Kristen Rachel Ung

S16
11302984

SYSTIMP
Ms. Christine Diane Lim

HP Cutover Management: Reflection Paper

The topic of the seminar that we had during class on October 22
was about cutover management. Our speaker was Mr. Kiel Villamin who
works in Hewlett-Packard Philippines as a cutover manager. Cutover is
the transition from one system to another, which includes the overlap
of when the new system is live until the old one is shut down. Mr.
Villamin gave us an overview of what his duties are at work. He talked
about the different processes of cutover management, trial cutover,
and project phases. He also mentioned the benefits of his job, one of
which is being able to travel to different countries to deal with the
clients. Tips and tricks to improve ones efficiency were also discussed.
I did not realize until this seminar that this phase can be very
complicated and, in some cases, requires a whole team to implement
it.
This seminar was particularly thought provoking for me because
another career path was introduced. As someone who is not fond of
programming, this is comforting to me because my eyes are opened to
different employment options. Furthermore, it assures me that I will be
able to find a job that I would enjoy in Information Technology field. I
found it quite interesting when he was discussing the different
processes in cutover management because it is similar to the core
lesson in the course. It is assuring to know that what were learning in
school can be directly applied in the work life.
Listening to the speaker, I realized that the projects that we
handle in class are considerably smaller scale compared to the projects
that are being done in the corporate world. For example, the phase we
are in now requires us to conduct test cases. For the project, it would
be less than a hundred for a whole term. Whereas in reality, a project
would have thousands of test cases to be processed within a few
weeks. This astonished me; but at the same time, I realized that I have
to set my goals and prepare myself for this kind of environment after I
graduate. In anticipation, I have to improve my time management
skills, gain as much experience as I can as a student, and be more
active in the computer science community.
Another point that I found useful is when he talked about how the
team has a dashboard where they can monitor their progress and
organize the tasks that need to be done. I appreciated this idea

because this is something that can be applied not only for academe
purposes, but also in everyday life.
Seminars like this help me anticipate the future when I join the
work force. I am excited at the prospect of work assignments that
require travel as part of my job. But for now, I have to strive to do well
in school so that I will be qualified for the positions that I target.