How long have you been working at IXTENT? I get the feeling you are one of the most senior (in job terms) employees here.
I’ve been working at IXTENT since 2004, which is an impressive 17 years.
What was your journey like to become part of the company? How did you find out about IXTENT?
I found out about the company and open position from a colleague at my former firm, where I was working at the time. The IXOS branch in Prague was closing down and two of its former employees (Vít Svoboda and Jakub Humpolec, the future owners of IXTENT) had decided to establish their own company, and were looking for consultants.
How much has the company changed since then – what was it like at the beginning and what is it like now – where do you see the greatest difference?
Previously, projects were managed as a “one man show”, which put immense strain on the consultant, who alone was in charge of project management, customer communication, the required analyses, programming, development and actual implementation – meaning the entire breadth of the project, from start to successful finish. This taught us to be versatile and we learned a lot.
The company started out with 7 people. Today it employs 45 and in recent years (about five), space has been created for colleagues become specialized, to divide contracts based on product and competence, and a separate development department has been established.
What do you like about IXTENT? Where do you see its greatest benefits and where do you see your own missioWhy have you remained loyal to one company for so long? What do you value about IXTENT?
I do a job that I enjoy. It is incredibly diverse and I can program, consult and analyze within a single project. IXTENT is (despite the rising number of coworkers) a fairly small company with an individual approach both to employees and clients.
I like to learn new things and IXTENT allows me to do so continuously. There is always something new to discover and the product diversity is immense.
In my opinion, the management is on the right track. As the company grows, it gradually shifts a part of its competences to the middle management, which maintains good interpersonal relationships on the workplace – for instance through company-wide events.
Why should customers choose IXTENT as their supplier of business solutions? What is our greatest added value (in your view)?
Our chief value is an excellent understanding of the products and an extensive awareness of the benefits of the solutions. We offer the best products available on the market and design solutions with respect to the customer’s needs. They’re not just boxes, but adaptable solutions. We strive for customer satisfaction. It’s not just about making money. We uphold values, negotiate fairly, honor agreements…
How are you enjoying your new position as Head of the SAP team? Is leadership fulfilling? What is the most difficult part?
I admit that it’s a huge challenge for me. Leadership is not among my assets, I don’t have the personality of manager, but I am trying my best to handle management and learn on the go. Working with people is not easy, and in my case, it is essential to fit together team leadership and work on projects for clients.
What do you like about your job? Is there anything fun at all about SAP?
Yes, it is largely analytical work, searching for solutions, and it feels good to see the results in retrospect. At the IT company where I used to work, I missed programming as a consultant. Here in the SAP department, there is plenty of programming, so I’m content.
In general, I greatly admire women who – like yourself – are technically-minded and have excellent analytical skills , which I must admit are rather foreign to me… How did you get into IT? What was your professional journey?
Both of my parents are technically endowed, one of them actually studied MATFYZ (faculty of mathematics and physics), so the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. But my sisters have no technical talent at all. I originally wanted to study biology, but ended up attending “agricultural” university, majoring in zootechnics. That’s where I got into programming, which fascinated me. My very first job was devoted to IT, initially working as a tester, then moving on to programming, and finally working as a consultant.
How do you relax after work? I know you like wall climbing.
I love climbing, indoors, outdoors, vie ferrate, both in Czechia and abroad. My other favorite sport is skiing. I also like photography, especially nature, and I collect dolls and their stories. Actually, I’ve successfully combined both these hobbies – I create photo stories with dolls.
What could the genie in the bottle do for you, if he existed?
He could deliver more projects for SAP solutions and more time for personal development.