The key is situation awareness – Interview with Mihály Kiss, INNObyte Zrt. delivery manager
2021.12.21
We asked delivery manager Mihály Kiss what it is like managing a delivery team, what makes a good project manager, and how INNObyte differs from the other IT companies active on the market. This series is designed to introduce our colleagues who, day by day, work to ensure that INNObyte is able to serve its clients to such a high level and with such speed. Earlier interviews can be read HERE.
You oversee the management of the delivery team. What precisely does this involve?
The delivery team is made up of so-called profit groups. They are the implementation team who carry out projects working in close coordination with our clients, either in T&M or on a scope basis from the moment the client’s need arises until the end of the support period. In terms of the number of staffers and the participant range, here headcount is uppermost: there are approximately 120-140 people in this team. In INNObyte, profit groups encompass the Budapest and Pécs teams working on customized app development, Oracle and Business Consulting, Call Center, and Contact Center, Test team and Project management coordination areas. Besides these fields, I also work closely with internal IT and quality management.
What do you think makes a project manager good in his/her work?
The question often arises as to what is more important in a project manager: professional qualities or communication? Here, communication comes out top most frequently, that is, a project manager has to be a great communicator. Naturally, both areas are extremely important, but complementing these, at the same time it is clear that a project manager must have a good situation awareness. This ability allows him or her to choose the right tool that will be of greatest help in the given situation. This situation awareness is the key to the whole thing. If the project manager has this skill, then he/she will be able to effectively handle the given situation. At present, INNObyte is not a company delivering a single type solution, the vast majority of projects are one-off, customized to the client, in other words, they always force us to face new challenges, and we must always take a new approach to these challenges.
What makes INNObyte different in this field to the other IT companies?
People-centricity, attention to our colleagues, maintaining a particular focus on a healthy work-life balance, all these things are characteristic of INNObyte. As to what this people-centric approach involves, well, this is pretty unique on the domestic market. The system of values that the management represents is very positive and people are able to identify with it. We look on our colleagues as partners, we speak openly with them, we seek solutions, we do not seek to place blame. We do not work alongside each other, but together. All these elements strengthen team cohesion.
What has working at an IT company given you?
This is a company that guarantees professional development in an environment where, besides the human values, good and varied projects make the day-to-day work more changeable and exciting. We deliver the kind of solutions that generate value in business terms and that also involve a professional challenge. Even if the circumstances are not ideal (for example, the COVID-19 pandemic), these strengthen us day in, day out.
