Jenny: The caring and transparent link between customers and BE-terna teammates

What is it exactly you are doing for BE-terna Sweden?

Well, my official title is project manager, but I see myself as more of a bridge between our customers and my team here at BE-terna. Before I started at BE-terna Sweden, it was normal that the customers had the direct contact information of the developers and consultants on the team, but it was important for me, to be the only one who communicated information between the two parties. It might sound strange, but it is important to me that my teammates are feeling okay and not just taking too much work from the customers, and on the other hand, does not promise anything to the customer that is unrealistic. I want to protect both parties – that is a large part of my job. 

I do not work with the ERP or CRM systems, but I am more of an administration person. I allocate resources, make sure that my teammates are having enough work and not too much and trying to match the customer with the right developers. Lastly, I think the most important thing that I do is to ensure that my teammates feel comfortable with the workload and feel like they are included in the team – both people with much and less experience.  

What does a normal day look for you?

I ALWAYS drink minimum 2 cups of coffee and eat some breakfast – otherwise I do not function ;-)

My days are very different, but the main thing that I do almost all day, every day, is to have meetings. These meetings are both with customers, but also teammates. Here I try to structure and organise the resources that we have, to match the customer’s needs. In these meetings I can perhaps seem old fashion in some ways, because I always put down notes by hand, with pen and paper. I think that it feels the most natural, and I remember my notes the best that way.  

What did you study and why? 

Hmm I might have taken another path than most other project managers. I started to study a bachelor’s degree in Economy and IT and ended up taking a master in intelligence system design. I never thought that I would end up with that, but I remember thinking that it was really interesting and that it was er great match for me. After my studies, I worked both a bit with BI and IT in different organisations until I found BE-terna. 

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

As a kid I wanted to be the lady horse rider in a circus, you know the woman who manages five or six horses and lets them do tricks. So, it is easy to see that I have gone another path in my adult life. However, I think that there are similarities between my dream when I was a kid, to my job as project manager. As the lady horse rider, you have to have an overview over many things, and everything needs to be put together just right, in order for it to become something spectacular. It is the same with my job now. I manage time and resources for my teammates, and it is my responsibility to have the overview over many aspects.  

Why did you apply for a job at BE-terna?

I have always heard great things about BE-terna, and especially BE-terna Sweden from both colleagues and friends. At one point, one of my friends had a cooperation with BE-terna Sweden in on their ERP system, and he told me that this was a place that would fit me almost perfectly. Later on, this friend got hired at BE-terna Sweden and asked me to work with him, and I took the opportunity. He was right, this job and the organisation was a perfect match for me, both in terms of colleagues, organisational culture and customers.