The Life of a Munvo Consultant
A Talk with Software Consultant, Eric Tran
Defining the life of a Munvo Consultant – that is a task that even consultants sometimes find difficult to put into words! At least, it seems that way until they begin to describe their ever-changing list of daily activities, challenges, and triumphs. In sitting down with Eric, who has worked as a software consultant at Munvo’s Toronto office for the past 1.5 years, this piece digs a little deeper to dispel any ambiguities surrounding the role of a Munvo Consultant.
In the simplest terms possible, what do consultants do?
Eric: As a consultant, you are the expert that clients come to. You are the one who makes the decisions with your technical expertise to help drive the solutions. Because of this, you’ll often be in charge of many different tasks each day. One day you might be conducting discovery sessions – working with clients to determine the [project] requirements. I like to think of these sessions as becoming a member of the client’s team, in order to obtain a holistic view of what their marketing goals, both in considering their current state, and desired future state. Another day, you might be doing design work – taking information from the discovery sessions and designing a solution that meets all the required needs. You might also be building your solution one day, where you could be programming, designing the data structure, or building workflows. Lastly, once the solution is built, you could be providing training to your clients, instructing them on the solution that was built, and preparing for go-live.
What first persuaded you to apply as a Munvo Consultant?
Eric: Munvo was attractive to me first because the office was based in downtown Toronto. Before joining, I was a student at McMaster University, and I wanted to move back home to Toronto. Consulting, in general, was a practice, I was always attracted to. I had worked previously in other consulting positions and really enjoyed working with people and clients. Lastly, at Munvo, I knew there would be a good balance between technical work and business / client management, which was very attractive to me.
What are some of the places you have been able to travel to while working for Munvo?
A: Nowhere yet, as my clients have all been based in Toronto so far. However, I am definitely looking forward to travelling when COVID is clear.
How did it feel to start your career at Munvo, as a new graduate?
Eric: Munvo was a very welcoming place when I first started. Like many of my colleagues, I started after graduating. When you first start, Munvo focuses heavily on training, preparing their consultants by working with them to obtain the certifications and technical skills needed for success.
How long did it take for you to feel at home with your Munvo team?
Eric: I started at Munvo shortly before we moved into our new Toronto office at 355 Adelaide West. It was a fun time bonding with everyone as we got used to our new working environment. I found that after that first week, I was lucky to find people who share the same interests as myself as we started to feel at home at our new office.
How do you start your day while working from home?
Eric: We’ve been working from home for the past year now, and I’ve generally found a good routine for myself in regards to my work day. I normally work out for a bit in the morning, then take a shower and hop on my computer around 9:00. I like to start by checking emails and catching up, before the daily scrum meeting that we have for my current project.
What goes down in a scrum meeting?
Eric: A scrum meeting is basically a short touchpoint where team members go over their workload for the day, and review things that they completed since the last meeting. These meetings are a great time to raise blocking issues or ask for help from other team members, as the work we do at Munvo is often highly team-based and collaborative.
What motivates you?
Eric: I’m motivated by the ability to start with nothing but an idea and work your way up to a final product. For a lot of the projects I’ve worked on, you often start with a very ‘open-ended’ problem. From this problem, you define and detail more and more aspects of it until you have enough to design and build a solution. For me, I really enjoy working through the entire process from start to finish, and building up to something that is not the best solution, but also brings tangible value to our clients.
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Eric: Oftentimes, the open-ended problems I mentioned previously can be difficult to work with. Clients sometimes do not know exactly what they want yet, and as the consultant, you are the one that guides them towards the solution that meets their needs.
Conversely, what is the most rewarding part?
Eric: I think the most rewarding aspect of this job is building relationships with your clients. As a consultant, it is important to develop and nurture a strong relationship with the people you work with as this not only makes work more enjoyable, but also positively builds the relationship between Munvo and our partners. I’d also add that it feels very rewarding when clients recognize your efforts and see the value that you bring to their team.
Finally, do you have any advice for those entering the realm of consulting?
A: Go for it! If having a lasting impact outside of the technical work sounds like something you are interested in, definitely jump in.
Eric Tran
MUNVO SOFTWARE CONSULTANT
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