Introducing: Romano van Leeuwen

In several interviews with employees, we would like to introduce Focus Enterprise Solutions to you. This time an interview with Romano van Leeuwen, Project Manager.

Who are you?

Romano van Leeuwen. Born and raised in Delft. After my studies (2016), and after having worked around the world for a period of about 5 years, I met a Canadian lady (Prince Rupert, Canada, near Alaska), with whom I am now “settled” in the Netherlands, in Nieuwegein. Got engaged for 2 years, and we get married on June 7, 2022 (!). As a native of Delft, I can say that this city (Nieuwegein) is not the most representative of typical Dutch architecture, but we hope to change that soon (move…)!

What is your position?

I am a Project Manager. I’ve grown towards this position quite organically. At a previous employer I started as a purchaser. There I was involved in the implementation of a new ERP system. At Broad Horizon Solutions I started as a consultant but I grew to Project Manager. Now at Focus Enterprise Solutions I am also Project Manager and I am mainly concerned with keeping the project team running as good as possible, managed by the budget and the planning. I am therefore also ultimately responsible for the project result. In addition, I identify possible shortcomings in the project and it is up to me to solve this as quickly and adequately as possible. As a Project Manager, I am also the link between the project team of the executor, the project team of the client, and the internal ‘stakeholders’, who usually are represented in the steering committee of the project.

To ensure that you are not behind in terms of knowledge, there are many opportunities to complete training courses. Of course, everyone’s situation is different, and this must be coordinated with the responsible manager. For example, I

What does an average working day look like?

That depends on whether I work from home or on location, with the customer. Working from home is excellent, but as with everything, this has its pros and cons. Fortunately, our working environment, and also the customers, are often very flexible in this. Depending on your position, after coordination, any division of working from home or working on location is negotiable. My average working day looks like this:

Working from home (3 days a week)
07:30 – Wake up, short shower and a short walk for the circulatory system!
08:15 – Small breakfast + cup of coffee + the news
09:00 – Start first meetings, mainly stand-ups of different projects about the completed tasks of the previous days,  what the focus is on today, and what limits team member in doing the job. Followed by processing action points from stand-ups, solving limiting factors or make a start for that.
12:00 – Lunch + short walk for the circulatory system!
13:00 – Free to fill in; usually there is enough work we discussed in the morning (like ‘ad-hoc’ meetings, working on cases, etc.)
15:15 – Project management meeting with customer
16:30 – Free time
17:00 – 17:30 Status update development activities North + South America (international customer). This side of the world has just started the day.

If I work on location (2 days a week) then the start of my day is slightly different. I skip the morning walk and instead have my travel time (max 30 minutes). And when I’m on location, I first make time for some corridor chats before I open my laptop. After that, I follow the schedule as I do from home.

There is probably also something not nice about your work; how do you deal with that?

Things that do not go as planned is a major allergy of most Project Managers. If things don’t go as you expected and/or planned, be proactive about this and put a positive spin on it. If you adopt this attitude, you automatically take the people around you into the same way of thinking. Above all, do not see change as a setback, and work towards solutions.

Why shoudl you join Focus Enterprise Solutions? Nice colleagues, a lot of control and you listened to.

How do you ensure that your knowledge stays up to date?

To ensure that you are not behind in terms of knowledge, there are many opportunities to complete training courses. Of course, everyone’s situation is different, and this must be coordinated with the responsible manager. For example, I am currently working on the Prince 2 certification process, and in addition, I have completely dived into the world of ‘Scrum’ working.

Why should you join Focus Enterprise Solutions?

Nice colleagues, a lot of control and you are listened to. We can decide and undertake a lot of things with our small club, including various company events and get-togethers. We have also been given a large amount of autonomy compared to the situation before, which allows us to be more decisive in the implementation of our strategy.

Where do you think we will be as a company in 5 years?

A young, smooth organization that continuously demonstrates that it really belongs to and understands the customer, where an extremely high priority is given to the ‘happy’ of the employees.

After reading the interview, did you become enthusiastic about working at Focus Enterprise Solutions? We are looking for new colleagues! Click here for an overview of all vacancies (dutch only).

This interview is part of the series ‘Introducing’. We regularly post new interviews with colleagues:
Introducing: Andre Snijder, CEO
Introducing: Tjitse Jousma, Business Development Manager
Introducing: Paul de Bruijn, Consultant