An insight by Sean Twycross, Head of Delivery in our rail division:
My journey so far
I joined the business back in 2015 from the port industry as a Project Manager tasked with supporting a wide breadth of projects across the business. Two years later, I was promoted to Senior Project Manager. Now in my role of Head of Delivery, I am responsible for the part of the product journey that ensures we continues to deliver market-leading products, advancements and software solutions that are the best fit for each customer.
Over the last 8 years, I have been part of our extraordinary rise from providing a variety of industry software solutions, to solidifying our presence and becoming the go-to software company for the rail industry. A good example of that is RailSmart which has grown from one software solution into a comprehensive suite of six core rail industry applications.
No day is ever the same
I am inspired by the forward-thinking structure of the business which integrates not only product development but also customer experience, with a dedicated Customer Success team.
My role is a holistic one so involves working with my colleagues across our departments. We achieve a balance of workflow that delivers the solutions on time, and we then follow that up with ongoing customer support. The Customer Success team ensures that customers are helped with making the best use of all the application features and receive ongoing support.
Operating in an ambitious and diverse industry
The rail industry is a fascinating context in which to apply software solutions. Our product development must match the ambitions and real-life challenges that specialists on the ground making ambitious and diverse improvements to the rail system have.
As Head of Delivery, I am always bringing our activity and decision-making back to the fundamentals of delivering value, quality and enhancements that are viable and relevant.
The scope of each project is dependent on what is going on externally, and client communication (online and face-to-face) is of paramount importance to guarantee the overall success of a project. Planning is key here; at project kick-off meetings product owners and the development team agree upon exactly what work will be accomplished during the ‘sprint’, and as a team, we commit to those deliverables within a set time period.
The project sponsor has trusted us to deliver something that will bring tangible benefits to their business, and we take that seriously. Our project managers are there to make sure clients are informed every step of the way and that implementation dates are managed effectively. We need to help our customer make changes within their businesses, and we are passionate about them being successful.
Viability
One of the common things we come across in the software industry is providing solutions that give too much complexity without addressing the core need. As we develop solutions, we validate the problem each application function resolves. Pairing back application design and build is an art and science, and this is something I am proud to be part of. Collectively we excel at this and sustain high levels of quality solutions for our customers due to this approach. It is our job to make the complex as simple as possible.
Supporting the wider business
A key function of the team is to work across the business and ensure that projects are progressing and maintain continuous communication with clients, to keep them up to date on their project’s progress.
Project management is often cited as the ‘backbone’ of the business, and the department that ensures the business delivers profitable projects. The team works hard to ensure that forecasting is succinct and that the business can take on more projects and hire additional resource where necessary.
The world of rail technology is constantly evolving and always driving forward. It is an exciting industry in which to work, and one which I would fully endorse to anybody who is interested in making a career.
