Holly Martorana

6.15 AM

I get up early and head to the hot yoga studio around the corner a few days a week to ease myself in to the day.

8.00 AM

I get showered and dressed in to whatever I feel comfortable in. The work dress policy lets you be yourself – for me that’s business casual, I didn’t get a grad job to not show off my new clothes! For others that’s jeans and a t-shirt.

8.30 AM

I get in to the office and start going through my emails and checking my calendar, deciding how to prioritise my day. As a global company I get to communicate with people from all different time zones, so I usually hit the ground running and already have actions to follow up on.

9.30 AM

By now I’m all caught up and the office is getting quite full. Flexible working hours means people start their day when best suits them and their project team. I will usually take the chance now to grab a colleague and go for a stroll and a coffee, taking some time to catch up before we both turn our attention to work priorities.

10.30 AM

I’m back at my desk now getting my notes and feedback together prior to a number of daily meetings to ensure I am prepared and informed before participating.

10.45 AM

I now have a 15-minute daily catch up with the client for my project. The focus of this is user acceptance testing where they are involved in checking the functionality of the platform our developers have built. This is an important collaborative approach that ensures they are happy with what we have created for them and allows quick resolution of any possible issues that they find.

11.00 AM

It is now time for my daily stand up a call with my internal team. This helps us cover off 3 important questions: What are you working on today? What do you need help with? Is there anything blocking you from progressing?

This should only be 15 minutes, but once we get chatting there is no stopping so sometimes runs a little over.

11.30 AM

I turn my focus now to the items on the agenda for today. This varies depending on what point in the project we are at in that moment. In my job, there are three main different activities this could be:

• If we have only just started a new segment of the project, I will be focused on analysis activities. Having client meetings to understand their requirements, and translating those requirements into a format that our developers can use to build the platform with
• If we are part way through and analysis is completed, I am focusing on supporting the developers in building their code. Sitting with them so we can work together and ensure they have understood what I have written, allowing me to review progress in real time and make any adjustment we need.
• If we are at the end of the project, I am helping test the end result. Ensuring all of the bits of the puzzle work together, and that everything the client has asked for has been included.

At the moment we are part way through, so I am going between points 1 and 2!

12.30 PM

Its lunch time! Mostly I pack my lunch and eat it up in the open lunch space but will also meet a friend for lunch or go out with my colleagues at least once a week. Sometimes I go to the gym or head to a social netball game with the work team.

1.30 PM

I am back at my desk continuing the work items I have to do. With such a tight knit team I am given the freedom to prioritise my day as I see appropriate and trusted to complete what is assigned to me.

3.00 PM

Usually by now I have found an area or problem I haven’t encountered before that is stopping me from completely finalising whatever I am working on. Once I am sure I am progressed as far as I can, I will take some time to chat to my team and get some insight from a more senior colleague. I don’t usually go a day without learning something new, but I ask fewer questions as each day goes by.

3.30 PM

I will usually take a break around now, running an errand in the CBD or just finding someone to have a chat with before heading back to my desk to finish off my items now that I have the feedback I need.

4.00 PM

I’ll make an assessment at this point how late I want to stay at work. If I have a lot to get through, I make sure to add my name to a company-provided dinner order before the cut off time. I then pick back up where I left off, sending through requirements specifications to clients for sign off or possibly liaising with other departments that are involved in my project.

5.30 PM

Today I have been very productive and got everything I had wanted to get done completed. I make sure there is nothing outstanding that is due tomorrow, and I head off home!