This year theICEway is delighted to welcome Seaware specialist James Barr to the team. Here we sit with James to touch upon his background and to look at what the coming year may hold…
Welcome, James. How did you get into the world of IT?
Thank you, I’ve been an IT consultant in the Cruise Industry for 10 years. I began at AmaWaterways and that is where I first learned about the Seaware reservation system. I actually helped to implement it and then provided support with the initial build, training documents, QA Scripts for all departments and more.
Is that where your love for Seaware developed then?
For sure, certainly after I became Data Manager and really ‘held the keys’. That was when I worked on building pricing and policy rules, price programs, sail activity, package types and definitions, commission structures, sales districts, reservation validations, selling limits, and backend API flows.
Your BA skills are quite strong too, is that correct?
Well, I certainly hope so! I first started my BA career at Crystal Cruises in 2018. The knowledge I had built up on Seaware allowed me to then hone my Business Analysis skills in gathering requirements, creating stories / epics in Jira and more. I assigned tasks during that time and really worked on prioritisation and delivery to achieve deadlines.
Were you satisfied with your work at that stage?
I would say that I was a relatively successful Business Analyst due to the fact that I had a reservation agent’s background. Then add in my understanding of the role of a system data manager and I had all the tools I needed at my disposal. I think it is important to be able to fully understand business requirements. Then you must transfer these requirements into technical terms so that you can streamline the process. That is a sure-fire way to ensure that deadlines are met.
What are your initial impressions of theICEway?
A great team, a terrific work ethic. I’m based in the US office here in Miami but I’ve spoken with some of the people in the UK and Estonian offices and they really know their stuff! There are already some great technology projects that I’ll soon be working on, with lots of exciting plans for the immediate future.
What do you see ahead?
Right now I’m busy getting up to speed on the various Seaware implementation projects I’ll be supporting. Thankfully there is plenty going on at theICEway, so I think I’ll be kept very busy until at least Summer 2023! After that, only time will tell – although I’m already very happy with how things have started.
As well as having another Seaware specialist to call upon, James brings an enthusiasm and work ethic that we’re already impressed with. Here’s to a very bright future together!
theICEway is a UK MSP and technology consultancy that has added offices around the world. Our roots are very much in Welwyn Garden City but these far-flung locales give us a global reach. We’re involved in technology projects at home plus in the US and around Europe.