Who are you and what are you doing? Who are your partners?
My name is Philipp Diebold and I am a research associate at Fraunhofer IESE and also a doctoral student at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. My industrial partner at the Software Campus is Robert Bosch GmbH.
When did you join the Software Campus and why are you in the program?
I joined Software Campus in 2014 and my research project started in March 2015.
I participate in the program because it offers me many opportunities to improve my soft skills and technical work. Soft skills are taught on the o†ne hand through seminars and on the other hand through the personal leadership of employees and students. In addition, the program creates a network between industry and research, for higher application-oriented research and hopefully an easier entry into industry later.
What do you expect from the Software Campus?
I hope to learn methods for better leadership on the one hand, but also for other areas such as creativity or project management and apply them directly in my own project context, so that my leadership and social skills improve overall. In addition, I hope to receive practical feedback for my research work so that the results will ultimately be applied.
What is the content of your IT project and how could it be used in the future?
My project is about improving software development processes (mainly in regulatory domains with many standards, laws, etc.) by integrating more “agility”. This is done by examining small-scale so-called agile practices. The method is mainly called “agile potential analysis”. It checks how much potential the use of this “agility” has in the respective context. The aim of the project is to achieve better, more efficient and more flexible development processes in the future, so that the advantages of agility, such as shorter product cycles and closer customer contact, can be applied in these domains.
What fascinates you about computer science?
It fascinates me that nowadays computer science plays a role in all areas and one can hardly imagine life without it. IT systems therefore play a very important role in today’s world. Additionally, I am a friend of tackling and solving new challenges. Computer science is an area in which you are confronted with new problems or challenges again and again and which you have to solve.
Which app/technical invention is indispensable for you?
Email, as a means of communication. Although I have now made the experience that too many things are communicated via email and that instead one should return more frequently to “old-fashioned” methods such as the telephone or direct communication.
Do you think there is “the one” quality that a top executive must have to be successful today?
In my opinion, a top executive should have the following four qualities:
- Assertiveness
- Leadership (dealing with employees, responding to their needs)
- Clearly structured thinking for strategic orientation
- Good scheduling and time management
What’s your passion – besides your job and Software Campus?
Sports such as jogging, cycling and hiking. But also travelling – which is why I like to go to conferences on business and have initiated the forthcoming New Zealand exchange in spring 2016.
