An Interview with Tekton’s Head of Capacity Gretel Deza

Tell us about your background pre-Tekton. How did you arrive at the role of Head of Capacity?

I have a background in corporate leadership in diverse industries, including Finance, Telecommunications, and Retail. Before joining Tekton, I spent ten years working in various HR departments, including Recruitment, Learning & Development, Culture & Communications, and Planning & Talent Management. 

I was tired of the bureaucratic, slow-motion corporate culture and decided to explore other job options and make a major shift in my life.

That's when I saw an opening for a senior HR position on LinkedIn and applied. I had a lot of interviews, which was actually a good thing because I got to know Tekton and its amazing culture and growth plans. I led the People team for around three years, then had the opportunity to move to the Sales Team as Head of Customer Success for a year. Thanks to Tekton's growth, have been leading the new Capacity Planning Team for the past year and a half. 

How do you identify and implement best practices and better procedures in order to enhance both the operational and development environment?

We collaborate closely with both internal and external clients, which simplifies the process of understanding their needs and developing procedures to suit them. Open communication with all of Tekton's divisions is crucial for us, so I encourage the team to always listen to others and express their opinions freely, empower our teams because more heads think better than one! 

And always keep up to date on global and tech-related trends. We are not afraid of making mistakes because it is how we learn and identify our pain areas more quickly.

As the Head of Capacity, you must effectively prioritize tasks and distribute resources. What type of planning and monitoring is necessary to optimize this responsibility at a company like Tekton?

We make sure the goals of each team are aligned with each other in order to build and transform our processes accordingly. Every member of the Capacity team collaborates with the Operations and Technology teams on a daily basis. Communication is key for making timely decisions, double-checking priorities, and overcoming roadblocks. To facilitate our workflow, we employ a three-month moving forecast that is updated weekly and designed to raise yellow and red alerts if necessary. We have worked on tactical and strategic KPIs to monitor our performance on a weekly and monthly basis over the past year; this has made our decision-making process more efficient and data-driven. Additionally, we use apps such as Jira and Breezy to track tasks, workload, and the recruitment process in relation to our clients and candidates. 

What are some of the tools you rely on to do your job?

We use a variety of powerful tools, such as Jira, for managing projects and requirements, allowing for smooth coordination between our Operations and Sales teams. Breezy, an application tracking system, is used to manage our recruitment process quickly and to provide a great experience for both candidates and examiners. 

Confluence has been useful for sharing knowledge about our workflows and setting the main criteria for the company, and HackerRank is our main tool for figuring out who has the best expert skills and who would be the best fit for our projects. Additionally, LinkedIn is the best tool to connect with future Tektonians, and Google Workspace, which is fully integrated with the tools we use, gives us the flexibility to continue to improve. 

How do you envision AI in a tech company like Tekton?

It’s already here, and it’s allowed us more time to focus on strategic duties rather than operational ones. It has opened a whole new world of opportunities for our team to follow, keep innovating, and take our service to the next level. We do have the responsibility to assess our clients about the challenges and opportunities that AI comes with. It may be trendy right now, but it will not always be a suitable solution for everything. 

What type of risks do you see?

Believe everything you see is true and the uncertain future of AI. There is an overwhelming wave of information regarding AI, and we must keep it real while maintaining an open mind about how it can help us improve our daily tasks. As mentioned before, we are accountable for meeting our clients' expectations regarding AI solutions, including determining whether or not that is what they actually need. We will face more risks as the number of people who want AI digital services grows, which may take more resources than the world has right now. 

What do you think is the most efficient approach for communicating strategies and successfully working with other teams?

Providing simple and straightforward solutions to our internal and external client’s needs. We need to communicate with ease, which means limiting our use of tech jargon until we are certain we are all on the same page. Continuous feedback is fundamental for working successfully with other teams and reminding ourselves that we all share Tekton’s goals and a working culture that goes above and beyond.

Do you frequently explore and recommend solutions for staff members and resource management?

I share suggestions and/or raise my hand anytime I feel something is going wrong or might be done better in accordance with Tekton’s working culture. Tekton is constantly evolving and I try to keep an eye out to identify when changes need to be made due to inner reasons or industry trends.

What challenges do you think the technology sector is currently facing?

There is not enough talent available to meet the needs of the technology sector, and government efforts are insufficient. As a result, organizations experience significant attrition rates, resulting in greater stakeholder expenses.

Also, there is too much excitement for "tech startups" that are founded without real business cases. Investments are made without knowledge or facts, which has resulted in well-known bankruptcies, reducing trust in the sector and taking away funding from real tech companies with potential. 

What is your favorite part of your role at Tekton?

Taking care of Tekton’s growth, having a voice and not being afraid to propose crazy but disruptive ideas. Besides that, I love leading a distributed team across Latin America and working with such amazing and unique people. 

If you could offer one piece of advice to women aspiring to work in the design and technology sector, what would it be? 

Follow your passion and take all opportunities that come your way. You will always learn something. Don’t hesitate to speak up or ask for help. Even in a room full of men, we can thrive; it’s all about fostering an inclusive and supportive working environment where everyone can acknowledge and appreciate the unique strengths and abilities that each team member can bring to the table.