Eero Vaajoensuu, who started as the product development manager at Hedengren Security in the autumn of 2023, brings strong software and process expertise to product development. Read about what impressed the professional in the industry and what he considers exceptional in the company's product development.
Who are you and when did you join the company?
I am Eero Vaajoensuu, a mechatronics engineer with a master's degree, and I started working as the product development manager at Hedengren Security's product development half a year ago. My team consists of 10 product developers.
What did you bring with you to Hedengren Security?
A diverse range of software, process, and product development expertise. Through my previous work, I have held software design and project management positions in several large international companies. Additionally, I have coached younger software designers and served as a team supervisor.
Why Hedengren Security in particular? What appealed to you most about the company?
I knew that the company had developed traditional brands and leading innovations in the field. I was impressed that the company was ready to invest so strongly in process development. I was given quite free rein in my work, which added to the job's interest and challenge. The family business's values also matched my own – I appreciate that development work does not need to be done in haste.
What kind of development work do you do?
My team has high-level product expertise and professionals who have had long careers. We want to systematize our work and share expertise and tasks within the team. We are investing more strongly in software development documentation and code maintainability. The aim is also to develop information security and automate system testing. We are also updating product requirements so that the systems better meet the needs of both current and future customers.
What impact does your work have?
Coding practices will become standardized, and code maintenance will be easier. In the future, product testing will also be automated, which will speed up product updates. In practice, the entire team's operation will become more efficient, and process risk management will improve.
What kind of supervisor are you, and what is your team like?
I am product-oriented but people-friendly as a supervisor and want to move our work increasingly towards teamwork. We have a good spirit in our group, and everyone helps each other. In our ambitious team, we can also be critical and spar with each other when necessary.
Does the customer's voice feature in product development?
Exceptionally well, as the customer's journey to domestic product development is short. Customers' wishes and feedback come to us quickly through product managers, and since the product developers know their systems inside out, it's easy to make the necessary changes to the codes.
How does responsibility manifest in your operations?
In material efficiency, ecological materials, and the long lifespans of products. We make products easily maintainable and modular, even though it raises manufacturing costs. We aim to ensure that the customer does not need to change the entire system if a part breaks.
How do you stay at the forefront of product development in the industry?
In attracting top talent and creating innovations, it's important that processes continuously develop and enable creative development work. The team must also offer different levels of tasks, which allows for the career development of young professionals and the transfer of tacit knowledge. New professionals also bring fresh thinking. We just had a new automation tester start in our team, and next, we will be bolstering our software development.