When a key person leaves or work has no owner
Hi, I’m Jukka Hyytiälä. I work as a freelance Lead Developer on OP Pohjola’s credit decision management system. I have been on the same assignment since 2022, working as the lead for the last couple of years. My work revolves around TypeScript, React, Node.js, and SQL.
I have worked in software development since 2015, both as a developer and as a lead. On my current assignment, taking ownership of large areas of work and working with stakeholders are as much a part of the job as the technical work itself.
I can come in as a senior or as a lead, depending on the problem you need solved.
When to hire me
A key person leaves and takes the tacit knowledge with them
I quickly get a handle on the whole picture, because I don’t just look at the code, but also at what the system is there to do. On OP’s credit decision management system, it usually takes six months for a new developer to get up to speed, even for experienced developers. It took me four months. Once I take over, I make sure nothing gets dropped.
The work is left without an owner
Work that other people avoid comes to me: legacy, unfamiliar parts of the codebase, and tasks where nobody yet knows what should be done. I do whatever needs to be done, and I do not get stuck fussing over where a button goes.
I let AI write the code, and I decide for myself whether the result makes sense. I use the time I save for things like better tests.
Success depends on the stakeholders
I go to the stakeholders instead of waiting for a meeting. For many people, on-site work means sitting with their own team. I also work with the people my own team’s work depends on.
I go into the same room, get to know the people, and share my view already in the planning phase. That is why the work moves forward even in a large organisation, where there are many units and the goals do not always line up.
At OP, the PO usually has too much work. I can take it on before the spec is finished.
Jukka is a skilled communicator who gets things done. More than once he has quickly solved hard technical problems the rest of the team was already stuck on. As a lead he is a positive, easy person to work with.
You did an excellent job organising a workshop day that brought the collaborating teams together to talk openly about their pain points and challenges. The session made it possible to deepen a shared understanding, especially on questions of visibility, such as dependencies between tasks and scheduling — for example, when a feature or a bug fix is started and when it is finished.
Ohjelmistofriikit
I am a co-founder and the chair of the board of Ohjelmistofriikit (opens in a new tab). Ohjelmistofriikit is a network of more than 900 software professionals, run by a cooperative owned by freelancers.
Client work comes first for me, and Ohjelmistofriikit is a commercial hobby. I cannot do client work half-heartedly: if an assignment goes badly, it ends quickly. That is why there is no room for half-hearted work in client assignments.
The next assignment
My resume includes my work history, team sizes, and the technologies used. When the current assignment ends, I am looking for a long-term assignment at 50–100% allocation.