digital product owner Review

I am a mobile app product owner. My role includes delivering new projects or optimizing existing ones, by capturing requirements, writing user stories to add to the backlog, prioritizing the work and being responsible for the end product delivered. At the same time I am looking after KPIs and ways to improve our app penetration.

Through my apprenticeship I have learned a lot of new skills and improved existing ones. I have learned how to complete tasks using python and SQL, how to solve problems using statistics and a number of different algorithms and how to present my results to the team in an impactful way.

I love the programme, I have learned so much since it started and I have always felt I have more than enough resources to do my work. I only wish I had more time to work on it as I feel the more work you put into it the more you gain.

I believe the programme is very well organised. It is broken down in sections that make sense and that after finishing them you have a good idea fo what you can do. Every section is followed by a hackathon and a project, to help you solidify any new skills learnt.

My employer fully supports me during this time. I have often been asked to present back to the team as they are all interested in the new things I'm learning and how could these be applied in our roles. I have also had time off as agreed, in order to attend workshops and hackathons.

Decoded has been excellent in terms of support. Anytime I am struggling with an exercise or a project my mentor is always there to help me and he is more than happy to take the time to explain things in depth. We also have support when facing personal issues and they have always been very understanding.

I think being able to work with data and get some quick insights is crucial to my role. It make it much easier to back up an idea or to support the funding of a project. What we learn though is not just how to work with data but also how to present them in a way that is easy to understand, which I think is equally important.

Unfortunately due to covid having already started when I joined the programme, it hasn't been as easy to do a lot in terms of social events or sports. We do however have a virtual social team where we discuss our projects and how we're finding the course so far.

Yes

Because Vodafone is a good employer in terms of equality and work culture. Also for me being able to do this apprenticeship through my role is an amazing thing. I always wanted to practice my data analytics skills more and being able to apply it to real problems makes it much more interesting.

To be open to trying new things even if it looks they might not be that relevant to your role. You will learn something new and exciting and make new friends in the process, exchange ideas and feel part of a wider team. Also make sure your team understands the value of the course you are doing and are willing to give you the time you need to complete it.