Michael Küffner tells us about how he found out (surprisingly quickly) that encoway is the right employer for him.
“I made my first contact with encoway in the traditional way by applying for a vacant position as a “Product Consultant”. I was living in Munich at the time, and realised that it was time to return to my home town, Bremen. I only had a very rough idea of what CPQ actually is, and was curious about what would await me at encoway.
From a product owner in a large corporation to a project manager in a medium-sized company
At my first employer, the commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN, I wrote my dissertation for my degree in Transport and Logistics and subsequently saw and learned a great deal in various positions; as a product trainer, a project manager and a product manager.
For me,the most formative stage of my professional life was when I moved from the MAN X-Lab to RIO, an independent brand of Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH (currently: Traton). RIO had set the goal of significantly advancing and shaping the digitisation of its logistics. I learned there what it means when a company with established structures and processes tries to change.
Here I gained my first experience with Scrum, from textbook to practice. At RIO, I learned to love the role of product owner. It was phenomenal to see how much added value a team can generate when a company has clear objectives and the tactical team knows how to get those objectives onto the road. We brought products from concepts on whiteboards to the paying customer. Since then, constant readiness and willingness to change have characterised my work.
Although the many great people I met at RIO became a surrogate family for me in Munich, the call of my home town, Bremen, was becoming increasingly loud. It was against this background that I got to know encoway, where many things were very familiar to me.
The first meeting
Even during our first conversations, there was a great deal of openness for my experience. Guido Vehring presented encoway as a company that can offer me precisely the right mixture of topics in which I can get actively involved and learn a great deal.
During the application process, we very quickly established that I do not have the necessary experience in software development to work as a product consultant, but that I could be an excellent fit for a position as a project manager. The subject of CPQ was not new to me, but I had and still have enormous respect for the intensity and quality with which it is treated at encoway. I was very curious about what would await me at encoway, and for the first time in ages just a little nervous.
“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!” (Richard Branson).
Onboarding programme at encoway – unreservedly recommendable
Day 1 was getting closer and closer. In October 2018, it was “Welcome to the Onboarding Programme at encoway.” At encoway, this programme is a format that I have not experienced in this quality in my six years of professional life. It all starts with everyone finding out exactly where they have to go, seeing their name written correctly on a large monitor at the entrance, and immediately being surrounded by other newcomers. After a short introduction, everyone receives their role-specific plan for the upcoming onboarding programme and immediately sees what there is to experience and learn. Regardless of whether you are a software developer, a salesperson or project manager.
For me as a new project manager, everything got started on the very next day. From products to current processes, from product development to sales, I was able to get all my questions answered. Even seemingly minor things, such as making a leave request, were explained to us.
For me, a probationary period always applies to both parties, and after eight weeks I knew that I wanted to become a part of encoway!
Being able to make that decision in such a short time is something special for me. I maintain that the quality of this onboarding programme is truly unique – or at least so good that I strongly recommend it. This is also based on the thorough information provided, the large number of colleagues that I got to know, and in short: the impression of the company encoway that had gradually formed in my head.
Anyone who takes this programme seriously and carefully reflects whether they want to become part of encoway will gain clarity within six weeks. In addition, both the compatibility of my work with my private life and encoway’s openness for new ideas have been indispensable to me. I asked both of these questions many times during the six weeks and received enlightening answers.
Change is the only constant.” (Heraclitus of Ephesus)
As a team leader, I am now responsible for a development team in the field of customer projects and am actively involved in everything concerning agile software development and strategy. Here, I am able to optimally use the knowledge I gained and the methods I learned at RIO and from the wonderful people there.
encoway and me – are we a good fit? Yes, definitely!”