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Working in a global team is exciting, leading to new prospects. Read about Tony’s experience and Akshay’s life-altering career decisions.
EY has been working closely with Yara on their transformation journey (read more about this here). One of Yara’s main goals was to transition its HR function from a silo-based delivery model to a fully digital and regionalized one. EY and Yara leveraged key resources globally from various countries in Europe, Asia and South America to accomplish this goal. The technology which enabled their new model to work was provided by ServiceNow. To deliver a solution in line with the new working model, the project applied agile working methods, in close collaboration with the client, with frequent ”sprints,” demos and continuous improvement. The EY team consisted of four on-site and nine off-site consultants. Tony Hu and Akshay Malhotra were a part of the EY project team that delivered the very first of our HR Service Delivery in the Nordics.
Tony and Akshay on a hike outside Oslo
Working with an Agile delivery model
Our delivery model was based on the Agile methodology. A key principle we followed was to develop a concrete working product (i.e., prototype) as fast as possible so that we could get feedback. We focused on developing core functionalities and less on fine-tuning details by working in “sprints” (repeated iterations). The sprints we had would typically include the following:
- First, we had client workshops to identify and understand their business need.
- Then, we created several ”user stories” (descriptions of features of a software system), which our developers used to configure the ServiceNow solution.
- Lastly, we handed over an increment (a fully developed part of the whole solution) so that the Yara project team could test and give feedback on the priorities for the next sprint.
Tony is a senior consultant at the Oslo office and has been working at EY since he graduated from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) in 2018.
I was part of the EY “on-site” team, which means I was part of the client-facing team. We focused on interacting with Yara’s project team and other stakeholders to understand the business need. My role was to be the link between business and technology, and I was responsible for the design and user experience for their new HR portal. My key activities included:
- Facilitating client demos to show the ‘Art of Possible’ and increments from our development
- Conducting workshops to identify business needs and translate it to technical requirements
- Guiding our developers to deliver according to client expectations
- Conducting training sessions for various HR leaders and employees
The tempo of this project has been fast-paced since day one. There have certainly been some challenging times where I felt I barely had my head above water. Still, this might be the closest thing to a dream project I’ve been a part of — at least so far. I am grateful that I got the chance to work with so many fantastic people in EY that were happy to support me when needed.
Casual after-work with the EY on-site team
Three things I’m taking with me from this project:
- Feeling the pressure as this was my first technology implementation of such scale. I also kept hearing “this has to work no matter what” from our partners, which was a clear indication that the stakes were high. I felt prepared for my role, but let’s just say that I’m also very grateful that I had my project manager available on speed dial.
- Traveling the world by having back-to-back meetings virtually. It was an interesting and efficient experience to discuss layout and visuals with Yara’s UI/UX designer in Singapore, then have technical clarifications with our developers in India, and lastly, run a digital workshop with Yara HR in Europe — all in a single day. I must point out that not all days were as hectic meeting-wise. Still, on certain busy days, it became a running joke how efficient travelers the project team was.
- Go-live celebration with Yara when we finally launched the new digital platform, in seven languages and 18 countries. Yara and the EY team mainly worked remotely across Europe and other regions for several months. On the go-live date, many of us met for the first time in person to prepare for the launch and to celebrate this final milestone. This physical get-together with the people I had been working so closely with, was truly a special moment I will remember for a long time.
The infamous go-live cake
Akshay is a senior consultant and has been supporting various EY offices around the world from EY Global Delivery Services (GDS) since 2019.
I was working as a financial analyst before I decided to join EY and become a full-time consultant after completing my post-graduation. The fact that we get to solve different problems that various sectors in consulting face was the main motivation for me to switch careers. Through GDS, EY provides innovative and strategic business solutions to EY member firms and EY clients worldwide. Through being a part of a truly global firm, I got the opportunity to connect and work with people all over the world. I rediscovered my career path in 2021 when I started my work with an end-to-end ServiceNow implementation at Yara.
My role in the project was to work with the product owner at Yara to help them create a robust knowledge and document management system on ServiceNow.
Though both Tony and I worked with different product owners, we still worked in close collaboration to make sure that all the client needs were addressed. The best part of our collaboration was that Tony was on-site, and I was off-site in the time zone of our technical team. The feeling of belonging persisted despite working from different parts of the world. Maybe it’s the culture here at EY that makes collaboration so easy. Together, Yara and EY were a multi-national team, encouraging greater cooperation and making it feel like a global project. This motivation pushed everyone to be more considerate of everyone’s time and personal life as well, ensuring that no one on the project felt burned out.
Three things I’m taking with me from this project:
- Creating a minimal viable product if the final product is not defined is a good starting point for any uncertain end. This not only holds true for Agile development but is a good way to handle the workload as well. Once you start working toward something with a small idea in mind, it automatically starts making sense, and on the way, you realize what changes you need for a better impact.
- Agile way of living life by incorporating the learnings from Agile methodologies into our daily routine. Working on an Agile project with Yara gave me some insights into the Agile way of working, from which I tried to incorporate some parts into my daily life. I now use some time every week to organize the priority of my professional and personal work. This keeps me aligned with my long-term goals.
- Communication is key to stability in a project when issues arise, and things do not go as planned. The most important thing to do is communicate what is going wrong. Sharing what is going out of hand is the best way to develop ideas to solve it. In addition, there may be others on the project who must have faced and tackled a similar issue and could give the right advice and direction. Having said that, it is not always easy to communicate issues and therefore it is equally important to have a trusting relationship within the team.
EY and cross-border opportunities
Akshay transitioned from EY GDS (India) to EY Norway and is now working in the Oslo office since May 2022.
As EY was forming a growing ServiceNow Alliance in the Nordic, I got an opportunity to move to Oslo and work with Vaibhav.The opportunity came at the right moment when I wanted to start exploring and traveling to certain parts of Europe. The Mobility and Talent team in EY Norway helped me with a smooth transition by making all possible arrangements needed for me to transition from India to Norway. I moved to Oslo in May 2022, and the team here in EY has been very inclusive by giving me the right opportunities, which motivated me to assimilate into the culture here in Norway. I am thankful to everyone around me who appreciates different cultures and opinions. The Internationals@EY group also conducts many social events for us to meet more people coming from different parts of the world and share experiences.
After joining EY Norway, I continued to work with Yara on multiple further integrations and enhancements. In addition, the project helped me form excellent professional and personal relations while working for Yara. Thus, this has been a dream project for me.
Key takeaways from working with this project
Working on this project has been a fantastic journey, and we do have some common takeaways to sum up. Successful projects require coordination and clear goals both in and between meetings. This is especially important when working virtually. With effective communication and collaboration, we can provide valuable insights and advice that help clients achieve their goals. Delivering with the client, rather than just delivering to the client, has tremendous success in building strong relationships and achieving desired outcomes. This approach helps meet clients’ needs and expectations while providing opportunities for ongoing collaboration and feedback. Finally, the most important one to remember is that even during hectic times, having fun is possible and essential. A positive attitude and approachable demeanor can build trust and foster productive working relationships.
Summary
New hires and young professionals talk about their careers, start-ups and their time so far at EY. We follow their career progression; "The exceptional EY experience – it's yours to build!". In addition, we hear from guest bloggers who talk about our many business areas.