The realm of product management has undergone significant transformation, with a growing emphasis on strong leadership, data-informed decision-making, and seamless cross-functional collaboration. As industries continue to integrate agile methodologies and data-driven strategies, product managers are expected to evolve to meet increasing demands for innovation, efficiency, and customer-centric solutions. This evolution has expanded the scope of their role, encompassing technical, strategic, and operational responsibilities. Agile frameworks have played a crucial role in reshaping product development, testing, and scaling, enabling teams to adapt swiftly to shifting requirements and market dynamics.
Semen Arslan, a Senior Product Manager, has consistently embraced new challenges throughout her career. Her journey, which began in open-source development and transitioned into product management, highlights the diverse skill set required in the field. With a background that includes QA, agile coaching, and product management, Semen has developed a well-rounded perspective on organizational growth and team dynamics. Her ability to implement frameworks, optimize processes, and foster collaboration has established her as a prominent leader in the industry.
METRO.digital, the organization where Semen currently applies her expertise, is a key player in the tech sector, focusing on innovative solutions that streamline business processes and enhance customer interactions. The company’s dedication to agile practices and forward-thinking solutions aligns with Semen’s professional philosophy, which prioritizes continuous learning and transformation through strategic leadership and effective management.
A Diverse Path from Open-Source to Product Management
Semen likens her career path to a tree rather than a ladder, embracing various roles fueled by her passion for growth. Her professional journey began with an enthusiasm for open-source development. During her university years, she volunteered as an open-source developer and later contributed to Turkey’s Open Source Linux Distribution project. Her interest in improving organizational efficiency led her to transition into QA, where she spearheaded a Google Summer of Code project to develop a test framework for the Linux distribution. She also enhanced the release cycle by introducing daily releases and implementing a mentoring program to onboard new volunteers. Additionally, she launched a bug review system and cultivated a volunteer test community, delivering talks across Turkey to attract new contributors.
In 2008, Semen discovered a strong interest in Agile methodologies, exploring various frameworks such as No-estimates, OKRs, Scrum, XP, and scaling methodologies like SAFe and LeSS. Over time, she became a speaker on Agile principles and, in 2017, collaborated with an intern to develop a no-estimates system on Jira to forecast product timelines. Although Agile adoption was still limited in Turkey, Semen sought to work in environments that fully embraced the methodology. She later joined a startup that followed a hybrid “waterfall-ish” Agile approach due to legacy system dependencies. Frustrated by these constraints, she moved to one of Turkey’s leading telecom firms, where she worked alongside ThoughtWorks on Agile transformation, gaining valuable experience through XP training and coaching. Seeking international exposure, Semen then became a Scrum Master for a telecom company serving U.S. and Canadian clients, leading nine teams. This role allowed her to scale Agile practices and earn a SAFe Practitioner certification, eventually advancing to a Program Manager role.
Semen maintains a framework-agnostic approach, recognizing that while SAFe is comprehensive, companies should tailor it to their needs. She holds a CMMI certification but does not endorse its full implementation due to its rigid structure. However, she appreciates its emphasis on quality assurance, particularly for non-functional requirements often overlooked by Agile teams. During her tenure at Netas, she received the Agile and Digital Transformation Award in 2017. Her contributions include teaching Agile Product Management at Bahçeşehir University from 2016 to 2018, developing a “Minimum Viable Success” system for children, speaking at global Agile events, contributing to Management 3.0 blogs, and serving on the Agile Turkey and JavaDay Istanbul committees.
Her exploration of OKRs significantly influenced her approach, leading her to focus on performance metrics that enhance both team and product effectiveness. Her growing passion for product management led her to GE Aviation, where she gained insights into product analytics and user-driven innovation.
Enhancing Teams and Products through Leadership
Semen joined METRO.digital in 2019 as a product manager overseeing APIs and the main product page. She was responsible for managing product data, including names, images, descriptions, and recommendations. By conducting user interviews, running tests, and executing A/B experiments, she played a key role in redesigning the main product page and introducing features that enhanced cross-selling and upselling.
During her tenure, she led the transition from an outsourced team model to an in-house team. Even during her parental leave, the team successfully completed this transition, demonstrating the value of cultivating a self-sufficient, high-performing team.
Upon her return, Semen shifted focus to pricing, where her team now manages pricing business logic across 20 METRO countries, providing API data for over 20 METRO applications. Her initial efforts targeted FinOps, successfully reducing infrastructure costs by millions of euros annually. She continues to refine these cost-saving initiatives while leading the internalization phase for the pricing team, using her expertise to develop frameworks for team-building and effective communication between engineering and business leaders.
Driving Performance and Change through Strategic Leadership
Semen believes in adapting leadership styles to team maturity, utilizing mentoring, coaching, or delegation depending on the situation. She prioritizes trust-building within teams, recognizing its impact on overall performance. Through regular feedback sessions, retrospectives, and conflict resolution strategies, she ensures continuous team development.
Her ability to drive change has earned her recognition, including a nomination as a METRO Momentum Maker for her unwavering determination. She follows John Kotter’s change management model, focusing on urgency, coalition-building, and incremental improvements to drive long-term transformation. Her latest initiative, a Team Performance Scorecard system, is now being scaled across METRO.digital teams, reflecting her data-driven approach to performance enhancement.
Leveraging Data for Risk Mitigation and Growth
Semen relies on data analysis to identify risks and improvement opportunities. Whether reviewing cloud billing metrics to optimize FinOps costs or preparing management reports, she ensures that insights are backed by data, making her findings impactful and actionable.
Work-Life Balance and Personal Growth
As a mother of two young children, Semen manages the balance between personal and professional responsibilities with the support of her family. This enables her to dedicate time to both career growth and nurturing her children.
Navigating Between Introversion and Extroversion
Semen considers herself an ambivert, balancing deep research and learning with public speaking and networking. She actively shares knowledge at industry conferences, contributing to both her personal development and company growth.
Advancing in AI/ML and Leadership
Semen’s current focus lies in developing operating models for AI/ML innovations, aiming to further her expertise in the field. While she thrives as an individual contributor, she is now setting her sights on expanding her impact as a people manager, continuing her journey of leadership and innovation in product management.
