Q&A with Jody Barney

Jody has been working with FileMaker for over 17 years in various industries. She has a Master’s in Business Administration and has worked in several “Analyst” roles over the years, always leveraging the power of Claris FileMaker along the way. She lives in central Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 lakes, with her husband, three teenagers, and a sweet English Cocker Spaniel. When not at work, you can either find Jody at her kid’s sporting events, coaching her daughter’s basketball team, or appreciating the outdoors.

– How did you start your career with Claris FileMaker development?

The company I was working for at the time needed a database management system that could work on both Mac and PCs. A colleague of mine introduced FileMaker as an option and I began developing a department-specific application. Soon after, I expanded the application to other areas of the organization and have been utilizing it ever since.

– What is your favorite thing about FileMaker?

I love the fact that we as developers, can create anything from just an idea and do it fast! It is a relatively easy platform for new users to begin with. As your knowledge of the software grows the solutions you create can really take off and make an impact on your users.

– What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from earlier roles?

Listen! I love discovering business processes and finding efficiencies for companies, departments, and people. What is the ultimate goal? Why are we doing this activity? Most times the answer I get is “that is just always the way we have done it” or “I was trained to do it this way”. When users understand the importance of their role in the company and how it impacts others – impactful changes can happen.

– If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?

This is the advice I tell my own kids. Pick a career where you can be creative, challenged, and that not everyone can do. A quote often used in our house is, “Work Hard. Learn Lots!”

– What are you most looking forward to at Codence and the work you do here?

I’m excited to work with a variety of clients and industries. Solving problems, finding efficiencies, and improving business processes are green cards for me. It is such a rewarding process to help companies, departments, and individuals achieve their goals. I am also eager to work with other Claris FileMaker developers. Codence has some rockstars!

– How did you get into sports and what sports do you enjoy playing?

I grew up on a dairy farm and I have three brothers. We worked on the farm helping with chores, but in the evenings, we would play games together. As we got older, each joined our sports teams at school, it was our form of entertainment in a small town. I played volleyball, basketball, and softball in high school and continued volleyball and softball at college. I still love playing volleyball – our family has a court in our backyard and we will play a couple times a week. I now get to enjoy watching my three kids each play 3-4 sports, it keeps us busy!

– You coach your daughter’s basketball team. Any similarities between developing and coaching?

You must have a plan. I could develop something really quickly, but it could entirely be off base and have to be discarded. If we would go to practice without a plan, the girls wouldn’t have structure and the time together would not be well spent. In both situations, what is it that needs to be accomplished and how does that get done?

– If you could get a brand to sponsor you, what brand would it be?

I am not a brand loyalist, but I would just want to be represented by a company that demonstrated a quality product and puts the needs of the customer at the forefront of every decision.

– Any big plans for enjoying the Land of 10,000 lakes during the Summer?

We are lucky to have several friends and family members that own lake property, so we get to enjoy many different lakes and make memories with all these great people. My personal favorite is our annual 4^th of July weekend with good friends of ours… there are yard games, tubing, bonfires, fireworks, food, and tons of laughs.

– What is your dream family vacation?

Funny you ask… I just took it before I joined Codence! My son will graduate from high school next year and after he goes to college, our family unit will forever be different. We had one last family bucket list trip and that was to travel to Hawaii. We went to Kauai for 11 days in March. My next dream family vacation will just be to continue to travel together as my children become adults.