I’m thrilled to join the BigChange team as the new Product manager and kick off a series of monthly updates from the product team.
In this series, we look at what we are working on, why we are developing these areas, and most importantly, how you, our customers, can get involved in shaping the future of the BigChange platform.
I started as a Senior Product Manager at BigChange almost two months ago, and after spending 15 years in Education Technology (EdTech), transitioning to a new industry was a big move for me.
I will share a bit about the career journey that brought me here and then discuss some of the exciting platform changes I've worked on over the last few months.
If you have any questions or comments, contact me on LinkedIn, or email melissa.adey@bigchange.com.
So, let's dive in…
What I'm Working On
At BigChange, my first focus is delivering a new way for our customers to integrate their BigChange data with their other systems using REST APIs. It's a project that aligns perfectly with my experience. The potential impact of this integration on our customers' operations is immense, and I'm pleased to be part of a team dedicated to delivering such transformative capabilities.
Our new way to integrate aims to enable our customers to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their business. It does that by making it easier for them to connect their BigChange data with other software they use.
There are so many ways that connecting information can improve a business's flow. A simple example might be adding or removing employees in an HR system. They could use APIs to update resources in BigChange automatically. That example means they don’t have to enter data into multiple systems, and they can start to schedule work more quickly and accurately because BigChange has up-to-date info about resources.
Creating Rest API helps our users do all of this because it’s a modern standard way to move data between systems, so it is more compatible with the other software they might be using. IT professionals can also understand our technical documentation and get started without needing to be a BigChange expert. If you are a user of BigChange and are either interested in integrations or you've ever thought, 'I wish that data in BigChange could updated in X other system', then I'd love to speak to you and hear your thoughts. We’ve not yet released this, but we are looking for early adopters, so please get in touch. You can also preview our growing technical documentation here: https://developers.bigchange.com/docs/rest/api-reference.
Before BigChange
My career began in software for Community Healthcare, which, unbelievably, has many similarities to field services. I then had a stint working with a Swiss web start-up, who went on to do some fantastic things in the following decade. Later, I moved to EdTech, spending over a decade as a consultant before transitioning into Product Management.
I worked with diverse customers, from small specialist institutions to major global universities. This role took me across three continents, immersing myself in different cultures. Looking back, I gained invaluable lessons that shaped me into the product manager I am today.
Some stages of my career have been more hands-on, while others focused on leadership. I once managed a global team, and more recently, I oversaw a group of talented product owners tackling diverse challenges at major universities. In my latest role, we developed a new product with cutting-edge architecture, a refreshing change from other projects. I relished this challenge and found diving into the modern SaaS space was exhilarating.
A ‘Big Change’…
Despite enjoying EdTech and being proud of our impact, I felt it was time to explore a new sector that would allow me to tackle new problems and challenges. This brought me to BigChange. From my first conversation, I sensed something special. Since starting, I've encountered friendly, motivated people who focus on delivering the best value to our customers.
Looking Forward
The field services sector offers many opportunities and challenges I’m eager to explore with a growing, customer-focused company. The support and collaboration at BigChange have been incredible. I look forward to using my skills and experiences to drive innovation and deliver exceptional products to our customers.
