Meet the team – Joanna Sliwa

We place great emphasis on finding the best personalities with the strongest skills available when putting together the CBO team. With that in mind, we’re keen to shout out about any new recruits and the success stories that routinely occur throughout the business. This month, we’re introducing Joanna Sliwa. Joanna is a new addition who arrives as an ERP Project Manager. We got to know her little better when we chatted last week.

 

Q. How did you find out about Clear Business Outcome?

I moved to Sunderland from Prague in July 2018 and was searching for opportunities as a Project Manager in ERP products and solutions. I’ve long had a professional and personal interest in ERP that developed from previous work experience in Europe.

I did some research, checked the local area and businesses specializing in ERP, and through LinkedIn, I eventually found Clear Business Outcome!

 

Q. And the rest is history, as they say! What did you know about ERP products before you joined?

Before I joined I had been an end user for some alternative ERP products to Epicor, mostly in Customer Relations and Human Resources. Around this time I was struck by the potential for growth within the field, the importance of ERP products to modern businesses, and eventually recognized this was just going to grow further and further.

 

Q. What three things attracted you to the job at CBO?

The first thing that struck me was the number of projects that were ongoing and the fact that this was only likely to increase in the future. I am the sort of person who likes to be kept busy and have a full agenda for the day. I knew the role would suit me perfectly!

Another advantage was the location of the office – with the businesses city centre location and a modern office really grabbing my attention.

The third thing was that I was told on my first day that there would always be opportunities for personal and professional growth within this job. If I want to progress within my position or decide to take things in a different direction within the business there will be flexibility to do so. This is so important to me and is perhaps the most important thing that attracted me to the job. I can already see the room for that growth!

 

Q. What is it about ERP Project Management that makes it the job for you?

The need to be organized, plan ahead and communicate well with others has always played to my strengths. I’ve always been attracted to these jobs in the past because I personally find it easy to communicate or connect with people – in business or my personal life.

Add to that the fact that I like to know what’s happening on my agenda and love planning ahead. It’s a perfect combination for me when it comes to finding the right job!

 

Q. Talk us through your typical work day as a Project Manager with CBO. How do you organize your time and how is the day typically split up?

My day typically starts with an email review. I go through any new or unread messages and catch up on my correspondence. Once I’ve worked through these there will normally be some issues or questions to raise with the support team or consultants. In this case, I’ll forward them their way or talk them through in person.

Next I move on to our customer’s project plans. Here I’ll review whether all planned activities are on track, check up with project members on their progress and make sure things are running as planned.

A few times a week I’ll discuss ongoing projects with our clients in more detail via conference calls.

Anything else is related to internal tasks and aligning with other Project Managers but don’t think it’s always the same – every day brings up something new!

 

Q. How did you find you Epicor training? Do you have a favourite module?

I’ve really enjoyed it! From a Project Manager’s perspective I can really appreciate the structure of the course. I appreciated how the course starts with a series of interactive videos that introduce you to the key modules before you go into greater depth with online classes. Once you’ve completed these, you can put your knowledge to the test with module examinations!

I couldn’t possibly pick one module as my favourite. You can only fully appreciate the bigger picture in Epicor with an understanding of all of the system’s capabilities!

 

Q. What advice would you give someone starting out at CBO?

I would say stay patient – whether you have worked with ERP systems in the past or are new to the whole thing! There is so much to learn that it will take time before you feel confident putting it into practice. Don’t rush and don’t worry – there is a massively experienced team ready to help you when you need it and things will click into place soon enough!

 

Q. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I want to keep learning more and more! As difficult as it sounds, I’d hope that in five years’ time I would be able to develop a full understanding of the ERP field and Epicor specifically.

I want to stay on the ERP Project Management track. However, I’d still like to add some technical knowledge in order to provide more support to clients. I’ve already learned that it would be of great benefit to my position and to current and future customers! In five years’ time maybe you could come back and ask how much that greater technical knowledge has helped me!

Want to connect with Joanna? View her LinkedIn profile here.

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