Continuing in our series in which you get to meet and learn more about the Cloud Galacticos team, say ‘hello’ to Nkosi, one of our Developers. I caught up with Nkosi via email to find out more about him and his experiences.
Nkosi Ncube, Developer
Hi Nkosi, thanks for finding a few minutes to help people learn a bit more about you. Can you give us a bit of background about yourself and your history with Salesforce?
Coming from an Automotive Engineering background, I have always had passion for IT and just couldn’t find the domain that excited me. I did Cisco, MCSE but was not captivated until by chance I came across Salesforce. It was via the video ‘Introduction to Salesforce App Development’ on Udacity, by Samantha Ready sometime in 2014. I then started my certification journey, building on my IT foundation laid at University. I managed to get two small projects after my 2nd certification and haven’t looked back since. Since joining Cloud Galacticos have worked on a variety of projects for different entities.
Nkosi at a User Group Social at Bundobust
So how did you find Phil and the Cloud Galacticos?
When I discovered Salesforce I then went on a networking drive. My plan was to meet the top influencers in the industry, and without a doubt Phil is one of them! I met Phil and Paul at the first User Group meet I attended in Leeds in 2015 at of course the default meeting eatery Bundobust.
Aside from Salesforce and working at Cloud Galacticos, what else do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy playing the bass guitar at church, usually in front of one thousand people every Sunday! I also enjoy playing golf. The family likes to travel and do road trips, the last one being Holland. I have also got back into running.
We recently featured a success story with Data Protection People that I know you were key in helping be successful. Can you tell us a bit more about your role as a Developer and what that involves?
The Data Protection People project was exciting in that it had quite a broad scope, both declarative and apex code based. Automation of their flagship product meant development of the user interface on top of heavily automated processes. The most important thing after gathering the requirements is to plan before doing any actual development.
If it can be done declaratively I try to use that, and use code where absolutely necessary. Also apply coding best practices in general. Finally, in relation to Salesforce, ensure test class coverage is achieved not just coverage but assertion of the expected outcomes.
What tips would you have in working with clients remotely, or working remotely in general?
Being responsive is very assuring to the customer and maintaining regular contact, preferably daily. Also, agree on a body of work and time estimates and deliver. Regular breaks are mandatory in my view because it’s very easy to get your head down on something and not take a break. It’s not healthy in the long run, so I usually take a long walk during lunch.
Thanks Nkosi for your time and insight into your life. We have a few other team members to interview in due course. Watch this space!
