MockQuestions

Microsoft Program Manager Mock Interview

Question 5 of 30 for our Microsoft Program Manager Mock Interview

Microsoft was written by on May 9th, 2022. Learn more here.

Question 5 of 30

Describe a time when you implemented an extensible solution.

Microsoft relies heavily on the concept of extensibility for the vast majority of the products they develop. Their solutions scale to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses, and enterprises in many cases. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has experience implementing solutions with the level of flexible design that Microsoft requires.

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How to Answer: Describe a time when you implemented an extensible solution.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Microsoft job interview.

  • 5. Describe a time when you implemented an extensible solution.

      Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

      Microsoft relies heavily on the concept of extensibility for the vast majority of the products they develop. Their solutions scale to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses, and enterprises in many cases. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has experience implementing solutions with the level of flexible design that Microsoft requires.

      Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022

      Remember To

      Remember to describe how the solution was designed and then extended with minimal impact on the infrastructure of the solution. Extensibility can only be demonstrated over the course of multiple implementations.

      Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022

      Answer Example

      "I worked as an IT business consultant prior to my current role as a program manager. In that role, I was assigned to work with a team that managed the sales and contract information for a large operations organization. They used a number of systems to view and manage the information their sales, legal, and contracts teams relied upon. I was asked to develop a strategy to redesign their contract management system in such a way that it would also meet the informational needs of their sales and operations groups.

      I worked with the architects and tech leads of the current systems to reimagine the new solution. We had a solid data structure that met the current and future needs of our client, so we focused on integrating the solutions into a seamless user experience. We developed a portal solution that allowed users to add widgets to view and manage the information they needed. We worked with a user experience expert to ensure we got the design right, and we rolled out various widgets incrementally.

      The widgets were flexible, and we were able to use the same technology for a wide array of use cases. For example, the search functions within the widgets met the needs of the sales managers when they needed to search for customer data, and they met the needs of contract managers searching for expiring contracts.

      Our users loved the new solution. It felt fresh, and they loved how we were able to incrementally deliver new functions on a regular basis. It was a huge departure from what they were used to and bringing all of the features together in one place saved them a lot of time operationally."

      Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022