The journey from product inception to execution is like a line on a heart rate monitor — with all of its highs and lows.
The low moments of frustration, contention and setbacks are tolerated because of the high points: creative breakthroughs and technological advancement.
For Pax8 Product and Engineering Product Manager Miguela Chavez, “aha” moments are the “heartbeats of innovation,” an invigorating pulse that keeps dreams alive and tech professionals pushing through the rough patches.
“These moments happen when we immerse ourselves in the world of our users, listening intently to their pain points, needs and aspirations,” Chavez explained. “Throughout this process, we’ve realized that innovation is not a one-time event; it’s a continuous and dynamic journey.”
“Innovation is not a one-time event; it’s a continuous and dynamic journey.”
In product development, the beat is anything but steady. Sometimes, progress is made in rapid succession, while other times, crossing the finish line can be an endurance test.
During a hackathon, Senior Product Manager of Data Science Mark Michelman, demonstrated how quickly something can come together.
Within two days, Michelman and his product and engineering teams tackled a project to convert natural language into SQL queries. It started by recognizing an organizational need: “It was difficult to know where to find the source of truth for a given topic and that they lacked the skills and resources to analyze the data effectively.”
As the clock ticked, the team — a cross-functional crew of engineers, data scientists, PMs and DevOps professionals — took decisive action on which features to keep and which to scrap, the technologies to use to reach their goal, and how to address technical features like ensuring proper system access and environment setup.
The deadline rolled around, and the team demonstrated their proof of concept to an enthusiastic response.
“We had some great conversations after the final presentation, and one of my favorite suggestions was from the CTO, who said that the product had amazing potential to enable external stakeholders to visualize and analyze their own datasets more easily,” said Michelman.
From short-term events like hackathons to more extensive projects, Pax8’s innovation is evident across the board. Product Manager Michael Grant worked on Credit Notes, a significant undertaking with multinational reach and requirements that varied from place to place.
“As a company expanding into multiple global regions, building a product that complies with legal and customer expectations in all regions is difficult, particularly when it comes to financial documents,” explained Grant, who collaborated with the finance team to create and refine the product.
Grant’s experiences on this project and beyond reaffirmed a lesson anyone who brought a product to fruition can attest to: It takes a village. It’s always helpful when people with diverse skills, pertinent knowledge and can-do attitudes populate the village.
“I learned that collaboration requires effort from all stakeholders, and to build something truly great, it is a team effort,” said Grant.
“I learned that collaboration requires effort from all stakeholders, and to build something truly great, it is a team effort.”
Inspiration and creativity can’t thrive without collective investment. Grant says a willingness to consider feedback from anyone or anywhere is what truly sets Pax8 apart.
“At some of these huge companies, it’s impossible to push an idea forward due to internal barriers, even if that idea is an excellent one — at Pax8, we take feedback from all of our stakeholders and partners and strive to build something of quality that people actually want,” he said.
These product and engineering PMs spoke about how Pax8’s products blossom from its employee-focused company culture.
Constant Growth
Chavez sees professional growth and product development as similar processes. Each constant and iterative, they demand navigating obstacles, learning from failure and adapting to new circumstances.
“It’s taught me a lot about myself, how to better empathize and communicate, and to think of the pursuit of innovation as a constant,” said Chavez, reflecting on her professional journey. “I learned that innovation isn’t limited to groundbreaking ideas; it can also involve small, incremental improvements.”
Across Pax8, a strong company culture encourages idea-sharing, opens doors and provides a safety net for experimentation, she said.
“We understand that innovation often comes with risks, and we view setbacks as valuable learning experiences,” said Chavez.
Echoing this sentiment, Michelman said Pax8’s culture directly benefits not only one’s professional journey but also the quality of the products themselves.
“While the company is well-established, it is one of the only companies of its size that has achieved a good balance between processes that enable efficient, reproducible work while still empowering us to be agile and adapt our product designs as we learn new information,” Michelman explained.
“It is one of the only companies of its size that has achieved a balance between efficiency and agility.
By valuing the journey and the destination, Pax8 emboldens team members to create better products and unearth new professional possibilities.
“I have worked for many companies throughout my career, and I have never seen a friendlier, more collaborative or employee-focused culture than the one we have at Pax8,” said Michelman.
A Product of Its People
Pax8’s team members are its beating heart; the innovative products are just their byproducts.
Grant’s journey at the company spans roles and functions from sales, support, product manager and legal extern, and he said he’s grateful for these opportunities and the unhindered growth they’ve afforded him.
“Pax8 is emblematic of a company that stands up for its employees and fosters their growth,” said Grant. “In every department I’ve worked in here, I have been supported but not micromanaged.”
What impending innovations Pax8’s product managers and interconnected teams will produce in the future remains to be seen. These professionals have demonstrated what can spring from a two-day mad dash and the more time-intensive, large-scale projects.
Regardless of the when and the what of the company’s output, the who is clear. And they’re happy to be there.
“In general, I cannot say enough good things about Pax8 and the great people here who strive to make the channel a better place every day,” said Grant.
