Roni Palva-aho is a software developer at Pinja who comes across various projects in his work. One of the later ones is the My Meal project of HUS that reduces food waste and improves the efficiency of food distribution.
Roni has been a technical expert in several projects related to the energy industry, construction, manufacturing, and telecommunications. Roni looks at his role as a versatile full-stack developer from two perspectives:
– My work can be seen in terms of the value I bring to the client and the results of my tangible work. The tangible result of my work is usually a piece of software or code. Mainly, however, my job is about problem-solving – facilitating processes or everyday life in some way, he describes.
At Pinja, a full-stack developer solves problems with the client
Roni’s career at Pinja began in 2016 as an intern at the Jyväskylä office. The versatility of the work was something that he liked from day one, and Roni became a permanent employee after the internship. Today, he has a long career behind him at Pinja and he feels that he is now able to develop software with a holistic approach.
We don’t do things just for the sake of it – we aim to create solutions that last and fulfill Pinja’s and the client’s quality criteria.
According to Roni, the tasks at Pinja are extensive, which has gotten him into interesting projects.
For example, data flow digitalization and automation between patients, food distribution, and the kitchen were at the heart of the My Meal project of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS). In addition to time savings, it minimizes food waste because customers can influence their meal alternatives in more detail. HUS serves daily meals for up to 3,000 patients, which means that a reduction in food waste has a significant impact on the environment and economy.
HUS has a diverse clientele of people of all ages and backgrounds – virtually the entire spectrum of citizens. Because of this, the development of the application had to consider factors such as varying levels of knowledge about how to use the app, as well as visual and other limitations.
An important requirement designing the My Meal app was to make it as accessible and easy to use as possible. It was ensured through accessibility testing, further research and feedback from the HUS wards, and the expertise of Pinja’s accessibility expert.
Roni highlights that a solution is not the result of a single coder or full-stack developer – cooperation with the client and different teams is key to achieving good results.
– A project like My Meal is extensive – the cooperation involved HUS’s nurses, caregivers, and managers, and from Pinja, everyone from software developers and application architects to project managers. Technical implementations require a deep understanding of the client’s operations, he states.
The application was piloted in spring 2024, and then it has been rolled out in phases. The ultimate goal is to use the application throughout HUS in all locations and departments.
Data is the future
Data is a topic close to Roni’s heart. He is currently on a part-time study leave from Pinja and focuses in his studies on data and analytics.
– Data is the future and I am very interested in it. We work a lot with data at Pinja, he says.
Roni’s work involves a lot of product development, where new solutions are tested or data is gathered from different sources. The work is project-based, which brings variation to the job description. Roni has enjoyed his job as a full-stack developer for a long time because Pinja lets its employees perform their work by their values.
– The biggest motivator for me is that I get to help our clients and do my best to solve their problems. We don’t do things just for the sake of it – we aim to create solutions that last and fulfill Pinja’s and the client’s quality criteria, he says.
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