People of Symphony starring Anida Mumic: Service Delivery Manager with a success-driven mindset

This is the story of Anida Mumic - a Service Delivery Manager at Symphony who goes by the nickname "Sunshine." In this blog, you will learn how she went from getting her first internship to leading a cross-functional team of more than thirty people. Keep reading because this is a story about motivation, persistence, and drive to go forward! 

Throughout the journey we are about to tell, Anida has encountered many opportunities and challenges. Years later, she looks back and shares the first career lesson that got her to where she is today: "Do opportunities exist? The answer is yes - you have to reach out and grab them. It doesn't matter how big or small they are. Focus your energy on the fact that they exist!" 

We asked Anida to start from the beginning. She leaned back and began her story. "I graduated in the field of Telecommunications and received a working internship right after the University. The first year of my prospective career looked very much like this - I spent most of my days on the field, driving through different cities to solve problems that included fixing wires in clients' attics or basements. I remember I'd put on my Converse Superstars with some casual attire and hit the road! I was no stranger to coming home with some cobweb in my hair. But I never had an issue with this - even though I was an engineer, I had this constant need to learn things from their core - even when that meant starting from scratch covered in cobweb". 

The vast world of Project Management 

Very soon, Anida realized that her learning path had to expand. We asked her what her next steps were with this realization? "Well, in my usual free spirit, I started looking for job opportunities - and this is how I discovered the vast world of Project Management. The scary thought that kept me awake for four nights was that, with this decision, I am distancing myself from engineering and going into a new career direction.”

As she started diving deeper into this topic, Anida realized that this is where she found herself and her true potential. "In my earliest encounters with Project Management, I tried to optimize processes while leading teams - and I understood how important this is. But it is also important to remember that the projects you lead come first! As Project Managers, we often need to implement innovative approaches to processes that produce the best output and meet project needs. Once I understood the power of thinking outside the box - I was ready to make an impact." 

After getting her PMI certification, Anida re-entered the IT business as a Project Manager and worked on global projects where she led teams based in ten different time zones at a time. Such a career jump required dedication, and we were curious what it took for her. "This type of commitment needed some around-the-clock work, but it was essential for me at that moment to make changes. Changes that were presented as knowledge-sharing lessons throughout the globe and made the whole experience even more worthwhile.

Leading cross-functional teams within Symphony

Next stop in Anida’s career: Symphony! As our first newcomer during the pandemic, she entered the Symphony community on April 1st, 2020. "Remote onboarding sounds scary, but the effort made from the very first day was extraordinary, and it did not take long to feel how much I belonged here. Accordingly, a positive challenge I faced was creating a stronger bond among people.” 

"As a Service Delivery Manager, the easiest thing to say is that the client asked for something. However, in this new environment encountered within Symphony, I worked with my team to constantly discover requirements and develop solutions. As a part of our mutual collaboration, I always reached out to my team for ideas to improve the overall results. When it comes to the technical aspects of leading a team of thirty people, my goal was to inspire change from within. This approach may be slower and more stable, but one year later - my team knows that this is their success, and they are proud to stand behind it". 

With her new role at Symphony, the first thing Anida did was change the team setup. "We created three small cross-functional teams in which QA, Backend, and Frontend Engineers are part of one team. The teams are constant, and there is no shuffling from release to release, which brings more stability. We were delighted that we have established feature-based teams - which means that one team grooms a feature from the beginning and delivers it to the end. Another purposeful change we implemented was modifying processes and manual testing ownership, which raised the automation framework to almost 200 test cases and improved code quality overall.” 

Besides introducing technical improvements, Anida makes sure to focus on every individual in her team. "As long as we have a common goal - I will do everything I can to help you reach your part of the goal. Whether it is a technology change (transition to full-stack or learning new technologies), or improving your communication and other soft skills - I will do anything that will make you feel better about your work!"

In a year, Anida and her team achieved outstanding results for the client. We asked what kind of motivation and drive it took to get there. "I have a mantra: every day, you can accomplish something. Even if your day was not spectacular - as long as you know you learned something from it, you will do better next time - I promise the result will set you always to go forward!

If Anida inspired you to reach out to Symphony and experience our community with fantastic opportunities, make sure to check out our Service Delivery Manager open position. We are excited to meet you!