Employee Stories – Anju Panickar

This month we talked to Anju Panickar from Pune, India, who is based in our ESS offices. Here’s what she had to say about working with ParentPay Group.

What is your name and job title?

I am Anju Panickar Product Owner for Next-Gen Insights Team

How long have you worked with us?

It’s been 11 months since I joined ParentPay Group. Being a Product Owner, I am responsible for various Agile practices like Product Roadmap creation and maintenance, Product Backlog handling, Story refinement, User Journey, User interaction especially with MAT Data Managers etc, Iteration Planning, Team Huddles etc

How would you summarize what you do?

I have worked on SIMS 8 and I’m currently working on the SIMS Next Gen Product-Insights Project. Our motto is to provide precise and significant data to Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and Schools, which in turn will allow the pupil to attain their full potential. The best part of working on these projects is the realization that we are making the lives of teachers, students and school officials easier on a day-to-day basis. My daily activities include participating in all the Agile ceremonies like daily scrums, team huddles, story kick offs, desk checks, along with self-learning and research.

How does your current job compare with previous jobs you’ve had? 

I previously worked with a FinTech/Payment industry as a PO and the prominent difference I found working at ParentPay Group is mature, extensive, and effective usage of Agile practices. Also, we are exposed to the most cutting-edge technologies and techniques like Azure, Mural etc.

What makes you enjoy working at ParentPay Group?

The work culture at ParentPay Group allows us as individuals to put forth our own thoughts and suggestions, providing the needed exposure to help us to grow our skillsets – not just on the professional front, there are also other regular personal development activities such as personal financial management sessions, health advisory sessions, and there is also a Care Bear group which listens to and helps with any general employee concerns. Unlike most organizations, there are multiple forums that promote multi-team coordination, discussion, and the exchange of best practices.  Another key attraction for me is how the work life balance is respected as an organization.