I am originally an engineer in electronics so I really approached Information Technology (IT) from below: the hardware. But in a digital electronic world, hardware alone is nothing without the accompanying software so I quite naturally grew a strong interest in software engineering.
During my early times as software architect I quickly noticed I often had to deal with incomplete or insufficiently detailed requirements which had ultimately a negative impact on the overall quality of the solutions and consequently on customer satisfaction. There was something along the way, between the needs expressed by the customer and the implementation that was not ok.
So I wanted to be involved earlier in the solutions lifecycle in order to be able to influence and increase the overall effectiveness and efficiency of solutions. I fulfilled a business analyst role for many years where I had the opportunity to clarify, consolidate and model requirements at a very early stage. Then I became a product manager which allowed me to get even closer from the customers by defining the actual needs together with the actual business users.
There I was at the very first steps of solutions development but then I wondered how to influence the entire solution lifecycle by capitalizing on all my current and past experience. Enterprise Architecture (EA) was the way to go.
Yet I really thought there was a way to contribute even more because not all the challenges I encountered during my career were pertaining to tangible aspects like processes, procedures, methodology, frameworks, architecture, technology or organizational structure. There were also less tangible ones mostly related to human aspects like the company culture, unwritten tradition, habits, trust, flexibility, openness, engagement … that were sometimes weighing significantly on the enterprise’s productivity.
I have always had a taste and sensitivity for these subjects i.e. the way teams, departments, companies are functioning from a human perspective. Consequently my next goal was to gain the necessary competencies that would allow me to cover more efficiently these aspects of my professional practice and I became a certified coach.
Today I am putting both these hard and soft skills at the service of enterprises willing to link more efficiently their business needs to practical and effective solutions.
Also visit my LinkedIn profile …
Michel Goës