Foreword

I can still remember my early days as a software developer after my studies. It was during the wild years in the middle of the "new economy" and I had to get up to speed with new projects and acquire the necessary technical knowledge within a very short time. I had to gain a lot of experience for myself and I learned a great amount on the job; unfortunately, sometimes the hard way.

Later, as a project manager, I learned a great deal about how to collaborate with people and, above all, that, alongside technological knowledge, cooperation, leadership, working techniques, communication and relationship maintenance are very important. In my experience, projects often fail not because of the technology, but because of unclear or incorrect requirements, a lack of willingness to cooperate, sheer complexity or because the organization is simply overstrained.

The collection "Machines, Code, People" is a wonderful summary of what I have often experienced myself and what is really important in everyday project work. Code and machines together build a solution. Knowing these technologies is crucial. And to bring about real innovation, it is equally important to have the right people on board, to build up a great team and to really understand the needs of the customer.

This impressive collection was created as a joint effort within the Zühlke Group across all areas and it makes me extremely proud that so many authors have contributed so actively and with so much passion.

I hope it will inspire you and give you many insights that will benefit you in your daily work.

Nicolas Durville, CEO Zühlke Switzerland