Onboarding - Project onboarding was nonexistent and unorganized. Onboarding consistent of typical HR tasks then jumping straight into a project stand up without much explanation. There was high pressure from management to push code quickly, and as soon as possible (my first push to production was day 3) — which is a reoccurring theme throughout and across projects and management.
Management & Leadership - Skyward’s leadership and management are equivalent to an early-stage startup with low-maturity product teams, with all the “growing pains” associated with it. There is a significant disconnect between leadership vision and management decision-making, resulting in no unified company direction. Problems are approached with a “wait and assess” mindset, allowing problems to fester until they impact the bottom line and have to be confronted. A few projects have no project/product manager, resulting in aimless/meandering product development cycles without clear goals and timelines.
Culture - There can sometimes be a “That is above my pay grade” and “It’s not my problem” mindset. Resulting in a lack of urgency.
Transparency - Transparency with leadership decision-making, communication, and overall company health has declined significantly. Layoffs occurred without notice or explanation.
