Listen to the Experts :: My Week at Work
Who are you?
Name:
Dara West
Job title:
Development Team Manager
Employer:
Cisco Networking Academy
Length of time in role:
7 ½ years
Networking Academy Development Team Manager
A little bit about me.
I have an engineering degree and originally worked in Manufacturing Management for Procter and Gamble. I took 10 years off for family time. During those 10 years, PCs burst onto the scene. Before I returned to work, I obtained my Masters in Computer Information Systems to update my skills. Since returning to work, I have taught at a private high school, worked as a Network Administrator for a manufacturing facility, taught MCSE and NetAcad courses at a Technical College, and I am currently working on curriculum and assessment development for Cisco Networking Academy.
Today is a holiday but since I am part of a Global Team, I need to get online to check on the progress of the Arabic Usability Tests in Egypt. The team uses a wiki for updates. Working with global teams and projects is exciting.
Every week I have to complete a weekly update. To accomplish this, I have to meet with each lead on my team and get an update on their projects and progress. None of the meetings are in person since everyone on the team is a full time telecommuter. One of the things we are trying to do is align all our work with team goals and initiatives. During the week, I work to keep the team focused on the critical work and track progress on key deliverables.
Today I am trying to get sign off on a process/policy update for the Networking Academy maintenance release strategy. Once I get sign off from my peers, I will present the strategy to higher level managers for sign off. It is critical to be open to team members’comments and refine work accordingly in order to drive change.
I also finished one book in preparation for a planning meeting in two weeks. Now on to the next book. You never stop learning when you are a professional.
On a weekly basis, I typically focus on process refinements. It is critical to have clear metrics and establish tracking mechanisms. This week, the team implemented an enhancement that supports automatic creation of issue tracking spreadsheets.
Another major focus this week is planning for future NetAcad assessment development. The team is studying usage rates and patterns as well as satisfaction with current offerings.
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