We’re excited to introduce you to Darryl Smith, the newest member of the Filter family! Darryl recently joined us at the beginning of 2022, and it’s been great to see him get off to a flying start as the latest addition to our team.
In this article, Darryl tells us a bit about his background, his work, and how he’s settling into his new role here at Filter.
My role is firstly to understand the gap between where our clients are now with their technology and processes, and where they want to get to.
I then work with clients to articulate their requirements to our developers and partners, who will provide a solution that meets those needs.
In a nutshell, I help work out the best processes and technology for people to do their jobs.
After leaving the University of Sheffield with a History degree, I spent much of my twenties trying out different jobs.
I worked in law, education, and youth and community work, before happening upon a role as an IT Trainer for Tesco. That first job in IT was followed by a stint as IT Training Manager at the Tate Gallery.
My work naturally evolved into more business analysis-type activity, so I moved on to take up a number of contract Business Analyst roles. I enjoy the logical, problem-solving, and process-improvement aspects of the job.
I’ve actually worked with a few members of the Filter team before, both as a client and a colleague. I’ve always enjoyed a good rapport with them and been impressed with their work.
We stayed in touch, and when the opportunity arose to work for the agency it was an easy decision to make.
It’s both a relaxed and busy environment, working with several different clients on various projects. I’d say I’m most excited about the progressive web app we’re planning to build right now.
A desk, a laptop, a pot of coffee, and the cats spectating from the sofa!
The mapping of nutritional, allergen, menu, and site data from disparate sources into a format that could be exported for user-friendly display on websites and other media.
One of the biggest challenges was building existing data entry methods into the process, so that non-technical users could maintain the data with minimal disruption to their ways of working.
I’ll have to mention two, actually:
The first was a full re-design of a corporate website, from supplier selection to implementation, working with a small internal project team and a third-party digital agency.
This project was a first for me, in that I’d never worked on developing a website before. It gave me great insight into all areas of the business, and it was the first major customer-facing project I was involved in.
The other project was the transfer of paper-based recording of operational and statutory data on to a digital platform. The purpose of this was to streamline processes and reporting for the organisation, and again involved extensive data mapping.
On both projects, I enjoyed working with front-line employees to identify their blockers and frustrations. I also really enjoyed being able to deliver a means of helping them do their day-to-day jobs.
It’s a bit early to say yet, after only a few weeks. However, I’d say that having to stay on top of everything with a number of different clients has improved my notetaking, planning, and prioritisation skills.
This is an exciting time for us here at Filter. We’re growing fast, and are always on the look-out for bright candidates to come aboard and help us improve the service we provide for our clients.
For more insight into the types of projects and clients Darryl will be supporting in his new role, check out some of our most interesting client success stories in recent years.
