is support at every step of the way. It does not matter if you have never been exposed to product management before - skills can be learned. It is the attitude that makes you who you are. So, be yourself, keep learning and never give up.