Pinja takes into account the personal development of each employee and the collective development of the work community in many ways. Therefore, information is shared in a variety of ways, and efforts are made to bring forward tacit knowledge. One of the latest channels for sharing information is the Pinja Tech Meetup, which has expanded from a dedicated event for architects to a forum for the entire staff to exchange information.
Pinja Tech Meetup is a virtual Google Meet event that started among Pinja’s architects, and has been held internally since spring 2022. Initially aimed at architects themselves, the event quickly gained wider popularity, and by the fall it had evolved into a forum for the exchange of information open to all Pinjans. The once-a-month events start with one or more presentations on a specific topic, after which those who wish can stay to ask more questions and discuss the topic freely.
One of the founding members of the Pinja Tech Meetup is Kalle Häkkänen, a long-time Pinja architect, who has also served as the event’s facilitator.
- The aim of the Pinja Tech Meetup is to serve as a place to share knowledge across organizational boundaries. Now that we’ve had several events, we’ve started to establish a practice of planning each meeting around a specific theme, says Kalle.The knowledge-sharing events are driven by Pinja’s broader ideology of personal and community co-development and the use of the latest knowledge and tools.
Event topics can include specific technologies, processes, our products or client projects – or a combination of these. Previous Meetups have covered topics such as ways to solve performance problems, serverless technologies, experiences with the Blazor web framework, as well as presentations of Pinja’s own products from a technology perspective. In addition, presentations have been made on topics such as general principles of system design and data security.
- The topics are chosen depending on the participants. We like to hear what topics participants would like to know more about, and we try to organize the presentations accordingly. Sometimes, speakers themselves may also suggest a topic that they think will be of interest to other Pinjans.Sharing knowledge develops individuals, as well as the whole work community
The Pinja Tech Meetup was born among system architects, perhaps partly because they find it very useful to share knowledge with each other, given their broad scope of work. The contribution of architects is visible in all Pinja products and in all client projects. The main focus is on designing software and related infrastructure, but many architects are also involved in the implementation of the solutions they design. The architects also guide the team, so the work is very interactive. Often architects also play an important role in supporting sales. So there is plenty of information to share on a wide range of topics.
The main objective of the Pinja Tech Meetups, which will be extended to all staff in fall 2022, is now to share knowledge in a low-threshold and open way among the entire work community. It is important to share information across teams, products and job descriptions, so that all Pinjans know what is being done elsewhere in the organization, and to share good practice. Speaking out also makes tacit information visible.
The accessibility of information is also supported by the fact that the Pinja Tech Meetups are arranged online. This allows anyone to participate in the events from any city, office or teleworking location. For some, they have also been an inspiration for what they want to do with the ten days of paid training a year offered by their employer.
- I have also gained new knowledge and ideas from these events, and have been able to use them in all projects. The feedback we have received also tells us more broadly that people like the events and their topics. I also count returning participants as good feedback – many have come back for the next meetings, Kalle says.
The knowledge-sharing events are driven by Pinja’s broader ideology of personal and community co-development and the use of the latest knowledge and tools. The open exchange of information is also supported by the relatively active project rotation of employees. Team configurations may change from time to time, even if the client project itself is long. Sharing good practice and knowledge is a natural part of the daily work, as newcomers to the project bring new ideas.
- We share information in many different ways. Another place that is open to everyone is the Slack channel, for example, which we call the Nerd Corner. It’s a place where you can ask low-threshold questions – about work and sometimes even a little bit outside of work, Kalle says and grins.
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