Team Summary

Change management’s primary function is transitioning new initiatives from development into operations. Our team evaluates every deployment request that comes into the queue as well as the status of the production environment.  Based on these factors, the change team decides what the optimal process is for the deployment of code to production in order to minimize the impact of change-related incidents upon service quality. And all this happens VERY fast! In 2016 alone we completed more than 3,200 releases (an average of 60+ releases per week). Because Enova follows the concept of “release when ready” we have to make sure we’re both fast and compliant. 

The change management team also owns the ITCC (IT Change Control) process and coaches the IT teams on how to evaluate risk, communicate and get approvals for their changes.

We standardize methods and procedures for efficient and prompt handling of all the changes. Given the velocity at which our environments change we focus on finding the appropriate balance between agility, flexibility and control. 

Change management is also the team that balances how compliance and technology interact, supporting and leading all the technology related requests from auditors, and making sure our processes and policies are in line with their expectations. 

Why does Change Management exist?

Change Management is all about risk mitigation. It emerges from the need to mitigate the risk of undesired change-related incidents to production. This is achieved by centralizing the change process through a team that controls deployments, defines standards and good practices, and coaches teams willing to introduce changes to the production environment.

Technology Summary

Jira

Software Engineering and IT changes are managed using Jira queues.  Any eligible request for change should come through one of these queues, and the Jira workflow is often used as evidence for our auditors.

Jenkins

Automation tool that triggers the deployment script and allows us to build our deployment packets to production.

What Drive Us

We are constantly seeking to automate or eliminate manual work. Why?

1. Reduces the chances for errors – Auditors love it!
2. Makes the deployment process faster – Engineers love it!

Team Members

Name: Nick Turner

Nationality: British

Role: Senior Change Engineer

Who I am: I run a lot. I ran the Chicago Marathon last year and hope to do it again (maybe next year) although I prefer running 5 and 10Ks as I don’t have the attention span for longer races. I also play football (soccer) to a very low standard, but I don’t currently have a team so I spend more time watching than playing at the moment.

Background: I received my bachelors degree in Maths with Economics from the University of East Anglia. After graduating I worked for a few years at a car insurance company in England where I focussed on business systems. Around four years ago, I moved to Chicago with my wife and ended up here at Enova.

Name: Isaac Bayon

Nationality: American

Role: Change Management Lead

Who I am: I love to read!  My goal for the last few years has been to read 50 books a year.  I’ve met that goal two years in a row so it’s time to up my game.  In addition to reading I dedicate a lot of time to my daughter.  As a family we enjoy traveling, gardening (not easy in Chicago..), swimming, fishing, and hiking.

Background: I’ve lived in Chicago my entire life.  I attended DePaul University for a few years, but due to unforeseen circumstances I switched gears and earned an IT degree from the University of Phoenix. I landed a job in the banking industry while in school and made that a career for many years.  I’ve worn a lot of hats during my professional career but most of it has been within the Technical Operations umbrella.

Name: Ana Lebron

Nationality: Spaniard

Role: Change Management Manager

Who I am: My real passion is to spend time with my family (hiking, walking to a coffee shop or just going to the park with my daughter). I keep Spain and its culture very close to my heart, so I travel there every time I can.  While I am in Chicago, I love playing volleyball and summer is the best time for me to setup a court at the beach and spend the day playing. I also enjoy dancing and (like a good Spaniard) flamenco is my favorite. Oh! And I recently started kick-boxing (so do not mess with me ☺).

Background: I studied telecommunication engineer in Madrid and completed a Master of Science in Information Technology in Stuttgart (Germany). After my studies I started work in a field I am very passionate about, the aerospace and aeronautical industry. I worked with a team that built the software for the Eurocopter Tiger and A400M military transport aircraft. Then I decided to come to the US to do an MBA and specialized in project management and operations, and that is how I landed at Enova.