I joined McKinsey nearly 13 years ago, after working at another organization for a couple of years. When a recruiter contacted me, I hadn’t heard of the firm, but I went through the interview process and decided to join thanks to my friends.
To me, word of mouth is the most reliable source of information. I spoke with a colleague in IT who told me about work the firm was doing in application development for 15,000 internal users. It excited me, so I joined as a bug-fixing IT support team member.
Making the transition to product management
When I joined the firm, application development was for internal users only. We had a team in India doing that work. In 2010, I applied for that team. Beforehand, I spoke with several leaders, and we decided I would best fit the role of product owner. Though I didn’t have all the necessary certifications, they went out of their way to provide me with the opportunity because they saw my will to learn. I earned the requirements and learned on the job. By 2013, we were doing such great work internally, we got the green light to expand our work to client engagements.
Building solutions that accelerate product development
Now, I focus on developing McKinsey IP solutions that can be replicated across clients, often offered on a subscription basis. First, I work with the client service team on an engagement to understand the digital aspects needed to support the client’s transformation. For example, a client might be moving from their old banking architecture to an entirely digital banking system they’re building from scratch. I work with the clients to conduct concept or design sprints, during which we investigate the problem and propose a solution.
Beyond that, I find patterns that can be codified and turned into firm assets. Then, I work with a team to develop preselected components, so the next time we need to build something , we can use them, accelerating the build. My goal is to have each component used 20+ times.
Making an impact on the bottom line and peoples’ lives
One of my most memorable projects was with a telecom in Manila. Before we stepped in, the sales team would wake up, battle the infamous Manila traffic to go to the office, reference a list of retailers on a wall to determine their site visits, and write notes about where they needed to travel. At the end of the day, they would trek back to the office, which could take up to two hours, to again reconcile their activities. They wouldn’t make it home until 11:00 pm.
With our solution, the salespeople could access a map of retailers on their mobile phones. They could digitally determine the best route to reach their list of 50 stores and capture sales on their phones.
The solution provided better tracking and reporting for the organization and boosted the sales team’s efficiency, resulting in an increase in overall sales. What was even more meaningful to me was the impact the solution had on the salespeople’s lives. They could make more money because they had more touchpoints with retailers and enjoy a better quality of life because they didn’t spend so much time traveling to and from the office.
Autonomy at McKinsey
One year I was developing custom products for clients. The next, I was creating solutions to take to multiple clients. The firm supported me in both journeys.
McKinsey spends tons of energy recruiting the best people and then grants us the autonomy, freedom, and confidence to shape our own McKinsey.
More about Jyoti
Jyoti is involved with Access McKinsey, the Firm’s network for colleagues with disabilities. You can read more about him here.
When he isn’t spending time with his wife and six-year-old son, he loves to run at the lake behind his house. He is a big fan of cricket. He likes to sing and play music and has even performed during McKinsey events.
For more information on McKinsey's software engineering career paths, visit mckinsey.com/TechCareers.