Can you tell a bit more about your job?
Sami: “As a Business Analyst, you analyse business needs and requirements on the end-user’s side, in which you compare the current situation with the preferred future situation. You find the middle ground between what the end-user wants and what is feasible in terms of capacity, timing, and budget. Furthermore, my job is to treat and complete tickets about bugs, improvements or new requirements that come from the client. I like doing what I do because I provide a concrete solution to all problems that come my way. We sometimes need to be very creative, as we must comply with all kinds of rules, such as GDPR for example. I would say it’s a love-hate relationship, haha.”
Estelle: “As a Developer, part of my job is of course coding and developing on my own, but it’s not only that. I also have a lot of technical meetings and discussions about feasibility with different members of our team because what the client wants is not always possible and it’s my job to imagine how far I can take a certain code. I personally like my job because when you see on your screen that what you did, works, and does exactly what you expected it to do, it just feels amazing. It makes me feel like a queen, haha.”
What are the main skills you need in your job?
Sami: “I am the one who’s regularly in contact with the client, but also with the end-user, and of course with our internal team at Sopra Steria, so it’s important to have good communication skills. I don’t think you necessarily need to have a technical background or knowledge about coding, but you do need to have an idea of what the limits of a certain idea or project are.”
Estelle: “I believe problem solving and communication skills are important for a Developer, because we translate a complicated technical language or code into a language that the client needs to understand. Creativity is also needed in my job, and with this, going beyond just what is asked by the client, based on the information you have as a Developer.”
What does your team look like?
Estelle: “In our team, we have 1 Architect, 1 Business Analyst on our side, and 2 Business Analysts on Fedasil’s side. We also have 2 Full Stack Developers, 2 Back-end Developers and 2 Front-end Developers, and there is 1 Test Manager that I am in touch with a lot.”
Sami: “And of course, there is the Project Manager and the Product Owner on Fedasil’s side that I meet and consult with a lot. We work on a volatile project in which I, as a Business Analyst, have a lot of different tasks. This is something I appreciate because I don’t think this is the case in a lot of projects. We also receive a lot of autonomy, so we can choose ourselves when and how we do certain things.”
How do you two interact on this project?
Estelle: “We see each other every day during our daily stand-up, and depending on the features we are working on, we see each other more or less. Most of the times, after Sami’s job is done, it’s time for me to get to work.”
Sami: “Yes, and during the development of a feature, Estelle will contact me if she needs some clarification. Then, when Estelle’s job is done, I will functionally review the features and contact Estelle if necessary.”
Why do you think others should join also Sopra Steria?
Sami: “Sopra Steria is a great place to develop yourself and your career. You get this feeling from the very beginning. Sopra Steria is both professional and informal at the same time, something which is quite rare in my opinion. I also feel the trust of my direct superiors, as well as higher management. They have faith in their employees to make the best possible decision. To be perfectly honest, I don’t have a single negative thing on my mind to say about Sopra Steria and I think this says enough.”
Estelle: “I agree with everything Sami said. One of Sopra Steria’s objectives is to give everyone a chance to proof themselves, regardless of their cv, and that also counts for me. I don’t have a university degree, but Sopra Steria still gave me the chance to start working here when maybe on paper I wasn’t the best candidate. It’s really your capabilities that count, and I appreciate this a lot. Linked to this, there are a lot of opportunities to grow within Sopra Steria. I get support to learn things and I feel trusted in what I do, so I feel good here. Sopra Steria is a growing company and we, as employees, can grow with it.”