Job Function:
As a software engineer at Clickability, a San Francisco-based company that provides on-demand web content management, Akshobhya Mann is responsible for developing release deliverables such as enhancements and bug fixes for the Clickability platform. “During the on-boarding process with customers, I also work with a team of individuals from our Professional Services group, developers from third-party services, and with the customers themselves,” says Mann.
The engineering team employs the “scrum” agile software development methodology for its project needs. “Using scrum allows me to provide a rapid, flexible response to our client’s business needs,” says Mann, noting that the ability to set short-term plans works well when the marketplace in which Clickability operates is changing so rapidly.
In A Day’s Work:
Coffee bookends Mann’s day, which is otherwise spent coding in Eclipse, attending the daily scrum meeting for status updates, and documenting project progress and open issues. “The scrum team that I’m working with changes every few weeks depending on the project,” says Mann.
Mann also connects with clients via conference calls that can be very brief or last for a few hours. “During launches I may even go on location with customers,” says Mann, who travels every couple of months to a customer site.
Most Memorable Customer Encounter:
“Since I primarily meet people virtually and work with them very closely via email and calls long before I ever meet them, they are almost uniformly shocked that I am a small blonde of Irish-German decent. With a name like Akshobhya and self-described strong personality, I’ve had clients expect me to be anywhere from Amazonian to Tibetan. It is always interesting to throw the dynamic of real world interaction on what can be a completely virtual relationship.”
View From The Desk:
“Our offices are flat and open. When I need to take a screen break I usually grab some stuffed animal (our releases are all named after animals and we get mascots to represent them) or a tribble (if you know what that is you should come work for us) and toss it to someone to trigger a game of Hot Potato.”
Outside Interest:
“Outside of work I develop pet projects involving other ideas for online applications, play with my dogs and friends, and take advantage of living in San Francisco.”
If Not Econtent, Then What?
“I throw great parties. I could definitely be an event coordinator, or I could have finished law school or gone ahead with a doctorate in neuroscience. But planning parties would be way more fun.”
