As Product Owner, Naomi Charbonneau is always setting her sights on what’s new and upcoming.
“At its core, my job is to research client needs,” explains Naomi, “that way my team and I can build features we know our clients want; because let’s face it, it’s useless to spend hours coding something if nobody uses it.”
Her typical day – like many of ours – starts with a cup of coffee and a check-in with her team. “As of today there are six of us on my team, myself included, but the development squad at BIM Track has about seventy people in all.
“Each of us works on a different feature for BIM Track, but much of what my team does involves the back-end coding so that the platform runs more smoothly.”
“If we’ve done our jobs well, our clients won’t consciously know it, they’ll just use BIM Track and get on with their projects.”
Flawless communication within the team is essential for Naomi’s approach to her squad’s workflow. “I always make sure my development team has everything they need to thrive, from resources, to extra support, to a good laugh when it’s time to decompress! Everyone knows the development roadmap, but we keep our independence in our workflows.
“There’s no micromanagement here. I trust my team to deliver good, clean code, and they trust me for advice or direction when they need it.”
Before Naomi took on the Project Owner role, she worked as part of the QA team. “I’ve been at the company for five years, and I’m proud to have been part of its growth. When I accepted the promotion to Project Owner, I knew what fixes needed to be integrated into our procedures for follow-ups with bug reports and other issues. Now everyone on my team stands ready to pounce on any problem, because we know each other and how we work.”
Naomi’s fascination with always improving extends to her personal life, too. “I’m a gearhead on the weekends. My Vulcan 900 is my little baby! I modify her whenever I can, and then my partner and I go riding on the open road. It’s great!”
With such an interest in constant improvement, might Naomi be enamored with home renovations, too? “Yes, that’s me!” she says with a laugh. “What can I say? I love living in dynamic spaces!”
What is your name and job title?
Naomi Charbonneau, Product Owner
What motivates you to work at BIM Track?
Stability in your work life is super important, and that’s what BIM Track offers for everyone who works here. The company makes efforts to ensure the work culture is low stress, particularly because of the often-deserved reputation the software industry has for overworking.
But here, we have objectives to deliver, we know where we want to go, and we trust people to deliver. We accept people’s humanity: we have family, health, and personal needs, and BIM Track accepts and respects that.
How is the development work different at BIM Track vs. other software companies?
I have seen software companies build in so many processes and documentation in their workflows that it becomes a complicated-for-nothing labyrinth of added tasks. But here we stay focused on the work and we don’t lose ourselves in needless paperwork to satisfy management.