Job title: Project Manager
Group: Application & Infrastructure Support - Agile team

About me

I began my CN career 10-years ago as a student programmer/analyst. Since then, I've held the roles of analyst, team lead, and most recently, project manager. From programming in Cobol and Natural on mainframe at the beginning of my career, to object-oriented Java, .NET in C# using the AGILE methodology, it's been a marvelous tour so far, enabling me to increase my knowledge both technical and personally.

My role

As project manager on the Agile Delivery team, I work with the AGILE methodology. This is characterized by iterative functional deliveries in faster time, following the theory of continuous and dynamic improvement based on user returns. Last June, I was asked to establish an AGILE development team in Edmonton. In my new role, I oversee progress on the planning and development phase of each iteration, ensure projects are completed on-time and on-budget, manage resources, and ensure customers are satisfied.

My team

The Agile Delivery Services group has 24 people located in Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton. We work in a very dynamic environment centered around team cooperation. Our focus is on information sharing and reusing code and technical components to enable fast and flexible development cycles. Since we are all subject matter experts in the area of our choice, maintaining constant communication to share information and exchange ideas is extremely important. It's the key to our success.

Work/Life balance

My wife and I have two children, our own careers, and she takes university courses as well. Our busy life requires flexibility. CN enables this by providing me with the tools and flexibility I need to fulfil my work and family obligations. Having a laptop and access to CN's network is a big help. My wife and I are globetrotters in our souls: we love to travel and take great pleasure in planning our annual family vacation. Last year we Establishing a new Agile service within IT last year while continuing to deliver solutions was challenging. This year, the move to Edmonton was a big change for my family and I, and extremely challenging professionally. Finding the ideal candidates to join the new team here, helping them get familiar with our infrastructure and framework, and then establishing good relationships with our customer base was a big job. Our first success was to quickly build a system to provide detailed measurements and reports to monitor grain traffic. We delivered in three days. Our challenge now is to sustain that speed of delivery.

My personal contribution in the advancement of the company

Since joining CN, I've always tried to deliver quality work and improve the way we do things. Efficiently delivering what customers want is key. I believe our agile delivery methods help the company compete and remain an industry leader. We give CN an advantage by providing software and business solutions fast.

Why do I like this job?

When I had to make a career choice after high school I wanted work that wasn't routine and work that I looked forward to each morning. After I finished my studies, I wanted an employer that provided opportunities to learn, accomplish, and excel. It's exactly what I found at CN. I have a stimulating and recognized job, my career destiny is in my hands, and CN supports me in achieving the goals I set, both personally and technically. In short, I like my employment because it's stimulating and rewarding.