The Worksection team visited their partners and clients at IBIS. We spoke with Olexiy Zhmyrko and Ivan Samoilyov, who not only were at the origins of the company but also independently implemented a project management system for working on and controlling their tasks. Olexiy and Ivan shared how their departments grew and the complexity of tasks, and how Worksection helps them in all of this.
The online store and everything connected to it started with content. We underwent a colossal effort to write everything that was missing in the company.
A little background:
IBIS is the largest operator of wholesale and retail trade in goods for hunting, fishing, and active recreation, a supplier of products from global manufacturers. The product range in the “IBIS” stores consists of over 80,000 items from 715 leading manufacturers worldwide. 10 own stores in Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Lviv.
Olexiy Zhmyrko — head of the internet sales department at IBIS.
Ivan Samoilyov — product manager and chief developer of the Favorit brand, an international manufacturer of fishing tackle for catching predatory fish with headquarters in Ukraine, the USA, and Japan.
Tell us about the projects of the IBIS team
Speaking of the content department, these are projects related to content and marketing. The latest we can mention are toys — a new direction for us, a new target audience, and a new approach to the client.
These are projects related to product development, design, and marketing. Moreover, separate projects are created for all of this. And for each brand, accordingly.
Why did you decide to implement a task tracker?
At some point, I realized that we could organize the process properly because on paper — this is not the level.
Sooner or later, any team understands that without additional software, it stops developing.
Our company started small, but it quickly grew to large volumes. Then we stopped being sufficient with Google services, emails, and spreadsheets. And when we entered the U.S. market, we began essentially to create a brand from scratch, as the assortment in the States is completely different from ours. At that time, a lot of projects needed to be sorted out.
When there were three or four of us in the team, tasks could be assigned verbally. But when we started “fleshing out,” the need for control and planning activities arose.
How did you choose Worksection?
The choice of the software product was very long: we tried Megaplan, Todoist, and Bitrix. For me, it was important to choose a product that is constantly improving, so in 2013 we settled on Worksection. Now I can’t imagine our work without this task tracker.
What projects does Worksection help manage?
With the implementation of Worksection for projects in the American market, we started using it for all projects. We have a development and design department, and they all use Worksection in their work.
What tools of the task tracker do you use?
Kanban suits us very much since it allows highlighting several stages in the product development.
Kanban shows me everything visually. Thanks to it, I have an understanding of what is assigned, what is in progress, and what is in release. The visualization of everything that happens is a strong point of Worksection.
What helps to close tasks on time?
The main thing is to set goals correctly, not deadlines. In our work, we release the product when it is ready for release because we work from a goal, not from a deadline.
The employee’s attitude toward work, the ideology that is present inside the department, and which is carried by the leader.
There definitely must be order and control. But the attitude of the performer to the work is very important.
What allowed you to quickly adapt to work during the pandemic?
I believe that our strength is that we are a team, and not just a workforce. When one helps another and requires nothing in return simply because the work must be done. That’s my philosophy: we work for results, we create, we shape what wasn’t in the company.
How much does the manager influence task execution?
We should strive to understand people’s needs and communicate regularly.
How to launch your own brand
First of all, you need to thoroughly study the field in which you plan to launch the project. If it concerns a product, the main principle is to understand why this product is needed in the market.
TOP 3 tips on how not to miss deadlines
- The first is to check and be sure that all participants in the process are aware of the tasks assigned to them, and not guessing them.
- The second is prevention in terms of ensuring that everyone understands what and why they are doing.
- The third is a motivating/demotivating factor, which is a very important aspect of organizing work. People should have the motivation to do something and demotivation to avoid doing something.