Personal Development
Immersing yourself in the world of agility - a field report
A deep dive into a completely different form of organisation than I have personally experienced at Swisscom to date.
A deep dive into a completely different form of organisation than I have personally experienced at Swisscom to date. A deep dive into a completely different environment than the one I had previously worked in. Immersing myself in a different language that the entire organisation spoke. A great opportunity to learn new things and, even after 10 years at Swisscom, to delve even deeper into the company. This is Swisscom - what you make of it is what defines us ♥
A stage as personal development
Last year, I had the opportunity to familiarise myself with a completely different area at Swisscom during a stage: Data and Analytics & AI specifically in ART Data Services. There I was able to explore the roles of Tribe Chief and Scrum Master and work independently to support the organisation. My tasks were varied and very exciting. I was able to actively support Marianne Temerowski as Tribe Chief and drive forward topics and measures for her, such as:
- Team building & people issues - e.g. psychological safety
- Communication & community building - development and implementation of a concept for community building and the accompanying communication
- Organisation of events - introduction & establishment of a monthly team lunch, social events for the team
- Involvement in Learning Community - further development of subject areas for learning from and with each other for tomorrow
- Re-design of the DS newsletter - upgrading the format with a sensible and better structure
I was also regularly asked for feedback based on my observations and assessments and was allowed to make specific suggestions for improvement with regard to people and teams.
I was also able to familiarise myself with the role of Scrum Master. As a team coach, a Scrum Master leads the team to growth and cooperation and creates the basis for a conflict-free workflow. After the first few months in the role of observer, I was later able to take on the tasks of a Scrum Master for two teams myself.
I was able to develop and carry out retros for both teams. It was a lot of fun and as a reward I received great feedback from the team. But it wasn't just the feedback, the development of the teams was also impressive. The way they changed, the way they interacted with each other and the impact this had on their communication was very motivating and inspiring.
PI, Sprint, agile events - SaFe and Scrum
Not that I was unfamiliar with all this, no, I had already had contact with agility in the past. But I was only able to really experience how agile life, planning and strict adherence to intervals and deadlines work. I started practically with the Inspact & Adapt and a week later with PI Planning, the planning and commitment of the teams for the artefacts created for the next 12 weeks, divided into 5 sprints and an IP sprint. During my time, I was able to experience 2 PIs and the longer I was there, the less "Bohemian villages" I had in my head. The longer I was there, the more I was able to understand what it was all about, what was connected and how, and how a Scrum Master contributes to helping the team achieve the best results. In the end, I successfully completed a SaFe 6.0 certification course to provide myself with a little proof of the knowledge I had acquired and I now have the certificate in my pocket. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it.
What do I take with me
I learnt a lot, not only important things for my area, which I am now happy to return to - I also missed my team 😊. I was also able to significantly broaden my spectrum for Swisscom.
- What kind of people work in IT? I got to know some great people who put their heart and soul into making Swisscom better.
- What are the topics that concern you and how is the collaboration? The topics of data collection, data processing and data utilisation are central and form the basis for many areas of Swisscom - for customers, products and improvements. They work together wonderfully, not in a silo, but in an interdisciplinary way - not always smoothly, but always solution-orientated.
- What's it like to communicate in English all day and improve your language skills? Once again, I was able to experience live that learning by doing almost goes by itself 😉
- How are new employees onboarded, how does the line do it and how do the newbies feel in their new environment? At DNA, there is a welcome event for all new employees several times a year - this is where all new colleagues meet for two hours and gain an insight into the divisional strategy and the various ARTs available in the INI-DNA division. They take the time to introduce each new employee to the topic and the team and to support them with any questions and issues that concern them.
- How does the line live the HR topics that we drive out of HR? Marianne takes her role as Tribe Chief very seriously; training days, time recording, holiday planning, expense regulations and guidelines that must be adhered to are actively communicated and monitored several times so that everyone is aware of the need for this and adheres to it. It's great to see how conscientiously these topics are practised in the line.
I was particularly impressed by the importance Data Services attaches to learning and development. They have set up their own learning community and are driving the topic forward very meticulously. They meet every month to share learnings with each other. True to the motto of learning from each other for tomorrow. Why am I particularly pleased about this? Because I was responsible for establishing the learning culture at Swisscom <3 Learning should take place as a habit, integrated into everyday working life, autonomous and self-directed. And yes, it happens!!! My work has had a lasting impact and that is the greatest joy for me! I am proud to have achieved something important.
A stage is valuable
To summarise, the experience was absolutely worthwhile. An internal internship in a completely unfamiliar area is very enriching and broadens your horizons. I can recommend it to everyone, the bond with the company increases because you understand even more what the company does and how diverse the topics are. I also recommend it because you can expand your network and build up useful contacts who can help you with questions. And: because learning happens, just like that! And nobody can take away what you learn.
Thank you for the opportunity
The fact that I was able to have such an experience is not something to be taken for granted! I would like to say thank you for the opportunity! Thanks to Nina Jakob, my boss, for her uncomplicated support in enabling me to take up the stage. Thanks to Marianne Temerowski, who approached me with the idea and offered me insights into a world that was totally foreign to me. Thanks to my Scrum patterns, which I was able to accompany and from which I learnt a lot of agile know-how. Thanks also to the RTE of Data Service at Tommaso Cemmi, who involved me and let me help shape things. And thanks to the Data Services team, who welcomed me so warmly, openly and impartially and made my time with them an unforgettable experience. THANK YOU!!!
Angelika Hähnel
Employer Branding Manager
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