“DPM 2007 SP1 enhances DPM 2007 by enabling support for Hyper-V virtualization platforms; SP1 also offers new protection capabilities for SQL Server 2008, MOSS 2007, WSS 3.0, and Exchange Server 2007” Microsoft Download Center
At this time, I was just learning the nuances of using static random variables in my C# console programs. Formal software development concepts seemed about as real to me as a coconut tree wearing a business suit, but I was so excited to learn everything possible. A few years of experience managing some non-software projects and an engineering-mindset seemed to resound with the team leads, so they gave me a shot as a contractor.
As a junior Program Manager, I was hired to run one of Microsoft’s Early Adopter Programs for major release, Data Protection Manager Service Pack 1, which introduced backups of then-new Hyper-V machines and aggregated hotfixes. This didn’t intimidate me at all. Not one bit.
90% of my team worked in Hyerabad, India. Given that I never physically met a majority of them, I appreciate the respect they gave me as a brand-spanking-new software manager.
I relied on copious amounts of energy, determination, grit and caffeine to manage as many details as I could, as quickly as I could figure them out. I drank from the Microsoft firehose (and coffee machine), learned everything possible about running a Testing and Adoption Program and became the team Release Manager, working closely with the Engineering Excellence and Windows Compliance teams to fill my significant knowledge gaps. By the end of my contract I had learned to screen binaries for undocumented APIs and geopolitical errors like some kind of a professional.
I received incredible support and mentorship, ranging from my immediate team leadership to my Windows Release colleagues and even my TAP customers. I barely got by in this new world of TLAs (Three-Letter-Acronyms). “BOM” certainly evokes memories; when I first heard it during a Windows release meeting, I felt surprised they were also tasked with coordinating the assembly of military products.
Challenges in this role included having wild working hours – 9:00 am meetings in Redmond and midnight meetings with the India team. I coordinated meetings with customers worldwide at even stranger hours to gather feedback on a product I barely understood, developed for people whose hair is pretty much constantly on fire (Audience: Enterprise IT people, Product: Enterprise server backups). Perhaps this shows that one can still get some stuff done as a manager, even with zero product knowledge.
I feel deep gratitude to this team for giving me an opportunity to cut my teeth at Microsoft. I may have gotten a few things right – all the Hotfixes and SP1 product shipped within the year. I left with some nice references and words from my colleagues, plus new experience that would set me on a long and winding path in software development enlightenment.