Give me an example of a time when you were able to deliver an important project under a tight deadline. What sacrifices did you have to make to meet the deadline? How did they impact the final deliverable? What was the final outcome?
Situation:
During my bachelor thesis, I had a project where I had to investigate a new CMS system Pimcore to connect the accounting department with marketing through a dashboard. This involved migrating data from one platform to another and developing a dashboard for easy data access. The challenge was that I had to complete both the technical implementation and the academic documentation—an 80-page thesis—all under a tight deadline.
Task:
My goal was to develop the dashboard and deliver the entire project on time, which included both the technical solution and the required academic documentation.
Action:
To meet the deadline, I worked long hours, to both the development of the dashboard and the writing of the documentation. I balanced my time between coding and writing, ensuring I was making progress on both fronts. I regularly met with my professor for feedback on the academic aspects and collaborated with my mentor from the company to ensure the technical aspects were aligned with the project’s requirements.
Result:
Despite the pressure, I successfully completed the project and submitted the thesis on time. The dashboard was fully functional, tested, and ready for use. The documentation, while time-consuming, was also completed and met the required academic standards.
Sacrifices:
To meet the deadline, I had to spend a lot of time learning new programming languages and understanding APIs from other apps.
Impact on the Final Deliverable:
These sacrifices affected the final deliverable. While the dashboard was functional and met the essential requirements, the bachelor thesis was still good, and I received a great grade for both the project and the presentation.
Final Outcome:
Despite the sacrifices, I finished everything on time. The dashboard worked as expected, and I submitted the project and documentation by the deadline. The company was happy with the results, and I received a good grade. My professor was also pleased with the work, and I successfully met both the technical and academic requirements.
Tell me about a time when you had significant, unanticipated obstacles to overcome in achieving a key goal. What was the obstacle? Were you eventually successful? Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?
I had a customer who was overwhelmed with spam emails, and their inbox was full, making it hard to find important business and customer emails. My task was to find a cost-effective and efficient solution to reduce the spam.
I discovered a free solution from Google, which was using reCAPTCHA to filter out spam. However, the obstacle was that according to German privacy and protection laws, using reCAPTCHA required that we mention it in the website’s privacy policy. This added an extra step I hadn’t initially anticipated.
I researched the legal requirements and figured out exactly where and how to mention the use of reCAPTCHA in the website’s privacy policy. I worked with the customer to update the privacy policy and implement the solution without any legal issues.
The reCAPTCHA solution worked effectively in reducing spam, and the inbox was much more manageable. The customer was satisfied with the cost-effective solution, and the legal requirements were met.
Reflection:
If I had known about the privacy law requirements earlier, I would have factored that into the solution from the beginning. But overall, I learned the importance of considering legal regulations when implementing tech solutions and how to find ways to adapt quickly.
What was the obstacle?
The obstacle was that using reCAPTCHA, a free solution from Google to filter out spam emails, required compliance with German privacy and protection laws. Specifically, the website’s privacy policy needed to mention the use of reCAPTCHA, which I hadn't initially planned for.
Were you eventually successful?
Yes, I was eventually successful. After researching the legal requirements, I figured out how and where to mention reCAPTCHA in the website’s privacy policy. The solution effectively reduced the spam, and the customer’s inbox became manageable. The legal requirements were also met, and the customer was satisfied with the outcome.
Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?
Knowing what I know now, I would have considered the legal requirements for privacy and protection laws earlier in the process. I would have planned to update the privacy policy alongside implementing the reCAPTCHA solution from the start. This would have saved time and helped avoid any delays in the project.
Tell me about a time when you not only met a goal but considerably exceeded expectations. How were you able to do it? What challenges did you have to overcome?
In my previous role, I was leading a project to digitalize the cab company’s central operations by developing an app that would allow drivers to receive orders directly on their phones and eliminate the need for paper documentation. The goal was to meet a regulatory deadline for the new digital system, but I set myself a personal goal to not only complete the app on time but to ensure that it was fully adopted by the drivers, making their daily work more efficient.
My task was to deliver the app on time, train the drivers, and ensure they were comfortable using the new system. The challenge was that the drivers were used to a manual, paper-based system and were resistant to change. I wanted to not only get the app working but to exceed expectations by ensuring the drivers saw immediate value from it.
I knew that meeting the deadline was essential, but I also focused on exceeding expectations by addressing concerns upfront. I engaged the drivers early on by organizing feedback sessions to understand their concerns and made changes to the app based on their input. I also condensed the training to focus on making the app as intuitive as possible, saving time and helping the drivers feel comfortable quickly. To make sure the transition was smooth, I provided extra support during the launch phase, ensuring they had assistance whenever needed.
Not only did I meet the regulatory deadline, but the app was fully adopted ahead of schedule. The drivers were able to seamlessly transition to the new system, and the company saw a reduction in paperwork and improved operational efficiency. I exceeded expectations by ensuring the app wasn’t just a tool to meet the legal requirement but something that genuinely helped the drivers with their daily tasks, making their workflow easier and faster. The team was able to work more efficiently, and there was a noticeable improvement in overall productivity.
Challenges Overcome:
The main challenge was the initial resistance from the drivers, but by involving them in the process early, listening to their concerns, and adjusting the app based on their feedback, I was able to overcome that. Another challenge was ensuring the app was fully functional in time while making sure the training and adoption were smooth. The success of the project came from balancing the technical and human sides of the implementation.
Tell me about a time when you or your team were more than half way to meeting a goal when you realized it may not be the right goal or may have unintended consequences. What was the situation? What did you do? What was the outcome? Looking back, would you have done anything differently?
During my university software engineering design project, my team and I were tasked with developing a software architecture for an e-bike rental system in Frankfurt. By the time we reached the middle of the project, we had implemented features like login, registration, and payment. We were close to finishing and thought we were ready to submit.
Task: My goal was to create a fully functional e-bike rental system that could handle the logistics of rentals, including managing user registrations, payments, and bike availability, while addressing any potential issues riders might encounter.
Obstacle: However, I realized that we hadn't considered important scenarios like what should happen if a rider goes outside of Frankfurt or if the e-bike’s battery runs out. These were essential functions we hadn't yet implemented, and if we submitted the project without them, we wouldn't meet the full goal.
I raised these concerns with my team, and we agreed to revisit the project. We added the missing functionalities, making sure the system could handle these real-world scenarios.
After implementing these changes, we successfully completed the project and received very good grades. The solution was much more comprehensive, and we met all the project requirements.
Looking back, I would have identified these gaps earlier in the project. Taking the time to address them mid-way through, however, helped us create a much stronger and more complete solution. This experience taught me the importance of considering all potential challenges before concluding a project.
What was the situation?
The situation was during my university software engineering design course, where my team and I were tasked with creating a software architecture for an e-bike rental system in Frankfurt. We had already implemented key features like login, registration, and payment processes and were about halfway through the project when we thought we were nearly done.
What did you do?
I noticed we missed important features, like what happens if a rider leaves Frankfurt or the e-bike’s battery dies. I talked to my team about it, and we decided to fix these issues. We added the missing features to make sure the system worked properly.
What was the outcome?
The outcome was successful. After adding the missing features, we completed the project, and our system worked well. We presented it and received very good grades for our work.
Looking back, would you have done anything differently?
Looking back, I would have planned more carefully at the start to identify all the important features early on. This would have saved us time and effort later. However, catching the problem mid-project taught me how important it is to review and adjust plans when needed.
Give me an example of a mission or goal you didn’t think was achievable. What was it and how did you help your team try to achieve it? Were you successful in the end? Looking back, would you have done anything differently?
I once had a job in Frankfurt where I was tasked with implementing an inventory management system. The goal was to not only set up the system but also train the staff to use it effectively. The challenge was that the staff came from non-technical backgrounds and many struggled with the German language, making the task seem almost unachievable at first.
My responsibility was to implement the system and ensure that the staff could confidently use it by the end of the project, despite the language and technical barriers.
To address the challenges, I broke the training into small, practical steps. I started by teaching basic tasks, like labeling and scanning items, and gradually moved to more complex tasks, like entering and managing goods in the system. I made the training as simple and hands-on as possible, ensuring everyone could follow along, regardless of their language or technical skills. I also spent extra time supporting the team individually when needed.
In the end, the project was successful. The system was set up, and the staff learned how to use it. Even with the challenges, they were able to manage the inventory system confidently.
Looking back, I think it would have been helpful to have training materials in different languages. But overall, the hands-on training worked well, and I was happy with the outcome.
What was it and how did you help your team try to achieve it?
The goal was to implement a merchandise management system and train the staff to use it effectively. However, the team faced significant challenges due to their non-technical backgrounds and difficulties with the German language. To help them, I designed a step-by-step training approach, starting with simple tasks like labeling and scanning goods. Gradually, we progressed to more advanced tasks, such as entering items into the system. I also provided individual support to ensure everyone could keep up and feel confident using the system.
Were you successful in the end?
Yes, we were successful in the end. The system was fully implemented, and the staff learned how to use it effectively. Despite the initial challenges, they became confident in managing the merchandise, and the project achieved its goals.
Looking back, I think it would have been helpful to have multilingual training materials or some additional support, like interpreters, to make the learning process smoother for staff with limited German skills. However, the hands-on training approach worked well overall, and the project was successful, so I’m satisfied with how we handled the challenges.
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