From therapist to parent — Slalom Build Solution Owners are “jacks of all trades”

Solution Owners (SOs) are a unique element of Slalom _build’s delivery approach and a crucial part of our Product Engineering Methodology (PEM). They are agile experts and problem solvers in cross-functional teams, but most importantly they are effective communicators — combining the best skills from more traditional functions such as Delivery Management, Program Management and Product Management.

Think of an air traffic controller, managing the skies of tech projects using therapy, good parenting and diplomacy.

Slalom _build’s Principal Solution Owner, Shahul Haroon Sirajudeen is definitely a jack of all trades, having delivered complex software for the past 15 years. Shahul works at the _build centre in Melbourne and has a unique perspective on the benefits of SOs in Slalom’s PEM framework.

Shahul began his career as a Functional Test Analyst, which helped refine his mental model of software to always incorporate the customer view. This led to roles in software delivery, programming and configuration, across many large and well-known technology stacks.

“Technology changes often, it is never perfect, and it always comes with challenges. People create these technology challenges, but it’s also people who are the ones responsible for solving them.”

Solution Owners look at projects in a holistic way, reducing the risk of pitfalls while removing roadblocks, so that engineers and designers can narrow their focus — for fast and effective software delivery.

Having a multi-skilled role doesn’t necessarily mean that SOs work across multiple streams of work. It is more about developing ownership within teams, connecting them with the customer and the client, and contributing with different skills in areas they are most needed.

“A highly functioning agile team is led by an agile and technology expert”

SOs are value-driven, humble and curious and are the glue between Engineering and Product teams. Empowered to innovate, experiment to uncover the unknowns and challenge the status quo to achieve the right outcome.

“I’ve been in large hybrid projects, resolving hundreds of bugs and defects in a day, but not necessarily with a focus on understanding the relationship between issues. As a Solution Owner I am empowered to get the team to dig into the root cause of these issues.”

Shahul loves working with a highly skilled team on delivering modern technology products in the cloud. Our _build teams are equipped and empowered to deliver the right solutions faster as we focus on outcomes rather than outputs, leveraging Slalom’s PEM framework. Solution Owners are velocity enablers. Our SOs at Slalom have multiple traits encompassed within the role, not only does this create a positive effect on customer outcomes, impact but also provides a variety of opportunities for career growth within the organisation.

Get in touch if you’d like to expand your career and satisfy that curious mindset or even just learn a more about our Solution Owner capability and how it helps clients globally.

There are a few open roles at Slalom _build, to learn more contact: Australia@slalom.com