I have over 40 years of experience in all areas and a wide variety of roles related to the development of business-critical software, including 22 years as the technical lead of a distributed (Germany, nearshore) development team working on a complex ERP software system that has been successful in the validated environment of the pharmaceutical industry. For many years, I had a leading role in software architecture, implementation, tooling, configuration and release management, as well as issues related to deployment, update management, and maintenance. As a long-time QA Master according to the GAMP definition and an author of mandatory implementation standards, quality management has become my second nature. After starting out with C/C++ in a UNIX environment, I worked primarily with the Microsoft technology stack, supplemented by modern web technologies such as Angular. Pickin' up where I left off in my early career in the UNIX environment, I have also been making extensive use of free software and open standards for 30 years—from laptops to community servers. - As an electrical engineer, I also have a deep understanding of even complex hardware.
I have always aimed to cultivate a wide range of classic engineering virtues: from the technical imagination to envision viable—even unorthodox—solutions where others limit themselves to standard approaches, to a certain uncompromising mindset that avoids ignoring uncomfortable facts and limiting implications, all the way to the continuous, communication-driven involvement of all team members. Equally important are a serious engagement with the needs, goals, and ways of thinking of users—going far beyond technical considerations—a basic understanding of the subject matter, and long-term strategic thinking with a critical eye toward technological developments. The latter seems particularly important to me in terms of long-term success and reliable acceptance. Constantly vigilant and critical observation of existing solutions—as well as the underlying concepts and realities—reveals not only their practical benefits but also the problematic constraints and shortcomings that may arise in the medium and long term.
Last but not least, I consider it essential to consistently ground my professional thinking in the realities and developments of our free and democratic community and in the values of an enlightened society. I am increasingly interested in the practical application of these principles in the technical field, as well as in the sharing of knowledge and experience and the promotion of a technical mindset that consistently takes societal concerns into account. This primacy of the human being and of what is human also leads to a fundamental skepticism toward the unreflective use of artificial intelligence (AI), without, however, failing to recognize its undeniable benefits when clearly limited to specific use cases.