TPM Stories — Astha Karki from SPAN
Interviewed by Arlene Gabriana Murillo
My name is Astha Karki. I currently live in Oakland and work in a startup, SPAN located in SF. I’ve been at SPAN since 2018 and work as a Sr. Engineering Program Manager. I’ve worked here at various capacities to manage end to end programs that span across Software and Hardware development. My journey to SPAN has been an interesting one — I studied Environmental Engineering at UC Merced for my undergrad, worked for San Francisco Int’l Airport (SFO) in the IT department as a Business Analyst and transitioned to Program Management. Since SFO, I’ve received my MS degree in Sustainable Energy, pivoted to working in the climate tech space.
I like all things food, waste and climate related. I am an amateur homesteader and I’m not very good at it but it helps me relax. I’m a Covid plant mom and have more plants that I can manage regularly 😀
Tell us about your career journey — how has your career transformed and how did you become a TPM?
During my undergraduate degree for Environmental Engineering, I was taking a course in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and got a part time job working in the Spatial analysis lab at UC Merced. This led to my first internship with the City of Martinez then to SFO as a business analyst within the IT department. I was hired at SFO as a GIS analyst to start developing indoor mapping solutions at the airport. I worked on a few early projects to create a map server that mapped the wifi access points and the curbside activity which eventually led to an application to alleviate roadside congestion due to Transportation Network Companies (TNCs). I was working within the Software Engineering group but was curious about the Capital Projects. I asked the Director of Capital Projects how I can learn Project Management and potential growth in this field. Ray was nice enough to give me some one-on-one coaching to learn the foundations and eventually started to give me Software application projects of my own to manage. Within 6 months, I was starting to project manage 2–3 projects that impacted operational efficiencies of the airport and ended my 3.5 year tenure at SFO managing 2 large Capital projects. I’ve since continued in this path and pivoted to the climate tech industry.
What do you enjoy the most about being a TPM? Where do you think a TPM can add the most value?
Being a TPM is being at the center of chaos. It’s never a dull moment but can be pretty overwhelming if you’re not ready for the rollercoaster, especially at Startups. As a TPM, I’ve gotten to grow a network of amazing people amongst a wide range of focus areas. I like the constant learning that the role forces on you. You’re never a subject matter expert in any specific domain but need to lead teams to solve highly complex problems.
The value TPMs can add is to really be the glue for cross functional organization. It’s all about planning the work and working the plan.
You’ve been a TPM at a few different companies. What are some similarities and differences between the roles?
The companies are different but the problems are usually the same. From SFO, Motiv Power Systems to SPAN, it’s been about cross functional collaboration, communication, transparency and juggling competing priorities. They tend to follow you no matter where you go and what company you work for.
What is the most memorable program that you have driven as a TPM? What made it so memorable?
The most memorable program so far was during Motiv Power Systems. We were shipping out an Ford F-59 Chassis integrated with Li-ion battery for a trade show. I was with some of the engineers and technicians at the Stockton facility where they were actively laying out High Voltage wiring on the chassis. Since we were 2-day from shipping the chassis to the show, the team was working pretty late into the night to meet the deadline. The chassis was a prototype so the design was still being worked on — the wiring spaces were undesirably tight under the cab areas so I was the designated person to wire the cables in hard to reach areas because I had the smallest hands. We played music, had dinner together at the facility and shared stories as we continued until 1am for multiple nights in a row to make the ship date. The memorable aspect is that it reminds me I don’t ever want to be in that position again where I spend several late nights to meet project deliverables, on the other hand it helped create great friendships that I still cherish.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a TPM? How did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge as a TPM is navigating emotions. You have got to be the diplomat in situations that are fueled with disagreements or interpersonal differences. I’ve learned to compartmentalize my work pretty well at this point so things that seem “heated” at work seldom bothers me in my personal life. My biggest advice would be to always realize that everyone at work is dealing with the same chaos and uncertainty as you. I’ve often gotten into a work debate that can seem frustrating but as soon as the meeting is over, I try to change to my usual light hearted tone to make sure my colleagues understand my attitude towards delivering to program goals versus my personality.
“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh
What got you interested in climate tech? How do you find working in this industry?
I studied Environmental Engineering during my undergraduate at UC Merced. I really got interested in green tech due to my degree. Since SFO, I’ve been very intentional in my career and the companies I work for. Since we spend ~70% of our waking hours at work, I wanted to be meaningful and contribute this time towards a mission driven company. Climate and waste is something that I think about constantly so leaving a positive impact in our world is something I’m very passionate about. If I wasn’t in the climate space, I would likely be in some Agtech or waste management company.
TPMs — What’s your story? If you are interested in contributing or sharing your story, please reach out!
