How technical projects are managed from Mexico

Foreign. Welcome everyone to another episode of the Nearshore Cafe podcast. I'm Brian Sampson, your host, an entrepreneur who works and does business in Latin America. Today I'm very excited about our guest, Mario Corchado. Mario is going to talk to us a lot about leadership, technical leadership from Latin America, working across cultures borders. A lot of great stuff, a lot of great learnings to come. Before I bring Mario on, just want to give a thanks to our sponsor, Plug Technologies. Plugg. The plug is a great way to find talent all across Latin america for growing U.S. companies. Mario, welcome. Great to have you on the show.

Thank you for having me, Brian. It's always a pleasure, Mario.

We're going to have, we're going to have a lot of fun today. And as I mentioned in the intro, technical leadership is something that I think we're going to have some great discussion around. Just for those that don't know yet, haven't had a chance to meet you yet. Just give us a little sense on what you're doing today, like where is your career right now and then we'll talk about the journey in a moment.

Sure, definitely. Well, currently I'm working with Plugin Technologies as a team leader. As a Salesforce team leader, this is the second time that I have in my career the opportunity to be part of a team and leading it. So yeah, that's, that's where I'm standing at.

Excellent. And you're, you're based in Mexico City?

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, Mexico City.

Cool. So the world has changed a lot in the last couple years. Covid really created, you know, remote, pushed harder into nearshore, you know, teams on the same time zone. Where's the rest of your team today?

Well, the rest of my team pretty much is. I mean, most of them are in the part of Mexico City and the rest of the team is in the United States and Florida. That's where we're standing right now. We have a couple of fellows that are in India, but yeah, I'm very. Just like going a little bit into that part as well.

Yeah. Interesting. And can you give a little context? Are they all. So you're focused on Salesforce today or are they all Salesforce developers? Who's in the U.S. we don't have to give names, but like the type of work that's being done in the US the type of work that's being done in Mexico.

Sure, yeah, definitely. Our client, it's in the vertical of the healthcare and being in that industry of healthcare, I mean, there's a lot of urgency because we have patience. It's something a little bit more delicate to just have a client and you know all, basically all the vocabulary that we're handling with the client, it's patients itself. So that's something very important. And we're enabling the team, we're enabling our client to have different functionality in Salesforce at all levels, front, back end. And of course we are always helping them in the sense of processes, you know, how to get acquainted with new processes or how to improve new processes. They have what they want to implement given the best practices of Salesforce and giving them the best and out of box products that we are, we're constructing for them. So that's, that's basically what are we doing when and where a little bit of located in what industry? So that, that would be it.

Yeah. And about how many team members are you working closely with in the States and about how many are in Mexico?

Well, it's about, here in Mexico it's about, it's about five people that we're working and in the States we're working a large team of. Well it's, I think it's two, two more, three more developers. I think it's another three QAs, you know, the, the scrum master and the two architects. That's, that's how it is.

Okay, got it. Yeah. I was just going to ask about maybe the hierarchies because there's so many different ways to do this in tech and you've got agile environments. I think you said there was a Scrum Master on the team. You mentioned architects. Are there project managers and business analysts or is that something kind of shared by others?

Yes, definitely. We have business analysts and the product owners. Sometimes. Yeah, we have that. We do have a manager which is the engineering manager and he's as well located in Florida with the team there.

Okay, great. And help me understand a little bit at like just how work gets done. Like are you guys doing daily standups and how are you dividing things up? How often are you meeting? That would be a great start.

Definitely. Yes. There's a very close communication with the client. Of course every day we have a stand up and we have the current meetings that are part of this ceremonies and all that stuff because they have a full implementation of the Scrum Agile methodology. And on our end we are doing the same meetings where we're doing a stand up that is for the teams here in Mexico every day just before we jump into the standup meeting for the client, we just, we're just aligning the whole Team, what's going to happen, what is happening? Whatever is working, what I'm going to be working. We need blockers. Yes. How we're going to be handling this and yeah, then we can jump with the client. We're ready to jump with the client. So every time there's a presence and everybody has to be there for both meetings and the rest of the meetings, of course they're going to be involved in case we have different stories here and there. The work itself, it works. How they're pitching into the stories or how they're pitching the work that we have, we have a backlog, stand up, planning meetings, that's how the work is coming in. And by the time that we are getting the work, we're getting the story. Sometimes I'm taking all the stories and I start distributing it depending on what are the skills or every each one of the members of the team. So yeah, that's a little bit hard on that.

Just you personally, have you worked in like an Agile SCRUM environment for a long time or how has your career gone?

Yes, actually that started like six years ago or so. A little bit more about that because I was, you know, waterfall was, you know, the thing just years before, but now it's Agile and it first started with Scrumban and well, it started evolving into what we have right now with Scrum Agile and well, how it merged with the different methodologies.

So Mario, the leadership part is something that I'm quite interested in and you know, what, what's communicated up, what's communicated down, what's communicated across and with you kind of being like the glue in all this and a lot of roads lead through, Mario.

Exactly.

Can you talk a little bit more through that? Like how information is moved throughout and in your role and all that.

There's certain meetings that the rest of team, they're not going to be there because they're going to be working their hands on completely, fully and the retrospective, all the grooming of the stories, I'm part of them. So I have, and I have the knowledge, I have the handicap knowledge that it's going to be bringing the team into their feed by the time that they're getting the stories or the work that they're going to be working. So that's the first part in the sense of the work that we're going to be having. So once we have the stories on the sprint, the current sprint, I'm going to be, you know, getting in with every, each one of the members and see, okay, this is your Story. This is what it's about on the grooming or in the retrospective, when we reviewing the stories and the meetings, they tell me all the details of how this is going to be working, how does it work, where does it come in, what's the importance of every niche, one of the details that it's going to be moving parts of the story. So my, basically my job here is getting one or two steps ahead of them. Animation of the stories of what's going to be happening, what is coming in as well to have that visibility. And well, that's, that's, that's how I react on the sense of work and stories are coming in with the team and how to coach them and how and what information they need. And I mean there's got to be some questions, of course, and that's why we're going to be compiling that question, see if we can solve them. And in our team first, if someone has any, you know, background on that. If not, then we're going to be asking the client, hey, you know something, we have to clarify all this, certain pointers here so we can continue and you know, have the stories been delivered and completed on time?

That's a really great point you brought up. And it made me think about leadership and in delivering the, just the right amount of information for the team because sometimes you can overload them and overwhelm and other times there's just not enough and it really inhibits them. So there's there's kind of a skill set in leadership of delivering just the right information and context at the right time for the right person.

Exactly. Yeah. I mean it's, I mean they will have a lot of stories, right? And it doesn't make sense to them to be in that meetings and exposing them to all this information because they bring a lot of requirements and everything. Sometimes the stories are not ready. So that's something that I'm going to be just like as well, raising my hands, like, hey, the story just have this detail here and we need more details. So that brings a little bit of noise to the team if I get it, if I let it through. So I'm not going to be doing that. I'm just going to be like pausing that, talking with the client, hey, we need this and that in this story so we can start working. And if we can contact someone or we have a point of contact or a business analyst, I don't know, pro owner and manager that we can contact and we can get the context of the stories, that will be something that I'm going to be jumping in saying, okay, then this is ready, we can work on this. So yeah, it's a hand on hand effort there by the client and our end as well.

That's awesome. And how about some of the technologies needed just to run communication? Like is this, are you guys on Slack or Jira or other tools? And, and maybe what you're using for communication with your team in Mexico versus how you're receiving information from the states.

Right. I mean everything runs through jira. I mean that's the main tool because that's where all the details and questions and pointers and everything that the client wants us to do with that specific work, it's coming through Jira. We have, if we have to go into a meeting or something that we use teams directly. So we're shooting meeting requests every now and then here and there so we can get acquainted with what needs to be done or if we have to clarify something or we have to do things differently, that's something as well.

Yeah. For companies that are maybe new to nearshoring, sometimes language is the first thing that they worry about. Like, is my message going to be received? Is the team fluent in English? Can you shed some light on that, like how that might work or how much of a factor that is?

Actually, it is a factor since the very, I mean, just right off the bat saying that when you are hiring people or you're trying to interview someone who, you know that he has the skills for this platform, which is software as a service, which is Salesforce, and you have to go through that part of evaluating them in the sense of, okay, what's your level of English? I mean, you can communicate professionally and technically that's the second factor you have to be considering. Yes. I mean, there's some certain challenge there, but once they're, I mean, on board, there's no problem. And there's a lot of people that in Mexico City and in Mexico, all around that, I mean, they, they do handle the language itself. So it's, I'll say it's not a language barrier. I'll say it's just a matter of practice. So when we're getting warning over here, it's something that they will learn just, you know, in a more organical way. So it's not a challenge. They do require a certain level so we can get them acquainted so we can get forward, but it's not a challenge.

Yeah, that's great. That's great. Kind of forget about borders for a second. Let's talk about great Teams. When you think about some of the best teams that you've been a part of or you've led, can you talk about them like, what were some of the attributes that they had? You know, what, what makes a great team?

What makes a great team is different knowledge in different areas of it, depending on the background. Sometimes we have people that just went out of college and you're training them, so they're going to be learning a lot about you and you can learn a lot about them because they have really fresh information as well from college. But the diversity of ideas and the diversity of how every and each one of the elements of the team are going to be or can tackle a problem, that's, I mean, that's, you know, the juice of having different people working in your team. So the diversity of that ideas and of getting people from different, you know, they bring working, I don't know, maybe in healthcare they've been working on retailing or they've been working in different ways. That gives you another set of fresh eyes for every in each one of your team members that you have in your team. So that's one of the elements. I think it's the best thing. And I mean, I can identify every and each one of them. And the best teams are just about that. Everybody pitching in and trying to solve problems together. Communication is one of the factors, I think that is going to be involving this and yeah, I mean, that makes a happy project and it makes a happy team as well. Collaboration and friendly.

Love it. And how about engineers in particular? What do you think makes or what separates like a great engineer from an average engineer?

It's, it's, you know, it's, it's like art, you know, it's like, it's like, you know, there's gonna be always someone who can, you know, jam and, you know, bring you this amazing solo and everything. But he's not jamming with team, right? I mean, by the time that they're not jamming with the team, we are not making a song, we are just making a solo introduction to something. So an engineer, it's sometimes it's like they're very jealous of their knowledge because they have been through a lot, you know, lots of nights and lots of books and lots of documentation. And it's just part of how they have to engage with the team and how they can become one of the pinnacles of their team as well. And that makes a good team in the sense. And for the eyes of the client as well. The key there is to make Them part of it without forcing them. So it's just a part of being a little bit shy, a little bit. And the part of their personality, most of them. But I mean it's people that it's willing always to help. So engineers are, we cannot live without them and we can definitely go ahead working with them without a problem.

Yeah. Love it. I wanted to talk about the cross border again for a second and if you could shed some light on what do you think is the same and what do you think is different? Like when you're working maybe just with a team in Mexico or Latin America and when you're working with a team in the States, like what's different? What's the same? Could you share more about that?

The first thing that comes to my mind is it's about rhythm of work. The quality that the client expects, the expectations of the client and of course that you have to continue working with that expectations. I think that's the two things that you, we have to consider there. In my experience, working in a team in Mexico City is, you know, it goes a little bit into a part of our culture. It's, you know, it's a little bit more relaxed and everything. And when we are working with a client in the United States, it's. We have to adopt their cultural work. We have to adapt to their, to the rhythm, to their quality. Because it's not the same. Of course it's not the same. We understand that. And by the time that we are working with someone, it's in a different country and you're delivering product in a different country. That has to be in your mind all the time. It's an awareness of it's not the same thing. And we have to cover all the clients expectation being that our priority one.

Working within nearshore seen a lot of maybe common misconceptions. Right. And you know, sometimes I think it's forgotten that Mexico City is a giant, bustling, energetic city. So even when we use the word relaxed, we don't want people to think like, oh, you know, between after they have a big lunch and a siesta and you know, you won't, you won't hear from somebody for a couple hours. Maybe, maybe you can talk about that and any other maybe misconceptions people might have about working with, with teams in Mexico or Mexico City.

Right. I mean working with teams in Mexico City is, it's, I don't want to say it's just like the same, like working with people in the United States or you know, on site it's not going to be the same. There's going to be different of cultures. Yes. There's going to be a little bit of cultural impact as well, because we express things in a different way. I'll say that's just the thing. But in the sense of hard work, responsibilities, awareness and, you know, being there, a presence with the client, I don't see really, you know, a gap or something that will have to be considering just before I take that decision. So it's, it's just a matter of getting the right people. Getting the right people that it's going to be, you know, pointing the team. We can, we can start delivering.

That's great. That's great. I want to talk a little more about you, Mario, and we know what you're doing today, leading teams. Would you mind just sharing a little more about your journey? We don't need to get into client names or anything for confidentiality. But how did you get where you are today?

Well, it's been a long journey. It's actually been a little bit more of about 10 years and 20 years in the industry of the IT. It all started, you know, with college computer engineering and, well, by the time that I jump, I mean, the first thing you learn here in Mexico, it's, it's, you know, it's not a, it's not a rule. But you start with Java, right? You start being a developer in Java. When I got into Salesforce, it's. It was, you know, a cultural impact, technically a cultural impact because it's not the same having tables and, you know, that's Oracle database, it's here and this, that, it's. Everything is in the cloud, so you don't need anything else or everything's there. What it took me to get here is just being part of different verticals in the industries, such as I've been in banks all the time. So this retail, I've been there in retail and of course now in the part of hospitality, which is healthcare. So, yeah, it's been a long journey in the sense of, you know, different clients and different ways of working, because every one of the companies have their own constraints, they have their own logic, have their own ways to do things, even if they're in the same vertical. So, I mean, that will be amazed you. Because you think now they're going to be doing the same. No, they're not doing the same thing. Maybe they're using the same tool, but the tool, it's being used in a different way. That's part of the journey. And how do I find myself with a, with a, you know, being a lead? It's being part of a team. I consider myself as well as part of the team appear someone who's always on, hands on. So I can help you as well. And that's been, you know, part of my philosophy of how you can get into this point of be a team lead. Someone who's going to be labeling you technically and of course, different aspects of the project as well.

That's great. That's great. Let's talk a little about travel, culture, tourist guide. New Mexico City for those who have never been. What are. Let's say they'll be there for, for a week.

Okay.

What, what should someone, first time in Mexico City do that first week? Where should they go? Where should they eat all that great stuff?

Well, if you're not a fan of tacos, you're going to have a bad time for sure. I mean, Mexicans, you're. Especially in Mexico City, we. You can find tacos, you know, 24 7. There's no, there's no place you wouldn't find any tacos. So, yeah, basically. I mean, there's very, very nice restaurants. You know, there's. There's a part of the big city, you know, downtown. There's very, very nice, you know, sites and, and streets. Basically. Masaryk is one of the streets that I will recommend because it's a very nice place. I mean, it's a very nice avenue. It's. It really reflects the part, you know, the glamour of Mexico City in all its extent. If you want to go a little bit into, you know, archeology or something like that, there's a very, very good museums you can visit, which is the Anthropology and History museum that. It's located in Chapultepec. And from there, from Chapel de Pac, there's a castle. So you can walk all the way from the museum to the castle and then you can get some tortas algadas, which is, you know, it's bread, meat and it's squashed with some sauce there and yeah, definitely. I mean, you can find from tacos to a very nice restaurants here as well. And I can recommend, you know, different, different sites, like going to the pyramids. It's just like 45 minutes, an hour or something. You can go to pyramids. It's three long pyramids, which is, it's amazing. It's a very interesting place to be. Avenue of the Dead, Avenue de los Muertos, which is all the way down. You can see the Pyramid at the end, it's an amazing site, and you can do a. I think it's a balloon tour around the pyramids, which is amazing. I haven't done it, but it's in my plants. But I have friends that have done that, done that, and it's impressive. It's amazing. So, yeah, we have city. I mean, we have permits, we have tacos, we have very nice restaurants. And you can go even to the ones that are, you know, just crossing the street in the corner, you can find that as well. So it depends on how. I mean, it accommodates to all your budgets. So you can be Mexico. It's very, very, very dynamic in that sense. So, yeah, definitely, it's. It's something you have to experience.

Yeah. And it's a big city. A lot of people there. Would you say it's like a 247 energy, 247 vibe to it?

Yes, definitely. Especially downtown, it's. It's a city that never sleeps. And yeah, that's. That's something that it. It. It's. It's been for. Around the, you know, lots of years. Especially when. When we have this, you know, the. The. The only time that I thought. What I want to say is that. But the only time that I. That I. That I will consider Mexico City being, you know, a little bit more relaxed in that sense, it will be in the times of pandemic when Covid just high hidden strike. That will be the only time that it's. It's. It's. It's like a, you know. You know, it's a time in the frame in Mexico that nobody wants to go there. But yeah, I mean, after that, it's just like, once again mariachi, once again tequila, and just like, party on. So we had to continue. So, yeah, it is. It is very, very, very glamorous. We have different sites, different budget, and yeah, it's. It's completely a city where you can do and you can find anything that you want.

And if I remember right, the altitude is up a little bit. Does that moderate the climate a little bit? Like, are there certain times a year that are better than others to visit, or is it about the same weather throughout the year?

Well, I think it can be cold, you know, the party, you know, December, January, but the rest of the year it's going to be like very nice weather. It rains, but it's still not like that bad. And the sun is great here. I mean, we have. We have very nice weather over here. I mean, I've been in different parts of the world. I think Mexico, it's a blessed place to be when you are searching for the very nice weathers throughout the year. It can be cold, but not that cold. It's not going to be snowing and there's going to be some sun, but it's not that hard. So it's all the time. It's a very nice weather to be.

Excellent. Mario, how do you like your tacos? Prepared steak, chicken, fish. Yeah, what do you like on there?

Well, I think it's, it's called tacos al pastor which is, I think it's pork and they just season it with, you know, different stuff so it ends up being a little bit red. So I love them. My son is actually one of that, you know, go to for the pastor tacos. So yeah, that's, that's how it is. It's like, you know, onion, some cilantro and, and lots of self. The spicier the better.

Amazing. Well, Mario, this has been an absolute blast. Really appreciate you making time to talk about technical leadership tacos, all things Mexico City. What a great time. Thanks for coming on today.

Thank you. Thank you for having me. It's been an honor and it's been very nice to meet you, Brian. Thanks so much.

Absolutely. Well, thanks again to our sponsor, Plug Technologies, plugg Tech. Great way to find technical talent all across Latin America for growing U.S. companies. This is the Nearest Shore Cafe podcast. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you again soon.