Projects and experience at ALTEN

How would you describe yourself?

I am a holistic thinker, strong communicator, and tech nerd with a sense of humor.

What was your most exciting project?  

There were a few. Once, we were commissioned to develop software for a customer product that would enable level 4 autonomous driving (according to SAE J3016). A vehicle operating at level 4 fulfills all aspects of the dynamic driving task specific to the driving mode through an automated driving system. And it does so without the expectation that the driver will respond to requests to intervene.

Due to the demanding customer requirements, we relied heavily on experienced colleagues with the right expertise. At the same time, we offered some dedicated and eager-to-learn colleagues with less experience the opportunity to contribute to the project’s success. The team was very culturally diverse, and a wide variety of roles were involved, including software developer, IT operations engineer, software tester, and SCRUM master. Together with our business management and the customer, we were able to create a great setting, both contractually and operationally, which enabled us to integrate almost seamlessly into the customer’s organization. Development was carried out according to the SCRUM method. In close cooperation with the customer’s development teams, several technical solutions were developed and then compared with each other. Among other things, current, technically exciting topics such as artificial intelligence were also considered. The collaboration with the team, the customer, and our business management, as well as the extremely demanding technical topics were particularly exciting for me.

What is your highlight at ALTEN?

I am impressed by both the wide range of expertise within the company and the variety of technical challenges posed by the different customers. I can learn a lot from and with many colleagues here and encounter a wide variety of challenges.

What was your biggest challenge?

At the beginning of my career, I was given the opportunity to take on the role of technical lead in a small project team. Neither I nor the team had any experience with the task at hand. The customer had experts on the subject who were helpful but pressed for time. This meant we had to work very efficiently to build up the necessary expertise ourselves as quickly as possible. That was very challenging and required a lot of commitment. After some initial uncertainty, I got the impression that we had a chance of success. That motivated me to keep going. I wanted to see the project succeed. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues in the team decided otherwise and left the project. That was a setback. Fortunately, I had several great mentors at the time who supported me in my learning process. In the end, I was given the opportunity to select replacements for the vacant positions. Together with my new teammates, the project was a success. During this phase of my working life, I was able to experience the entire development process very intensively and learn a lot about project management, leadership, and the relevant field.

Would you choose ALTEN again?

Yes. I enjoy working with my teams, customers, colleagues, and supervisors. ALTEN has not disappointed my expectations in terms of things that bother me and things that I think are great. In that respect, ALTEN is what I was looking for.

What advice would you give to new colleagues?

Find out what activities you enjoy and how you can use your strengths in your current context to contribute to the bigger picture. Maybe you can combine the two? Embark on your journey. Find out where it takes you. The journey is the destination, and the journey itself should be enjoyable. In this sense, ALTEN is an incredibly diverse landscape, and it’s up to you to find out which areas you like.