In this edition of Digging Deeper, we sat down with Tea, Marin and Goran, members of our Project Management department, and got them to tell us more about the team, their work, projects, challenges and the overall story of Project Management at Bornfight.
OK, let’s get straight to the point. What’s so great about Bornfight’s Project Management team? What’s that thing that makes you get up and go to work every day?
TEA: I worked in a couple of companies before, and Bornfight is one of the rare ones where I don’t feel like I’m actually going to work. It’s something about the people here who are all extremely open minded and pumped about the projects we work on. That really boosts you up, even if you wake up a bit cranky or in a bad mood – all of this just disappears when you’re surrounded with all the people here. It keeps you calm, but it also fills you with a bunch of positive energy.
This team spirit is prevalent across all Bornfight departments. Everything’s transparent and we’re all ready to jump in and help each other. The entire atmosphere, I’d describe it as calm and pleasant, and that really has a positive impact.
MARIN: If you look at Bornfight from the outside, you could say that there’s not a lot of different things compared to other companies in the same industry, but you get the real picture only when you join. In the project management team, that’s most clearly shown in the dynamic of our team, as well as the work we do. For example, we handle multiple projects, and that’s why we always start with daily meetings – this is where we plan things for the next day.
But as I said, the work we do is extremely dynamic – that means sometimes things don’t go according to plans, sometimes we need to add a couple of small things and sometimes those changes are bigger. That’s where our team dynamic comes into play – we’re all extremely connected to each other, we have full support from each other, and that’s the real reason why we can almost seamlessly handle the projects and changes. That’s what happens when we are all focused on achieving the same thing – creating successful products for our clients.
And that’s the first thing everyone sees when they join Bornfight – this support, the drive to work together and the willingness to solve any and all problems. Together.
You mentioned projects. Can you tell me more about them – what drives you, what’s great, what’s challenging?
TEA: When it comes to projects, I really like to work on products – when we’re actually building products from scratch that have a clear function that helps people with their everyday tasks. The great thing about these types of projects is that you can always work on them and upgrade them based on user feedback – it’s like having a live organism that you’re helping to constantly evolve. You’re literally working on a solution that solves a problem for thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people. That’s a great feeling.
Another thing I really love about working on products is that you have a chance to learn about a variety of different things that aren’t directly connected to project management. For example, I just finished a meeting with our designer Elena – we were working on user journeys for a product we’re currently developing. We had a testing with a member of the product’s target audience and we were probing and asking questions to get as much information that would help us create the best solution possible.
MARIN: I have to agree with Tea – working on a product is really amazing, it just fulfils you. Why? Because clients that contact us with their ideas are usually not in the IT industry and that’s a great opportunity to connect our skills and expertise. We can work together with them to create a product that solves a problem – we can bring our IT know-how, while they bring the expertise from their industry, we bounce ideas from each other, upgrade them and work together in order to find something really amazing.
That is especially true for the project management team because we work closely with our clients, and because this connection sometimes lasts for years. In that time, you go from a standard client-company relationship to becoming partners, colleagues with the same goal – we communicate regularly and we make sure everyone knows how the project is advancing, and this gives us direct access to a trove of knowledge from other industries. I always say, a client knows his business much better than us, so it’s up to us to learn about it from them and translate that knowledge to the IT and the final product we’re building.
TEA: Yeah, especially when clients have only their idea and they want us to provide them the right solution. That’s when this merging of different industries and knowledge is on full display.
Tea, I now have a question that’s just for you. You’ve been with us for six months, can you describe that period, tell us more about the onboarding process, first projects…
TEA: You learn a lot, and I mean a lot. You see, when I got here, my knowledge of the IT industry was very low. I mean, low to the point where I didn’t understand some of the terms and topics that developers and designers used to talk about. But Bornfight has a great onboarding process where you spend time with members of all departments, you see exactly what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, what processes are they using, what tools are they using, what challenges are they facing and how do they measure results… the amount of information you get is out of this world. You really learn the ins and outs of digital production and you can quickly go from not knowing what certain terms mean to the point where you can handle projects fully on your own. That’s how good this process is. I mean, we like to say that at Bornfight, we can get from zero knowledge to being proficient in 6 months, and this process is kind of a living proof.
Another thing that’s great about this is the mindset of people. They know you might not have as much knowledge and that you’re here to learn… And they really want to teach you – from the CEO to interns, everyone wants to help you learn. Everybody understands that you’ll ask a bunch of questions, some of which might be really, and I mean really basic, but they’ll answer everything because they know that the faster you get up to speed, the faster you’ll grow and the faster you’ll be able to really give your max. This mindset that can be felt all across Bornfight really pushes you to learn more and to share what you know, and that’s a great environment if you want to develop yourself personally and professionally.
On paper, you have a dedicated mentor who’s there to help you out, but the truth is, every single person in Bornfight is your mentor. That’s the atmosphere we built.
Marin, you, on the other hand, have been with us for almost 2 years. You started as a PM intern and now you’re a full time employee. Can you tell me more about the ways a person can advance professionally as a member of the Project Management team?
MARIN: Before I got here, I always asked myself if I have what it takes to be a project manager. This position was always intriguing to me, but I was always thinking about the skills I have, and wondered what more do I need – do I need development skills to be a PM, do I need to know how to design? What skills are really needed for this position?
The thing is, I really couldn’t predict what I would do because every project is different. And after I got the job here as a student, I just skyrocketed, both in terms of skills and knowledge. In the first couple of months I was just learning, and then I started assisting other members of the team in managing projects. That’s when I grew exponentially – you start working on real projects and that motivates you and drives you forward. Of course, sometimes you’ll fail, but you have so much support and we’ll all work together to make sure that happens in a few instances as possible. That’s the power of being surrounded by so many people who want to share knowledge and are ready to help you out.
And when it comes to personal and professional development, we have structured quality time meetings with our team leaders, where we really talk about where we see ourselves at Bornfight. That’s how I chose to work more on products – that was extremely interesting to me and that’s what I’m now fully focused on.
So yeah, I started as an Intern in the PM team, I learned a lot, started getting smaller projects and then bigger ones. Then I got employed full-time and took on even bigger projects and it’s all just a story of constant progress. Like I said, the projects I worked on grew gradually but I myself grew exponentially, both in terms of skill, as well as experience, and that’s all because of the massive support you can get from everyone around you.
Goran, could you briefly explain the reasoning behind our continuous process of upgrading the Project Management team with new members?
As an ever-growing company, we are continuously looking for new team members across all departments. This directly influences the Project Management team – if we stopped growing our team, we would not be able to manage all of the projects that our colleagues are working on. We want to make an environment where every Project Manager can dedicate enough time to secure that projects are delivered according to our high standards of quality, and within the defined timeline, budget, and scope.
Very nice, very nice. When you think about people who would fit perfectly into the Project Management team… what are they skilled at, what’s their mindset?
TEA: Most definitely open minded. Open minded when it comes to gathering new knowledge, when it comes to working with different people and when it comes to handling changes. In addition to that, they should also be amped up about project management and organized to the max.
GORAN: We are looking for a person who is motivated to work in a dynamic environment. Someone who can be responsible and handle all communication between clients and the project team. Who can see the solution over the problem. The person who thinks there is no I in the team.
MARIN: I would add analytical, and with a strong decision-making streak, especially when it comes to handling more challenging projects. There’s also one more thing, I know it might sound cheesy, but a strong teamworking mindset is a must. Lone wolves rarely fit into our team because we’re all so strongly connected and that helps us to constantly improve and achieve success. The last thing I would add is adaptable – you need to be able to accept changes, work through them and always find the best solution.
TEA: I agree, I agree. Teamwork and adaptability are on the top of the list. That will help you grow the most – ask any question, share knowledge with others, help people…
Last question. What would you say to people who think about joining our Project Management team?
MARIN: Here’s the deal. I think you should definitely apply and join our team if you’re not content with the way you’re currently growing in terms of professional or personal development. So, if you want to work at a place where it won’t feel like you’re working, a place where those 8 hours per day that you spend working will allow you to grow both professionally and personally and where people will help you to give your max – if you want that, Bornfight’s the place for you.
TEA: I’ll be direct. If you believe you can be a great project manager and want to work on projects that are challenging, entertaining and completely amazing at the same time, it would be a big mistake not to join our team. You’ll get all the knowledge you need, you’ll get amazing colleagues, you’ll get the chance to grow as a person every single day. And, of course, a bunch of dogs in the office and a ton of afterwork parties and casual get-togethers.
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And that’s been all for this edition of Digging Deeper. If you’d like to join our team, send us your application.
