What is it like to be a Transition Manager at Hitachi Solutions?

I’m Sava, a Transition Manager at Hitachi Solutions, where I focus on process governance, ensuring that developed solutions are handed over to our Support Services team in a standardised and comprehensive way. I’ve been working in the IT Industry for over 15 years and have a strong background in Project Management and Project Portfolio Management.

The Transition Manager role is very closely related to project management. For each transition a temporary project organisation is formed, time scope and budget are defined and everyone involved works towards reaching our goals. It is a fast-paced environment with exposure to various stakeholders across the entire business. The key focus of the Transition Manager is to ensure that a solution is properly transitioned into service, ensuring the best possible service to our clients.

The transition is based on 3 pillars, Operational Readiness, Services Readiness and Knowledge Readiness. This ensures that we understand our clients, we understand the service we will support, and we have the knowledge needed to support our clients. This means that we deliver our work on time, within budget and the agreed scope. Delivering value to our clients is key, but it is also part of my mission to ensure that our teams have enough headspace to leverage their skills in the most efficient ways.

Working with the Office365 Suite, consisting of Excel, PowerPoint, Word and SharePoint, Microsoft Teams and Outlook are a fundamental part of our internal communications. There are times when I use PowerBi for certain reports and some of the process governance does happen in Azure DevOps. At times when transitions are expected to be very extensive and detailed, MS Project is a very capable companion. AI is becoming more relevant in our daily lives; Microsoft Co-Pilot has become an integral part of my daily work as well.

The transition often happens at a very fast pace with challenging timelines. Organisational skills as well as good oversight of all happenings are a must. It can be very small details that can make or break a successful transition. Other key competencies needed are in the field of stakeholder management. The transition manager deals with a multitude of stakeholders during the transition process. Leading calls, managing expectations and ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are properly informed at any time is crucial. A positive mindset and a strong work attitude are good treats to have as well. Finally, being a team player is a must as each transition is a team effort!

Certificates such as Prince 2, SAFE, SCRUM and ITIL are almost indispensable. They provide a solid foundational understanding of different methodologies and business processes. The certifications along with the experience enable us to maintain high quality work according to industry standards.

The ability to navigate through the most challenging tasks and transitions with our amazing teams across Europe has always brought the highest pleasure to me. With strong organisation, a clear path to success and a precise communication strategy, we are able to show our qualities in such a way that clients don’t feel the need to challenge us and are very supportive towards our mutual goal.