At CartonCloud we believe in continuous improvement - whether that relates to our product or our team. Being a tech company in an ever-evolving industry means that not only does our product have to change as the requirements of the industry and our customers change, but we also have to ensure that our team stays on top of not only the newest tech but also the best practices in project, product and resource management, as well as critical thinking.

It’s in this spirit of personal and professional growth that part of our team attended an event in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago. The “Girls in Tech” movement may have started in San Francisco but it has developed into a worldwide platform for women to connect, learn and evolve as part of the tech industry. The “Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference” is the main event of the organisation’s calendar year and allows its attendees (men are also welcome!) to spend a couple of days listening to TED-style talks and participate in workshops that cover everything from programming to product management to data analysis.

The importance of data was discussed in the majority of the talks and was also a focus of the workshops. Knowing how to collect, store, evaluate and interpret data is invaluable in today’s world. Data should act as a guide, if not decision maker, in most areas of a business. For example, not many people would think of data analysis in the HR space, but data-driven people management allows not just to evaluate potential new employees but also to drive performance of existing staff. Similarly, data about how people use a system allows businesses to develop features that are relevant to their users, driving a more rapid product development process.

While our contingency of 5 women from across various sections within CartonCloud (admin, onboarding, development, support, quality assurance) already knew about the importance of data, they were given additional tools, skills and plenty of food for thought during the conference.

Moreover, they not only walked away from this event with many new insights and skills but the drive to share all that they have learned with the rest of the team over the coming weeks.

And maybe next year we’ll have a few of the guys come along too!