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Get to Know Very’s Senior Director of Program Management

3 min read

Hi, I’m Nick Refalo. After 15 years of experience managing programs and leading teams in the battery industry, I decided it was time to expand my horizons. That’s when I first heard about Very, an IoT development firm doing some pretty awesome things in both the industrial and consumer spaces.

What Brought Me to Very

IoT has been a field that’s excited me for a while because of how fast it’s growing and the huge impact it’s having on all kinds of businesses – including the battery space that I came from.

After spending some time with the leadership at Very, I discovered how genuinely excited they are about what they do. I think that each of them would be working on innovative projects on their own time, even if big companies weren’t paying them to do so – in fact, I recently learned that some of them already do.

I knew that the combination of new technology and a passionate team was a great fit for me. I can talk my way inside, outside, and around just about any kind of vehicle battery – from hybrid to electric and from nickel-metal hydride to lithium-ion. I understand how successful engineering and advanced manufacturing teams function. Now, I’m ready to bring that knowledge to IoT with Very, and start talking software, hardware, firmware, and more.

Expanding Processes and Engaging Customers

In my new role, I’m looking forward to leading and growing Very’s product management team. Very already has a history of bringing complex, state-of-the-art products to market, so I’ll be working to keep us moving quickly and adapting our tools, templates, and processes to changing customer needs.

My favorite part of directing programs is getting involved with customer engagements. There’s nothing more exciting than delivering a product for a customer that meets the needs of the business, and watching and directing how that product transforms throughout the development process.

Based on what I’ve learned so far, the calls I’ve joined, and my past experience, here are a few things we’re already doing at Very that give me confidence in our ability to drive results for customers:

  • Defining project goals through a rigorous Technical Design Sprint process
  • Using agile and lean development practices and tools like Jira to make sure every hour we bill is put to good use
  • Maintaining a strong, tightly defined communication cadence with clients using tools like Slack and Zoom
  • Ensuring a seamless remote experience with a remote code of conduct that requires a professional workspace, reliable WiFi, high-quality visual and audio equipment, and consistent core working hours (9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST.)
  • Bringing in technology that can add major value to IoT solutions, like data science and predictive maintenance
  • Ensuring product quality with a strong QA practice
  • Approaching each project with security in mind 

Begin a Project with Very

If the above qualities sound like the things you’re looking for in an IoT development firm, I’d love to work with you. Reach out here, and let’s set up some time to talk about your project.