Elevators are the world's most used transport by far, and their complexity is rarely acknowledged.

Joining Schindler, I was curious to learn how they deliver such a complex product while managing convoluted teamwork. Essentially, how does one organize people to operate around the idea of building an everyday utility that's deceptively simple yet riddled with high-stakes intricacies?

The management of much critical information had to flow in ways that allowed for no mistakes. It spanned everything from coordinating limitless hardware and software dependencies to addressing numerous safety considerations and the rigorous testing strategies they require. Countless configurations added layers of challenges (height, number of doors, restricted floors, brake modules, counterweight systems, and more) compounded by often contradictory regulations from countries (and sometimes cities). We also had to support diverse emergency procedures, power outage management, entrapment risks, installation safety, competitor integrations, remote diagnostics, and contactless interfaces. From internal communications around requirements to end-of-life product considerations, elevators stand as one of humanity's most sophisticated creations, often unbeknownst to users.

As Schindler enabled people to move from point A to point B, I helped the company and my department chart its upcoming point B (“where do we go”), while establishing point A (“where we are now”)—something too easily left in the fog of war sometimes (and dangerously so). We stood at the heart of the end products' capabilities, layering innovations atop decades of accumulated features and code. Our whole department was known for having a steep and long learning curve that implied any addition to the team had to be carefully considered.

It is a tricky exercise to detail my activities without revealing too much of the company’s internal workings, and so for now I’ll just list here a few concrete achievements:

• Led the formation of the Foundation Team, a group of software engineers focused on the controller software’s core elements, including work related to OS adaptations, critical activities like Test Automation and Defect Management, and the Secure Development Lifecycle for cybersecurity.

• Applied my own testing philosophy (see Sigma Testing) to guide the team in building a powerful, sophisticated alpha-testing ecosystem from scratch, rapidly advancing autonomous digital testing and enabling a global test strategy overhaul.

• Oversaw DevOps-related aspects, including code change delivery and hardware simulator management.

• Managed tools like Atlassian’s Jira, Confluence, and Advanced Roadmaps, driving their adoption and ongoing evolution.

Schindler has been one of my most enriching experiences for understanding how people function, and a reminder of a core truth: things are fragile and deserve care, and people should be inspired to provide it. Yet this right here is an ever-uphill battle. You need to be able to recognize potential in individuals and hidden gems of ideas that will carry the company, often unbeknownst to it. Balancing risks, freedom and team ambitions is key. You need to speak the same language (what counts as a test? what qualifies as automation? what even defines a defect?), and sometimes that means confronting uncomfortable weaknesses in order to heal vital processes.

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What I’d like to write about in the near future:

• Habits of a great Team Leader

  • Shut up, watch, nudge

  • Wearing someone else’s shoes

  • Freedom & Rules

  • Carry the load no one wants

  • Clarity

  • Infusing possibilities

  • Working with egos

• Be a Project Gardener

  • Planting ideas

  • Caring for the Seed, the Soil and the Tree.

  • Alive or dead, dancing with breath and decay

  • The Rosarian

  • Fruits ripeness and delivery

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