Please tell us about a time when you made a big mistake at work.

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Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I need to discuss a time when conflicts arose with the cross-functional security
team due to a mistake on my part. The security process usually takes two to
three months, depending on the project size. When starting a new project, we
initiate a conversation with the security team. We present our high-level
design, get approval, and then proceed with the low-level implementation. Once
our APIs are implemented in pre-production, we work with the team to get them
tested, which is the final step for security approval.

During the security review, we made an important decision that the security team
had concerns about. Although I was able to convince them of the benefits of our
decision, when we were later doing testing, they raised the same concern about
duplicating data without a paper trail to support our prior agreement.

Realizing my mistake, I immediately scheduled a meeting, discussed the past
trade-off points, and got the approval. To prevent similar issues in the future,
I created a framework for working with cross-functional teams. This framework
ensures that all agreements and sign-offs have a paper trail and email
confirmation from the relevant stakeholders. I also began recording meetings and
ensuring all important details are documented for clarity.

When working with the same cross-functional security team on my next project, I
followed this framework. As a result, everything went smoothly, and the security
manager appreciated the improved communication. Due to these improvements, we
completed the entire project a day ahead of schedule. Thank you.

Please tell us about a time when you made a big mistake at work.

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