Leading a team in software design for SEAT & CUPRA

Client: SEAT & CUPRA, Volkswagen Group (Subcontractor: Arttalo Tech)

Sector: Automotive

Product: Infotainment system

Role: UX Product Owner / Project Manager (project management, team leadership, sprint planning, task management, UX)

Duration and date: May 2023 — present day

Context

I work as a UX Product Owner / Project Manager and I lead a team in the design workflow of software projects for SEAT & CUPRA, Volkswagen AG. I work at SEAT & CUPRA on the behalf of Arttalo Tech.

For privacy reasons, I cannot share publicly the specificities of my work. For more information, please contact me.

Responsibilities

Ensure the product vision is achieved throughout every stage of the process
Support the team in delivering value
Lead and participate in team events
Listen to team needs, receive and apply feedback from the team
Solve complex problems
Facilitate continuous exploration of needs and features
Plan trimesters, sprints and team tasks
Manage and prioritise the team backlog
Prioritise and accept design features
Reporting

Key Project Results

Achievements

Contributing for the creation of internal processes across departments that were lacking, which accelerated delivery processes, improved problem solving and helped mitigating risks. Some of these processes were later used by other teams.

Supporting my team in delivering value. In several occasions, fostered activities that would translate into cross-brand changes in the project that reflected the conceptual interests of SEAT & CUPRA against other concepts.

Creating and nurturing a community within my team through daily interactions and team building activities, where every member of the team feels supported and safe to do their best work.

Successfully training a new team member in an extremely fast paced learning environment.

Building a good relationship with different departments inside the company and also with international partners, while being an introvert.

Key Learnings

Being constantly out of my comfort zone brings great results. The corporate jargon and environment was extremely complex and I had to learn it at the same time that I was in a leadership position. It was challenging, however, my dedication to learn and solve problems was key.

Being a UX Researcher, I relied on my research skills and background by interviewing my new peers during the first few weeks at the company. I did this to understand expectations, responsibilities, company culture, values and, mostly, the ingredients for success in my role. These 'one-to-ones' were extremely fruitful and the insights were my guiding light early on.

Learning and networking inside of the company is vital. Especially in the beginning, I absorbed every piece of knowledge I could and looked for people who had been in the company for a while to listen and learn from them. This network became extremely fruitful as challenges in the project grew and I felt supported to make the right decisions.

Leadership has many forms and shapes. Even in a small team in a large corporate system there is always space for a leadership built on authenticity, openness, kindness and the ability to listen to the needs of every member of the team. I believe that it builds trust and motivation to achieve great results as a team.

Leading meetings in a foreign language I didn’t master allowed me to trust my skills and overcome initial challenges. Celebrating small wins was crucial. Transforming these challenges into strengths made me a stronger professional.