Mila Gyurova: The upgrades in our retail projects are aimed at customer comfort

“I find my job very exciting as I have been involved in diverse projects.”

Mila Gyurova, Solution Architect at Intelligent Systems

Would you please introduce yourself?

– My name is Mila Gyurova. I work as a Solution Architect at Intelligent Systems and have been part of the team for more than 16 years. 

What does your daily work look like?

– My work is very exciting and dynamic. Usually, I have several meetings with colleagues or clients. We are discussing the progress of our projects and planning the upcoming activities. We openly review various issues with colleagues and how to optimize a given process so that it is implemented in the best possible way. I often participate in training both as a learner and as a teacher. 

What are some of the most challenging aspects you encounter in a project?

– TIME management! Time is a challenge every day. I am constantly occupied with many tasks, which I find great because I never get bored. Nevertheless, occasionally in our job, you have to do your best within a very short time to satisfy the client with the end result. 

Can you outline some best practices a customer can exercise during the implementation of a project?

– The client must be motivated and open to change. The implementation of a new system is followed by the optimization of many business processes to provide a lot of beneficial practices to the company. To be happy with the outcome, the client must invest the required amount of time and workforce.

Conversely, can you share some of the most common projects risks a customer should be aware of?

– Every project has several phases that are interrelated and equally important. Underestimating one of the phases can put the project at risk. The client should form a team from his side that will be responsible for the implementation of the new software. If there are staff changes or the people are not dedicated enough throughout each implementation stage, there would be a significant risk for the project. It is crucial that the client and the implementation team communicate effectively with each other.

What were some of the most appealing (and unusual) requirements you had to fulfill for a customer in a project?

– Every client and every project are unique because they have different business process requirements. This is what I like most about my job. Retail is very dynamic and developing at a fast pace. Requirements that once seemed exotic are now part of the core processes. Maybe some of the last noteworthy developments were the self-check machines and a kitchen display system for Samex and their KFC fast food outlets. Moreover, the upgrades were not only aimed at improving business management but further developing retail operations in the direction of customer comfort – from taking orders to quickly processing and preparing the food.

Can you share a great moment or a funny story you experienced during an implementation project with a customer?

– Every deployment has its fun moments. Here is one of my favorites. During one of the project implementations, the team was working overseas. A day prior to the go-live, an odd problem happened with one of the servers – the machine stopped working at night preventing certain automatic processes from being completed successfully for several days. Colleagues looked for errors in the logs and did various tests, but they could not find out why the machine stopped working. They decided to stay awake at night to watch the processes on the server. Surprisingly, when the machine normally stopped working, a house cleaner came and pulled out the plug of the server to turn on the vacuum cleaner because of the lack of a free socket. Funny story, once again proving that a failure can come out of the blue.

What advice would you give to companies still underestimating а full digitization of processes?

– I would tell them that this is not the future anymore but the present and something that is already mandatory. Every business and every company must constantly develop and keep up with the current trends and technologies to be competitive.