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Situation/Task: I was working on a migration project which had lots of ambiguity and external dependencies. I was asked to meet a deadline which I could not commit to.

Action: I got time estimates from dependencies and built a burndown chart with developer time taken and added buffer for oncall/vacations. Got it reviewed by manager and director and estimated the number of devs it would take. We did not have enough devs so some features had to be moved below the line for the migration to be IA to teams, with other features as fast follow.

Result: I was able to meet the stripped down product deadline and not all teams were able to immediately use our product but on balance it was good.

During anonymous 360 employee survey as well as in all hands meeting, my team expressed concern regarding growing operation burden , on-call burden. The band to be reserved for operation load was 20%, in reality, 40% of team bandwidth was being consumed for KTLO activities.
This was indeed a serious concern and I wanted this to be addressed on immediate basis.
I worked with the managers in my team to come up with a plan on how to address in increasing burden. We operationalises the plan which consisted of following actions -
1. We invested some budget to get SRE team onboarded to take the load of production system caused issues
2. Identified recurring issues and started implementing automation
3. With a target of 5% reduction of operation you, short term projects were  started that directly fixes the issue causing components.

This having a focus on addressing the very valid teams input to better the execution, we had a very productive quarter which not only made our product better, but also increased engineer productivity and engagement.

One product I really love is Notion. Notion is an all-in-one workspace that blends note-taking, task management, database creation, and collaboration tools into a highly customizable interface. It’s versatile, powerful, and has become a go-to tool for both personal and professional organization.

What I Love About Notion:

• Flexibility: Notion’s modular structure allows users to create anything from simple notes to complex databases, all within the same workspace.

• Customization: You can tailor the interface to your specific needs, whether you’re managing a personal to-do list or a company-wide project.

• Collaboration: It supports seamless collaboration with features like shared workspaces, real-time editing, and integration with other tools.

• Unified Workspace: It consolidates various tools (notes, tasks, databases, etc.) into one platform, reducing the need to switch between multiple apps.

Improvements Without Limitations:

1. Advanced AI Integration:Personalized Suggestions: I would implement AI that understands user behavior and context, offering personalized suggestions for organizing content, automating repetitive tasks, and surfacing relevant information when needed.
   Smart Summarization: Introduce an AI-powered summarization feature that can condense long-form content into key points, making it easier to digest and reference large amounts of information.
   
   

2. Enhanced Collaboration Tools:Real-Time Co-Editing with Conflict Resolution: Upgrade the real-time collaboration feature with advanced conflict resolution, allowing multiple users to work on the same block of text or database entry simultaneously without overwriting each other’s changes.
   Video and Voice Chat Integration: Integrate native video and voice chat directly within Notion, allowing teams to discuss content without leaving the workspace.
   
   

3. Universal API and Integration Hub:Seamless Integration: Build an open API and a powerful integration hub that allows Notion to connect more deeply with a broader range of tools and services. This would enable users to pull in data from any source and automate complex workflows across platforms.
   Bi-Directional Sync: Ensure that integrations offer true bi-directional sync, so changes made in Notion reflect in other tools and vice versa, creating a seamless multi-tool ecosystem.
   
   

4. Advanced Data Analytics and Visualization:Customizable Dashboards: Add advanced data analytics capabilities, allowing users to create dynamic dashboards that visualize information from their databases in charts, graphs, and other formats.
   Automated Insights: Introduce automated insights that identify trends, anomalies, or opportunities within user data, helping teams make data-driven decisions directly within the app.
   
   

5. Offline Functionality:Full Offline Mode: Enhance offline capabilities so that users can access and edit all content without an internet connection, with changes automatically syncing when they go back online.
   Mobile Optimization: Improve the mobile app’s offline functionality, ensuring that it mirrors the desktop experience even without connectivity.
   
   

6. Enhanced Security Features:End-to-End Encryption: Implement end-to-end encryption for all user data, ensuring that content remains secure and private even when stored on Notion’s servers.
   Granular Access Control: Offer more granular access control options, including role-based permissions, time-limited access, and audit logs to track changes and access history.
   
   

7. Global Accessibility and Localization:Multilingual Support: Expand Notion’s language support and offer full localization for more languages, ensuring that users worldwide can access and use the platform in their native languages.
   Accessibility Enhancements: Improve accessibility features for users with disabilities, such as screen reader compatibility, voice commands, and customizable interface options for visually impaired users.
   
   

8. Creative Content Tools:In-App Design Tools: Integrate advanced design and content creation tools, such as a vector graphics editor or video editor, allowing users to create and embed rich media content directly within Notion without needing external apps.
   Template Marketplace: Expand the template library into a full-fledged marketplace where users can buy, sell, or share custom templates, scripts, and integrations, fostering a community-driven ecosystem.
   
   

Conclusion:

With these improvements, Notion could evolve from an excellent productivity tool into a truly unparalleled platform for personal and professional organization, collaboration, and innovation. These enhancements would make Notion even more indispensable, catering to a wider range of users and use cases while maintaining its core strengths.

I once led a restructuring initiative aimed at aligning resources with delivery accounts and redesigning KPIs. While the planning and communication strategy were solid, I overlooked whether our data platforms could support the new changes. Just before rollout, I discovered serious data integrity issues. This setback required a major clean-up effort across teams, but we corrected course by prioritizing platform readiness and enhancing our validation processes for future initiatives.

I was managing organization wide restructuring program where goal was to map all resources with their delivery accounts to keep a track of account’s PnL and manage capability as cost centre. We also intended to design KRA and KPIs for each individual level to make our Performance Assessment data driven and transparent. This was a big change at employee level at professional and emotional level too. It meant changes in their reporting structures, extra reporting and performance management by all managers, clear KPIs alignment and selection.

Planning Level: We identified all the major business account heads, capability and other function head and organized a communication platform to make them aware and comfortable with the changes. We undertook their inputs on pros and cons and some caution to be exercised

Execution Level: We started executing these changes with L0 level employees and moved up to leadership team. Along the way we encountered some risks and outlier conditions to be managed.

Communication Strategy: We worked with all business and functional heads on our communication strategy to reach out to all the employees. Head multiple events and workshops to discuss the changes.

Data Platform changes: Evaluated all the data platform changes required and planned a phased out approach to bring those changes in the system as well.

However, when we were about to reach closure of this program, I realized that I have made a big mistake of readiness of our existing platforms to support all the changes required and existing data integrity. It really took a toll on everyone involved to clear up data accuracy before the changes could be introduced.

First step is to generate an inspiring Job Requisition. I work with team members to review the requisition to ensure the team is aware of the requisition and understand that we have an opening so they might share with their network. I get the requisition approved and share with our corporate sourcers. Then I socialize the requisition with my network both internally and externally with linkedIn etc. When we get resumes I invite the team to participate in the interview loops even if its only shadowing to give them experience with interviewing.

During my tenure at Cisco, I participated in a project where I collaborated with a devops team and testing team to accomplish the resource allocation . At the end of the project, each intern received an evaluation from our direct supervisor. I was surprised to find that my performance rating was lower than I expected, given the contributions I felt I had made.

Task:I wanted to understand the basis for the rating and felt it was important to clarify any discrepancies between my self-assessment and the supervisor’s perception. My goal was to maintain a positive relationship while advocating for the work I had done.

Action:I requested a brief, one-on-one meeting with my supervisor. In that meeting, I calmly listened to their feedback to understand their perspective fully. Then, I shared specific examples of my contributions:

• How I had taken the lead on documenting the current resource allocation and new resource allocation based on my experience.

• My involvement in proper resource allocation resulted in 25% reduction of P1 issues due to resource allocation.

• The additional responsibilities I took on to get all resource approvals and helm script changes went unnoticed.

I also provided the documentation and metrics I’d been tracking to illustrate the impact of my work. By centering the conversation on factual evidence and outcomes, I was able to highlight aspects of my contribution that might have been overlooked initially.

Result:After reviewing these points, my supervisor acknowledged that some of my behind-the-scenes work wasn’t fully visible to them.  we agreed to have more frequent check-ins going forward. This experience taught me the value of proactive communication and documentation, ensuring that both my manager and I have a clear view of my responsibilities and achievements.