Revel Blog

Software Engineering Expert: Revel Employee Spotlight

Revel Systems | March 10, 2021 |

People POS Spotlight
Software Engineering Expert: Revel Employee Spotlight

How Mishuk Helps Execute Software Engineering at Revel

The previous installment of our “People POS” series featured Maria, a human resources generalist based in Sydney, Australia. We hope you enjoyed taking a closer look at how our human resources team supports Revel employees across the globe. 

Up next in this series, we’re taking a closer look at Revel’s software engineering team—more specifically at a team member based out of Revel’s Atlanta office. Meet Mishuk! 

Meet Mishuk

Mishuk joined the Revel team just over two years ago after graduating from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a certificate in Applied Data Science. He hasn’t looked back since, and today he contributes to Revel’s product engineering organization as a Software Engineer II.

“My role is kind of a hybrid between a standard engineering role and a development operations role. There are times where I sit down and write code, but there are also times when I'm knee deep in cloud operations, helping setup infrastructure to get our services deployed to production,” Mishuk explains. 

Mishuk’s role also includes a significant amount of software design, and he enjoys working on the architecture behind Revel’s SaaS solution as well. As part of the opening team at Revel’s headquarters in Atlanta, GA, Mishuk is thankful for the career growth he’s experienced since joining the company. 

“At most technology companies, you typically grow at a slow, steady pace. At Revel, I’ve experienced so much growth—both personally and professionally—and have been trusted with really exciting projects. You could say Revel has really helped launch my career,” Mishuk says.  

Outside of work, you’ll find Mishuk sharpening his skills on the keyboard, hiking at different trails across Georgia, and playing soccer, although presently he’s waiting to rejoin his soccer team when COVID-19 regulations are lifted. 

A Closer Look at Software Engineering Today

Software engineers like Mishuk, along with the other project stakeholders, work closely with Revel’s product owners. Product owners help prioritize new and ongoing projects, and they provide software engineers a high-level overview of what features are needed for Revel to support its clients even better. From goal setting to milestone check-ins for key features, product owners offer guidance and support that empower software engineers to be successful. 

“Our job begins with the ‘how.’ It’s up to software engineers like me to see how we can build it and what it will take, including time and resources,” Mishuk explains. “Prior to getting started, we also pass the project to our quality assurance team to make sure we can’t simply improve upon something that already exists.”

Once a project is agreed upon, a typical work day for Mishuk involves joining a daily Scrum meeting—a standard agile methodology for managing product development. The daily Scrum meeting gives Mishuk and his team the chance to go over what they’re currently working on and share any blockers they’re experiencing during the sprint (which is a set period of time during which specific work has to be completed and made ready for review). As a team, they discuss ways around those blockers or adjust sprint timelines as needed to account for unexpected delays. The host of the Scrum meeting, also known as the Scrum master, tracks all tickets created for specific features and helps keep software engineers like Mishuk on track during the project. 

While working on his current project deliverables, Mishuk continually syncs with his team to discuss what projects are next. Project priorities are typically defined by the product owner and are based on how many clients the feature will impact and what the benefit ratio is. It’s also critical for project stakeholders like Mishuk to report on previous sprints to help gauge how they can continue improving. 

How Mishuk Brings It Home

Last year, Mishuk completed a noteworthy project that impacted all Revel clients and employees. 

“We implemented single sign on (SSO) capabilities for users of Revel’s management console. This allows them to login only once and seamlessly navigate to other Revel services without having to re-enter their password,” Mishuk explains. “It also mitigates security risks and enables a more user-friendly experience.”

Mishuk was also responsible for working on Revel’s first micro-service, which helped clients accept terms and conditions on Revel’s website with ease. Since then, Mishuk has automated the deployment of multiple micro-services by setting them up in the cloud in a way that allows his team to deploy these services into production with just one click.

The completion of both the SSO and the automation of various micro-service projects were big wins for the team, and speak to Revel’s focus on creating a simplified experience for both clients and employees. 

Noteworthy Extras 

Prior to Revel shifting employees to a work from home model due to COVID-19, Mishuk looked forward to going into Revel’s Atlanta office. 

“Our in-office environment was very friendly. We worked really hard, but had fun too,” Mishuk explains. “Our office was also an open space, so whenever I had questions I could always talk to the person right next to me.”

The occasional ping pong tournament paired with a light prank culture across the software engineering team also added to the in-office enjoyment for Mishuk. Now that his team is remote, Mishuk is happy to report that they’ve actively made efforts to stay in touch while keeping pandemic restrictions top-of-mind. In lieu of going out to lunch, his team had a socially distanced outdoor picnic. They’ve also held virtual ‘coffee hours’ where the team devotes time to talking about passions and activities outside of work. 

What’s Next

Despite the effects of COVID-19, Mishuk and Revel’s entire product engineering team have continued to challenge themselves, releasing multiple mission-critical features and products for clients over the past year. 

“Watching our team continue to grow at a rapid pace is exciting, and we have interesting projects popping up left and right,” says Mishuk.  

As restaurants and retailers look ahead to business in a post-pandemic world, talented software engineers like Mishuk, alongside Revel’s broader product engineering organization, are entirely focused on helping clients meet the off-premises and in-person dining needs that emerge.