Tell us about your role at NaviParking.
Maciej Cichonski: My core job in NaviFamily is to take care of our projects. I realize that this is a very broad term, so I usually simplify it to a short phrase: I do everything to get things done. Whether it is about software integration with a new partner, parking digitalisation of a 5-star hotel in Dubai, or website redesign – our PMO team stands the first line between products and stakeholders, juggling deadlines and risks. In football, they say that you are as good as your last game, so compared to Project Management work – you have to always be concerned about possible risks and manage your tactics to prevent or decrease them. Going further with that analogy – the final success of every project is the result of the work of all its team members, but even if you have outstanding footballers at each position, as a manager, you also need to care about all activities done behind the scenes like contracts with clients, analysis of last games or medical treatment. Fortunately for me and the rest of the team, this last part is outsourced, so we can freely focus on what we are best – software! 🙂
I am also partly engaged in the product development of a new version of our search website for digital parking (cyfrowyparking.pl) and an app for our enterprise client (NaviParking Enterprise). As both products are inseparably connected with projects, it helps me understand both perspectives. I appreciate learning from the product team and hope our cooperation will be even more fruitful in the rapidly-growing NaviParking World.
What does smart mobility mean to you? Why is it important?
MC: Smart mobility is our inevitable future. We make thousands of decisions every day, including transportation. Aggregating them, we create a great impact on the world around us and its future. Being smart doesn’t necessarily mean switching a car for a bicycle when I have a significant distance to overcome or replacing my old car with a brand new, electric one if I can’t afford that. Every each of us has the tools to take a small step forward in the joint effort. I may start using Park&Ride parking twice a week or install the smart-parking app to save time spent looking for a parking slot in the city centre next time? Undoubtedly it’s not easy to change social habits, but I believe it’s only a matter of time and the right education. For such a naive idealist like me, it’s important to play an active part in this digital transformation.
We want to change the world, we have great ideas and the tools to do it. We don’t want to wait for transformation. We want to be the ones who transform.
What drew you to working in the tech industry?
MC: I have an engineering background, so what I like is to see tangible results of my work, which also has to improve someone’s life. Inventing and manufacturing things in a traditional way is very time-consuming. It has its charm for sure, but I’ve decided to leave that for the privacy of my future workshop. You may realise that I try to hide the word patience between the words because honestly speaking – it’s not my greatest asset 🙂 So here I am in the tech industry – the world of agile approach, where you don’t need to wait months for the first results. You can start right now, then test, analyse and improve. Based on feedback and tons of received data, your goal is clear – maximum customer satisfaction.
How do you like working at a startup?
MC: I will use metaphor to describe how much I am into it. I used to admire Japanese trains named Shinkansen during my internship in Japan. Working in a startup could be compared to the speed of these technological beauties. Everything is changing so fast behind the window that you don’t have enough time to think about the development that was made in this surprisingly short period, but at the next station, you are simply amazed. People sitting next to you are ambitious, hungry for innovations and interesting projects. There is no such thing as individual success, as we know that all of us have our job to do and without it, this superfast train will become unstable.
We have an impact, we care, and we feel responsible for our actions as we are much closer to our clients, listening to their needs, building the relationship with them and cooperating dynamically. This is a great value, which gives us an advantage over big players, as their solutions are not that agile.
But to be very honest – NaviParking is not a startup anymore. We are present in three countries, our portfolio of products is grown up to fulfil markets demands, you could find great brands in the portfolio of our partners and clients. What is more, our software house prepared outstanding infrastructure, ready to scale. So let’s say that we are scaleup.
What is it about NaviParking that makes you proud to work here?
MC: First of all – people. I know that I repeat myself, but it’s great to have a backup from such a talented team. You will have a chance to listen to them yourself in the following weeks, as we want to share our vision. This vision is my second reason. We want to change the world, we have great ideas and the tools to do it. We don’t want to wait for transformation. We want to be the ones who transform. Awareness of creating the world of the future with a smart mobility ecosystem is priceless.
We have an impact, we care, and we feel responsible for our actions as we are much closer to our clients, listening to their needs, building the relationship with them and cooperating dynamically. This is a great value, which gives us an advantage over big players, as their solutions are not that agile.
Describe the best part of your job.
MC: It’s hard to choose just one! Personally, I appreciate that I have the opportunity to work in open, ambitious, multicultural project teams. As a lover of getting to know the world through the minds of other people, I appreciate the opportunity to learn from each other, build mutual trust and the ability to manage international projects.
Finally, I can talk about my work with my older brother who is a full-stack developer, and in the past, I have to admit that he spoke a totally foreign language 🙂
Tell us about your favourite thing that you’ve worked on.
MC: It’s hard to say, but lately, my favourite project is the redesign of our search website for digital parking lots in Poland & MENA – cyfrowyparking.pl (future digitalparking.city). It’s a very comprehensive project based on cooperation with another development company, SEO specialists, and our in-house backend team. We are tackling something unique on the international market, and we truly believe that it could become a significant element of the parking-as-a-service platform. The project is about to finish its MVP phase, but we have already a roadmap full of features, which could affect many sectors of the economy, not only the parking. We have an idea of how to create unique value for the hospitality sector, shopping malls, corporate buildings, public institutions, and many, many more. Stay tuned!
What motivates you?
MC: Tricky question. It’s hard to distinguish one factor only! Let’s start with cooperation with talented people. It’s the kind of catalyst in the process of creation, the provider of visible results of joint effort and impacting the lives of others.
Motivation for me is also connected with new challenges. Facing them gives me this addictive feeling of development. Fortunately, you can never be bored with such a CEO like Marek Stawinski.
Ultimately – time. It’s limited in contrast to limitless activities that could be tried, places to explore, cuisines to try. This battle is not about the win obviously, but about fighting.
I am lucky that I can’t complain about the lack of the first two factors, which actually give me more fuel to fight the last one.
I appreciate discovering the world by getting to know people, cultures, and places. Curiosity is a favourite trait of mine, which also affects the spectrum of my interests.
What’s remote work like for you?
MC: Busy! There are some days that my calendar is packed like sardines… in the morning subway. Perfect time management is a must. I consider myself a social person, so I really appreciate meeting teammates and business partners in person. It’s much easier to create trust without the digital layer – let’s say this is an exception in our enthusiastic approach to new technologies. In project management, trust is required to achieve common goals, so from that perspective, nowadays, it’s a little bit harder than it used to be. The company’s culture has to be built with different tools and with bigger care, e.g. role of the company’s events are growing.
On the other hand, I love to travel, and I have never dreamt that I could work remotely as a Project Manager. I could coordinate Polish-based projects from Dubai or Norwegian Fjords. As long as there is a balance, coffee, and a great team – no project is scary.
What do you do when you’re not at work? Do you have any hobbies?
MC: I appreciate discovering the world by getting to know people, cultures, and places. Curiosity is a favourite trait of mine, which also affects the spectrum of my interests. You can find literally anything because I assume that it is worth trying if only to form a basic opinion on a given topic. Looking at a list of recently read books, I like reportage books, sci-fi, psychology, astrophysics. Algorithms on Spotify also get lost in hints about my musical taste. Fortunately, I have more specific experiences when it comes to sports. I used to train volleyball, boxing, skiing, salsa, CrossFit and football. The last one has a special place in my heart connected with my favourite team – Real Madrid, I support them since 2003. Coming back to more traditional hobbies I consider myself as a fair cook and chess player.
Basically, asking me about what I like is not a good idea if you are in a hurry 🙂
I love to travel, and I have never dreamt that I could work remotely as a Project Manager. I could coordinate Polish-based projects from Dubai or Norwegian Fjords. As long as there is a balance, coffee, and a great team – no project is scary.
Tell us something people would be surprised to learn about you.
MC: I organised two hitchhiking races to Croatia and Montenegro for about 200 students. It was something completely new for me and my project partner. We hadn’t even tried hitchhiking before by ourselves! But it was a great success, measured by happy newcomers in the hitchhiking culture. As a curiosity, I would like to add that some of the participants hitchhiked directly to the marriage relationship 🙂
As Project Manager, I have to mention examples of my poor risk management. Once I climbed Mount Fuji in just a sweatshirt and sneakers. I also escaped a typhoon twice – first while hitchhiking to Osaka, the second time – a few hours before it reached Manila.
I own an old T4 with a friend of mine because we both love this adventurous vision of old-fashioned travel.
