Arttu Viljakainen

Software development consultant

I'm a generalist software developer interested in teamwork, research and complex systems. Generalist means that I'm usually somewhere in the middle of technology and people and I'm interested in both. With over 15 years of experience, I always try to have a broad and systemic view over what we are doing, and how it all connects together.

My focus is on hands-on software development, but I believe the performance of a team matters more than any individual's skills. I'm passionate about studying and improving teamwork and shared leadership, helping teams work effectively together without relying on command and control.

Organization and its culture are essential for teamwork. It's the environment where the teams are born and live and affects what kind of teams there can be and what is the limit of what they can achieve. I want to be part of building a better environments for software development.

I find meaning in doing work that matters. I love environments where teams have high autonomy and can self-organise. Titles don't define what you can do. What matters is making good things happen.

Humans as collaborative digital tool makers is an interesting viewpoint.

Mastodon LinkedIn Developer Collective

Technical

JVM: Java, Kotlin (10+ years)
Web: React, Node, TypeScript, HTML/CSS
Databases: PostgreSQL, MariaDB, ElasticSearch
Cloud: Kubernetes, AWS, containers
.NET, GoLang, Android, Jetpack Compose, Delphi

Cloud native systems, Android tablets, desktop applications. Public sector, defence, and commercial.

Leadership & process

Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM)
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
Certified SAFe 5 Practitioner
Reaktor Team Builder Academy (2021)
Reaktor Leading Teams (2021)

Certifications reflect experience, not endorsement. I prefer letting teams find their own way of working.

Education

MSc, University of Eastern Finland (2012)
Major: Computer Science, software engineering
Minors: psychology, cognitive science, business economics
PhD student at Tampere University (on hold)

Finnish (native), English (advanced), Swedish (basics)

Work history

Now

Full time at Reaktor, studying teamwork on the side.

2019

Reaktor → current

Software consultancy. My roles have varied from senior full-stack developer to team lead, scrum master, and agile coach.

I have gained experience on telecom, aero, public sector and industrial domains.

2014

Insta DefSec Oy

Senior software engineer, team lead & scrum master, usability specialist.

A deep-dive in defense domain, and experience in building tools for professionals; skills that are applicable in multiple domains.

2013

Suonentieto Oy

Delphi application developer.

Worked on various desktop applications, focusing on user interface and experience improvements.

2010

CGI / Logica

Java and XSLT transformations in a large SAP PI integration project.

Gained experience in enterprise integration and large-scale software development.

2008

European Forest Institute

Java developer trainee, summer 2008.

Worked on a desktop application for sustainability impact assessment focusing on improving the user experience and XML processing.

I started programming around 1999 in QBasic, and then in Turbo Pascal. No internet, just library books and trial and error — building ASCII games with nothing but IF-ELSE technology. I loved it, best years of computing for me. I got so addicted in coding that it somewhat displaced gaming for me.

That spark never went away. I never really thought of doing anything else for a living.