It may not be the typical reaction, but Mary Bagley gets excited whenever a problem crosses her desk.
A technical system’s down? Understand why and come to a resolution.
A project isn’t going as planned? Assess the cause and consider changes – all while keeping in mind the impacts it’ll have not just on her colleagues, but also on budgets and run times.
“You always need to consider the bigger scope and have the bigger picture in mind,” says Mary, a senior IT project manager who has worked at Rich Products Corporation for more than 30 years. “I’m very organized, detailed and analytical, so I think part of it just comes naturally to me.”
During these moments of critical problem-solving, Mary often turns to her programming roots and the skills she developed at Canisius University and Fisher Price before joining Rich’s in August 1994.
“When programming, there’s no gray area,” she says. “Being very logical and deliberate in your actions allows you to be as clear as possible without leaving outcomes up to chance.”
In an ever-evolving tech ecosystem, Mary’s abilities to also be flexible and adaptable has driven her career from an entry-level programmer to a senior systems analyst to her current role at the family-owned food company that offers innovative products and expert solutions around the globe.
“It blows my mind in the past 30 years the tech changes that have happened,” Mary says. “You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and not knowing everything. With the changes in technology, you won’t always know everything.”
When Mary graduated from college, companies programmed their own systems – which she did alongside her peers at Fisher Price. When she was hired at Rich’s, she also helped design and implement one of its first data warehouse efforts.
“Now companies typically buy software and customize it with the help of consultants,” she says. “Coding still happens but on different scales. It still goes back to being methodical and thorough.”
Those foundational skills and her understanding of different programming languages continue to come in handy, as Mary’s currently the scrum master of a multi-year transformational journey involving the implementation of a supply chain planning solution.
She stresses that clear, concise and constant communication are a few of the keys to leading a team of people from different departments and backgrounds, as well as a bit of curiosity to stay up to date with the latest happenings in a fast-paced environment like tech.
“The exposure you get working on different projects and learning new programming skills, it exposes you to a lot of parts of the business,” Mary says. “It’s important to always make sure you’re learning.”
