Sian Hardie

5.20 AM

My alarm goes off bright and early. I am working on creating a habit of exercising every day before work, so I set my alarm early and pull myself out of bed to head to Pilates class. I find that by starting my mornings being active sets me up to have a happier, more productive day at work. 

7.15 AM

I have a strong belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So I love to make myself a healthy and filling breakfast as I get ready; usually scrambled eggs on toast or a bowl of oats and fresh fruit. 

8.30 AM

On my daily commute to work I like to listen to my favourite playlist or podcast while I drive. I greet my team as I set up at my desk for the day. Once logged in, I check my emails and calendar, before reading through my notes from the previous day. 

9.00 AM 

Around now, I am ready for my first (or even second) coffee of the day. You never know who you’ll bump into at the coffee machines, which almost always turns into a chat with a friendly face. If I’m lucky, I might even bump into Carmen – the Saab wellbeing dog. Then I head back to my desk with my coffee to continue working. 

I am currently working in the Product Design Verification and Validation (V&V) team and write acceptance test procedures for a ship upgrade. This role utilises a hands-on approach using the CMS as it would be in operational environments, so I set up my desktop simulator and continue developing my test steps.

10.00 AM 

Thursday’s at Saab are known as Scone Day because the café sells various fun-flavoured scones such as mango and Mars Bar. So I head down to the café to meet up with the other graduates for morning tea. 

10.30 AM 

We have a weekly team meeting to discuss any announcements from the senior leadership and discuss any problems or improvements encountered in the week. Each week, someone is chosen to give a short presentation about themselves. This is my favourite part of the meeting, it is super enjoyable to learn more about the fantastic people I work with. 

11.00 AM 

After the meeting, I continue working on my ship test cases. While writing, I come across a behaviour in the system that I am uncertain about. I test it a few times before seeking help from the System Designer to understand how the system was designed, before cross-checking with the Software Team to understand how the system was implemented. It is always helpful to bounce ideas off other people on the project, as everyone is happy to help and it is much more efficient than guessing when someone might already know the answer. 

12.00 PM

Whether I’m buying lunch from the café or bringing in my own lunch, I head down to the café to meet up for lunch with other graduates, which is a fun way to connect and build stronger relationships with my graduate cohort. It also gives me the chance to momentarily switch off work mode and reset for the rest of the day. 

12.30 PM 

I head back to my desk and continue working on my test cases. My team helps run my tests and identify any errors in the steps, while my supervisor reviews my work. I sit down with her at my desk and we discuss improvements and other feedback that I can incorporate into the rest of the steps. I do my best impression of a sponge and attempt to absorb as much as I can from all the experienced and knowledgeable people around me. 

1.00 PM

I am in the Social Club Committee and we are responsible to organise exciting events and activities throughout the year for our Social Club members. At our monthly meetings we discuss feedback from events in the previous month and brainstorm ideas for upcoming events. I am responsible for organising the monthly Social Club BBQs. Last month, I booked the Gang Gang food truck to come to Saab, and planned an Easter morning tea with hot cross buns, both of which were a hit within the Social Club!

2.00 PM

My project has regular meetings to touch base on the progress of the project and schedule updates. This is a productive way to come together and bring up any road blockers or outstanding questions and to hear how people in other teams on the same project are progressing. 

3.00 PM 

After my project meeting, I print off my test procedures and head down to the test site to dry-run them. This is where I often find errors in my procedures and am able to make notes on what to change. It is very rewarding to be able to run tests that I actually wrote myself.

5.30 PM

As I finish up for the day, I make notes about what I have achieved and where I am up to. I am often part-way through a task that will need to be completed the next day, so jotting down some notes ensures I am ready to pick up where I left off tomorrow morning. 

6.30 PM

When I get home, I start to wind down and relax after my eventful day by reading a few chapters of my current book. After some me time, I start cooking dinner and prepare my lunch for the next day. 

10.00 PM 

I head to bed and get ready to do it all again tomorrow!

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