Name: Louise Hobson
University attended: University of Salford
Degree obtained: BSc Business Information Technology
Age: 23
Role: Graduate Technologist

A member of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Cutover team, Louise Hobson describes one of her most exciting weeks at HMRC.

Monday
I start the day by checking for any important e-mails. Currently, I’m working at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), as part of the project’s Cutover team. The objective of cutover is to configure the technical solution, load and reconcile required data, and validate that the solution is working properly.

This week is particularly critical on the project, as it is about Go Live. The morning begins with the regular team meeting where we discuss plans for the week, activities to be completed, and any issues that may affect the system going into production. After the meeting, I finalise the data-reconciliation process/forms, and ensure that all data files are signed off prior to being migrated.

Tuesday
After checking my e-mails, I ensure that all data files are signed off in preparation for today’s work, and then I head to the team meeting. Early in the morning, the Data Migration team begin migrating the data.
I spend most of the day monitoring this process, recording the data loaded and presenting information. The data-migration phase of the cutover goes well, as the process has already been practised in three dress rehearsals prior to the live cutover.

In the afternoon, I run a workshop with members of the project team who will assist the client tomorrow. Wednesday is really important, as it is the day the business will sign off that the data loaded into the new system reconciles with that in their legacy system. The workshop ensures that all project members understand the process and their role tomorrow.

Later in the day, I attend the Cutover Management meeting where I report the progress of the data loads, and provide an update on any issues. I enjoy these meetings as they give me the chance to demonstrate my communication, presentation ans problem-solving skills. In addition to giving me exposure at management level, my role shows the confidence my team have in me.

Wednesday
The team starts the day with a programme team meeting and breakfast. Today is Go Live and there is a definite buzz and slight tension in the office, as this is the day the team has worked tirelessly towards for almost a year.

Thursday
Today, I take on a new role supporting the
Go Live process. I discuss my new role and find out that I will be monitoring the system’s performance and usage. I look forward to taking on this role, as it will allow me to gain technical experience and actually use the system. My main responsibilities are to monitor the number of users accessing the system, the system response times and various transactions taking place. Then, I manipulate the statistics that I extract intoa visual format, so they can be presented at various Go Live support meetings. To end the day, the project team goes for drinks to celebrate a successful Go Live!

Friday
I get straight on with my new role. I ensure that all my work is complete, and that all information is prepared for the meetings before leaving at around 2pm. Then, it’s a mad race across London to jump on train with only minutes to spare, and head home. I arrive home around 6.30pm, ending my first Go Live experience and a very successful week.