Jamal Chishti on LinkedIn: Start your cover letters with "We've been trying to reach you about your… (2024)

Hey Agile Fam,What's your definition of "Done" ? #agile #scrum #softwaredevelopment

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Does anyone else walk into the Apple Store and feel like you’re not being sold products, but trying to be convinced that you’re a professional videographer or could potentially be one, if you kept upgrading?“Oh, you just want something for writing? Did you know a picture is worth a thousand words and videos are made with moving pictures? Yeah, Apple RAM is 20x faster than DDR, but 16GB is bigger than 8, and 18 is even bigger. Why 18? We don’t know! Get 32GB and you should be set until the rapture. So your total comes to $5280. Oh…we forgot to include Apple care+. New total is $6780. Will you be using your Apple Card today? “

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"Tell me about a time you had a conflict". I could tell someone in an interview, but why not tell everyone?About MeWhile conflicts in the workplace are rare for me, each one has been a stepping stone towards growth. As someone who's passionate about fostering proactive relationships, I always strive to cultivate a healthy working environment. In the realm of technology, I find that conflicts typically fall into two categories: technological and personal. It's navigating these with poise and a problem-solving mindset that shapes not just projects, but professional character.Creating Order in a Sea of Chaos: Tech ConflictsDropped into a QA role with no map or compass—no product owner, no specs, just me and a team staring down the barrel of the unknown. The project was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, and the clock was ticking.The standups felt like interrogations with the manager's pointed questions.Manager: "So, what's QA doing? When will the automation ready?" Me: "Gathering intelligence from the devs." Manager: "They're swamped. Come to me with questions." Me: "Sure, but I need details. Where's the acceptance criteria?" Manager: "It's a labyrinth here. But ask away."I realized we were in a loop of complexity with no escape. The breakthrough came not with a bang, but with a marathon two-hour dialogue, after which we carved out a non-negotiable: stories needed acceptance criteria for QA to kick off.Did the skies part and a perfectly ordered process fall into place? Not quite. But we made headway. I became the bridge between what was and what should be—chatting with devs, crafting the much-needed docs, and weaving automation into the tapestry of our workflow.This crucible taught me that at the heart of most tech conflicts is a cry for clarity. I’ve since become a maestro at orchestrating working agreement meetings, tuning the instruments of project expectations and harmony, ensuring that our agreements evolve as dynamically as our projects.Personal Conflicts: Catalysts for ChangeIn the rare instances when personal conflicts arose, each served as a profound lesson. A notable one came when a teammate courageously pointed out I hadn’t been fair. They were looking for answers, but deep down, I already knew the truth. Their words not only opened my eyes but also echoed past experiences, creating a moment of profound self-awareness. I immediately apologized, acknowledging my misstep.But I didn’t stop there—I took action. I became their advocate, endorsing them for roles that stretched their skills and placed them at the forefront of significant projects. This conflict, while uncomfortable, was a turning point. It pushed me to become more than just a fair team member; it inspired me to become a proactive champion for my colleagues. It’s a commitment I uphold to this day, ensuring I foster an inclusive and supportive environment for all my teammates.

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When I reflect back on what makes somewhere a great place to work, it’s working with people that:Care about what they’re doingWant to do the right thingWant to make things betterAre excited about learning and trying new things Understand the bigger picture (And the further up the leadership ladder those are true, the better. )Why? Because that’s who I am.

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Once upon a time, my department hired a QA Architect.They had 25 years of experience. I've come to realize that years of experience <> growth, maturity, capability.Anyway, they kicked off an initiative for all the QA to go into great detail about bugs, to the point that it impacted the amount of work someone could get done. Bugs aren't great, but I didn't think they were the root cause of unhappy clients.So (on my own volition), I hunted down our internal report of client satisfaction, client size, number of users, and size of the contract. I compared that information with a year of Jira issues: how many bugs each client had, the root cause, who found it (us or them) and the severity. I also included things like number of reports they had us run, number of tools, etc.Did the number of bugs correlate client satisfaction? Nope, not even a little.Want to know what did? Run-time typesWhat does that mean? CUSTOMIZATIONSThe more customizations a client had, the less happy they were. It was completely linear.Why did they need so many customizations? Did we sell them something we didn't make? Did they want something that didn't exist? The customizations also didn't equate the size of the client. There could be a small-medium sized client taking up 3X the resources of a client who paid 10x more and was completely happy.What's the take-away?Products are like roads and bugs are like pot holes. If the road doesn't go where the customer expected, it won't matter how many pot holes there are (or if it's perfectly smooth). They won't be happy about it.If the road takes the customer where they want to go, pot holes are almost forgettable (unless it's in the customer's CFO's driveway, then that needs to be fixed yesterday.)What do you think? What's a product (or game) that's really buggy, but people still love it? ( I can think of a few)

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When you think of someone working remotely from Oregon, do you picture them wearing Carhartts, on their laptop next to a river on the work bench they built by hand? Hi, I’m Jamal. If we haven’t met before, you probably feel like we have, now. 😅

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Lizz is a fantastic and thoughtful UX researcher and designer. 10/10

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