Jonas, when Björn at Based On People conducted the latest leadership program with you at Kvdbil, he experienced your great passion for software development. Many may perceive such a project as difficult and complex, but tell us what makes you so engaged?
Ever since childhood, I have been fascinated by technology and the joy of creation that follows in all forms of product development. We live in an era where almost everything is possible, and you cannot even toast a slice of bread without software. Although we have software in principle in everything we see, many still experience the software development process as something difficult. I think the inherent challenge in this contradiction makes this extremely interesting and fun to work with!
So what are the typical success factors for a successful IT project?
At a high level, an IT project does not differ so much from any project, you must have a good vision of what you want to accomplish. The difficult, and fun, part comes when you actually start with the development itself. Imagine that every day you go to work you can build in principle anything - without limitations - within software development it is almost like that. In addition, you have access to the very latest technology from the largest suppliers on the entire globe in everything from artificial intelligence to payment flows. The world is literally in front of the developer at the keyboard. This is where it gets a little tricky. There are so many choices that are technically only comprehensible to those who work with this every day, and in that reality, we as managers and project managers must steer with processes, KPIs, and create relevant time and investment plans. In this intersection between the infinite degree of freedom of IT development and our leaders' pursuit of efficiency, goal management, and predictability, it becomes difficult.
So how should you do it then?
You have to stifle your instincts to develop processes and metrics, focus on what is important - building teams and getting the people in the roles to want to take responsibility for what they are best at. By giving your development teams freedom, they will grow and take responsibility. Because in the same way that the developers are the only ones who can decide which technology is right, they are also the only ones who can maintain and keep the systems running and be reliable over time. So next time an IT project is in trouble, my advice is to stop and talk to the developers directly under the motto "You know what the goal is, how do we get there in the best way together?"