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GitLab Telecommunications Solutions Architect - Panel Interview Outline

Solutions Architect (SA) - Customer Discovery Discussion & Tailored Demonstration

Objective: To assess your ability to balance targeted discovery with a compelling solution demonstration within the context of a customer sales call.

Duration: The session will last 60 minutes total. Key time allocations are below:

  • Introductions & Brief Discovery: (10-15 minutes) Establish rapport, set the agenda, and conduct focused discovery to understand the customer's top priorities.
  • Tailored Demo: (20-30 minutes) Guided by your initial discovery, provide a demo that directly highlights how GitLab addresses the customer's pain points.
  • Discussion & Q&A: (15-20 minutes) Deepen the conversation around the demo, address questions, and discuss potential next steps.

Format: Open format. Visual aids like slides or whiteboard sessions can be used during your discovery and demo.

Demo Setup

Environment: Following receipt of these instructions, the hiring manager will provision a GitLab.com Group specifically for you to conduct your demo. You'll receive an email notification to your personal email address. Be sure to familiarize yourself with GitLab's core features beforehand for smooth navigation during the presentation.

Resources:

  • The group will have GitLab Ultimate tier functionality enabled.
  • A group-level Kubernetes cluster is attached with the GitLab Agent to provide you with a deployment target (in a parent group not visible to you).

Project Options:

  • Template: Utilize one of the existing GitLab project templates (we recommend NodeJS for quick CI/CD setup).
  • Your Own Code: Create a blank project and add your own code in your preferred language.
  • Clone: Clone a public project's Git repository from anywhere online.

Important Notes:

  • PostgreSQL: This feature is disabled by default. If needed, enable it in your project settings (set POSTGRES_ENABLED to true)
  • Code Quality: This feature is disabled for pipeline speed. If desired, enable it in your project settings (set CODE_QUALITY_DISABLED to 0)
  • Kubernetes Cluster: The cluster available for use in the group is managed by GitLab. As such, access to the underlying cluster is not available to candidates.
  • Project Naming: Avoid using numbers at the end of your project name or its "slug." This can create issues with DNS resolution in production environments (we’re using https://sslip.io/ in this demo environment)

Focus: Choose 2-3 key areas of GitLab that resonate most strongly with the customer's pain points uncovered during discovery. You won't have time for a comprehensive overview.

Customization: Be prepared to tailor your demo on the fly. Listen attentively during the discovery section to identify the specific aspects of GitLab that will have the most impact.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Preparation: Demonstrates evidence of pre-work in understanding GitLab capabilities, navigating the GitLab environment, and creating relevant content in advance.
  • Discovery Skills: Your ability to ask relevant questions that surface key pain points and opportunities for GitLab.
  • Value Articulation: Your ability to clearly link GitLab's capabilities to the customer's specific needs and desired outcomes.
  • Customer Engagement: Your ability to establish rapport, manage the customer's expectation of a demo, and create a collaborative atmosphere.
  • Industry Application: Your ability to demonstrate how GitLab's capabilities address common challenges within the customer's industry and tailor the demo accordingly.
  • Demo Effectiveness: Your ability to shape and deliver a concise, targeted demo that highlights GitLab's value proposition.
  • Remote Presence: Your ability to effectively present yourself in a remote setting, including video presence, audio quality, and overall professionalism.

Scenario

Company: Global Interconnect Telecoms ("GIT"), a Fortune 100 communications service provider (CSP) with 2,500 developers.

Background:

  • Recent regulatory changes introduced, requires GIT to increase focus on security, compliance, and risk management.
  • To address this, they've formed a transformation team led by the SVP of Engineering and the CISO.
  • GitLab's Account Executive has engaged with GIT, conducting initial discovery and qualification.
  • Crucial: This is your first in-depth call with the customer in your capacity as an SA.

Customer Goals:

  • Establish standardized, secure development workflows ("paved pathways").
  • Improve developer productivity, including potential leverage of Generative AI.
  • Reduce burdens on engineering teams related to "ops" and "security" tasks.
  • Gain visibility into security risk across their application portfolio.
  • Streamline policy enforcement, security scanning, and approvals.
  • Measure productivity across business units using metrics like DORA or Value Stream Analytics.
  • Automate compliance processes (e.g., regulatory requirements, SBoM generation, SLSA3 compliance).

Current Tooling:

A mix of tools including:

  • Jira
  • Bitbucket
  • Jenkins
  • SonarQube
  • On-prem servers / GCP

Expected Meeting Attendees from Gild:

  • Director of Products
  • SVP of Engineering and Operations
  • CISO
  • Procurement Director

Additional Notes

Time Management: Be conscious of the time constraints, aiming to transition smoothly between discovery and demo.

Prioritization: Focus your discovery questions on areas that will most effectively inform your demo.

Conciseness is Key: It's better to have a shorter, highly targeted demo than a rushed, feature-packed one that loses impact.