User Review
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Rami Mounla is a Dynamics 365 SME and always been a great supporter of Dynamics community and shares great passion for the product. Currently he works as Solution Architect at DXC New Zealand.
Here is his experience shared in form of questions. It was an awesome read. Here it goes:
1. Name, current job title and social media links please
I am Rami Mounla working as a Solution Architect at DXC New Zealand. You can find me on Twitter @ramimounla or on LinkedIn.com/in/ramimounla
2. What does an average day at work look like
Depending the season my days look different. Typically it goes like this:
6:30am woken up by my boys
7:30am commuting on the train and doing some reading (up-skilling, catching-up on work, etc.)
8am I’m in the office getting on top of any correspondence and preparing for the stand-ups.
9am stand-ups start in New Zealand
11am Australian stand-ups start.
In between and till 5pm I’ll be doing my day job, implementing Dynamics, meeting with customers, conducting workshops, pre-sales, etc.
5pm till 9pm is family time.
9 to 2am is when the real work starts. Catching up on what I had to be working on me during the day, doing my community work, and getting ready for the next day.
6:30am boys are jumping on the bed…
3. What different roles/Job titles have you had whilst using CRM
Over the years my career mainly focused on technical Dynamics CRM consultancy and architecture. More recently I held a Practice Lead position at Datacom.
4. What job did you did before you starting using CRM
Before venturing into Dynamics I was a .NET developer. I also did some CMS work with a range of platforms as well as SharePoint consultancy.
5. What was the first version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM you worked with and how long have you been using Microsoft Dynamics CRM
First version of Dynamics was 3.0. Someone asked me to make a field mandatory. I was impressed with how easy it was to do it. That was back in 2008.
6. How do you stay up to date with the CRM
Being part of the community, it’s difficult not to keep up-to-date. I am usually anticipating new features (always check the release notes in case you missed something), talking to Microsoft about upcoming features, tapping into preview program, giving feedback and of course following the fantastic MVP family and the news they share.
7. What one feature would you add to CRM Product.
From a customizer point of view, I would love to search for attributes/forms/views etc when I am in the admin area. I believe this was finally added to CDS but it would be great to see it everywhere. From an admin, I would love to manage backups that last more than a few days (a year would be great). From an end-users perspective, the advanced find needs to be improved especially when it comes to 1:N (search a record that does not have a related X).
8. What is the best tool/solution you have used recently
It’s difficult to talk about tools without mentioning XrmToolBox. Every time I am trying to get some insight, change an under-the-hood value, bulk settings, etc. XrmToolBox always has a plugin for it. If it doens’t then you can build one. I am a big API fan and adding that polished interface on top makes it so much easier. I also love the REST editor provided by Jason Lattimer.
9. What CRM certifications do you have, do you try and keep up to date with CRM certifications
I had the full lot back in the CRM 2011 days. Since I became practice lead and MVP my focus shifted.
10. How important is it to have good business analytical skills working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Unless you are a coding monkey having analytical skills is a must.
1. 10 How useful is it to have programming knowledge to become a good Microsoft Dynamics CRM Professional?
Depends on your career. If you are a solution architect or team lead then you’ll need to know the internals to advise the business and the team. However, for functional consultants or citizen developers, you don’t really need it. You can do a significant amount nowadays without a line of code. But it would help to know the limits and what requires extra customisation.
11. How often do you travel as a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Professional?
With my current role and given we have accounts across the Asia Pacific region I travel at least once a month.
12. Can you see yourself not using CRM in your career in the future
I once had the privilege to address James Phillips in a small group. I thanked him on behalf of the community for the product they have built which I and other have built our careers around. It’s difficult to think of my career without Dynamics but if it is then it’ll be tool agnostic helping the wider enterprise as opposed to one single platform.
13. What are your hobbies outside of CRM
When I am not doing work, chances are I am spending time with my precious wife and two boys. During my own time I have an interest in IoT and green energy.
14. What was the last book you read and what was the last film you watched
The last book I read is called the Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen. It described how successful companies fail if they don’t embrace the right technologies. Something we see often in our field and something to be cautious about.
Last movie I watches was The Devil’s Bride or Tulen Morsian. A Finnish movie about witch hunting in the Middle Ages. It highlights how powerless minorities can easily be disadvantaged even in today’s world.
15. Has CRM ever got you in trouble with your partner/family.
I wouldn’t say CRM but work in general. I am passionate about the work I do, the products I work with, and the community. Luckily I have an understanding wife and we respect each other’s passion.
16. Have you friends ever told you to stop talking/tweeting/blogging about CRM? What does your partner/family member(s) think of CRM
I never had a complaint about my work/life balance. I try to keep a healthy balance especially with my young family.
17. Tell me something interesting/unusual about yourself
I can’t otherwise I’ll have to kill you 🙂
18. Who is the first CRM Expert you remember reading/seeing
Back in the days two MVP influenced me (among others). The first is Chris Cognetta back when on-premise was cool. I first met him in an elevator in Atlanta at Convergence, we complained about our cell phones. The second is Daniel Cai for the level of knowledge he has on customisation, API, and integration. I also met him for the first time at Convergence at the Kingswaysoft stand. I shook his hand and thanks him for his great work. They both inspired me to become an MVP.
19. Tips for someone who wants to become a CRM Expert
Be passionate about it, only produce quality, hold others accountable for their work quality, keep on top of every new release to create the best possible outcome.
Thanks for such great detailed answers Rami!
Here is a certification of appreciation from our end:
Hope it helps and happy 365ing!
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