Teamwork makes the dream work. And nobody knows it better than our Croatian team

The atmosphere in a dream team should be relaxed and cooperative, right? That's exactly what it looks like in our Croatian crew. We are excited to introduce its unique members at first and if you keep reading, you will be able to understand some of their last projects as well.

Hi guys, can you tell us something about your team?

Denis, Nikola, Mirko, Teo and Kruno are senior developers. Joško is mid-level and Stipe has just started as a junior on our project. We are all backend developers with the exception of Kria and Silvio. In Slovakia, we have our colleagues Robert who is a frontend developer and Martin – project manager. And regarding our mindset… We are convinced there is no such thing as an unsolvable issue. If we can talk to each other and focus on a common goal, we can tackle any problem efficiently. Nobody knows how to do everything on their own, so we need each other. Each of us has unique skills and strengths. Therefore, together we are much better, and we can function as a team.

What was your favourite “together” moment last year?

When our client from Germany came to Split, it was amazing because we got a chance to know each other more personally and so we can cooperate more easily. Sometimes it was difficult to work with people just remotely every day.

What does your normal workday look like?

In the morning, we go through the tasks for the day. We also discuss everything that's not clear or whether someone needs help with something. Then we work, have coffee, and work some more, but in a bit more relaxed way with lots of discussions and brainstorming.

That doesn't sound like fun to me. Is there anyone that can always make you laugh and spice your days up a little bit?

Definitely. For instance, Joško started to use made up words. He is very creative, so he came up with new naming units which became our slang or more of an inside joke used in everyday life. For example, “zjen” is our word for annoyance and frustration with a situation, it is basically a curse word. To express similar feelings, we also use “han” – this word also implies that the situation is out of control, and we feel powerless. And finally, something positive – the opposite of these is our “divnja”. Sometimes people give us strange looks if we accidentally use it in a random conversation, since these words do not exist in Croatian language, and we normally just use them with our co-workers but having fun in a workplace is worth it

Which moments of your cooperation were the funniest?

We have fun basically every day. This is because everybody is relaxed, and we trust each other so it's easy for us to communicate and, of course, to make light-hearted jokes.

Wow, it reminds me of a family atmosphere. So, do you also have your “team mom” who cares a lot about others?

Yes, Nikola, he is always trying to be helpful and mindful, especially with newcomers.

It definitely is important to help the newcomers. How do the juniors or just new colleagues fit into your team?

It is crucial for a new colleague to start slowly. Especially if the project seems complicated at first. It’s never easy to understand something new, but eventually everyone will get a grip of what we're trying to build and expand their personal knowledge.

There might be new bugs with every new challenge, but is there anyone who makes the most of them?

No, we are all perfect 😊. Just joking, we do make bugs. That is normal. We fix them together and move on. There is no bug scoreboard, yet.

Tell us something spicy about the team. Who do you think is the biggest complainer?

Kruno, by a mile. :D (The only unanimous answer by all team members.)

To sum it up, choose 3 words that describe your team in the best way.

· Dedicated

· Open-minded

· Hardworking

This team worked hard to achieve a great outcome on a project for our German client last year. They used an agile software development technique of pair programming in two-week sprints. Lots of constructive discussions and productive meetings were held to improve that process. They felt a strong sense of accomplishment when it was finally completed, getting to see their hard work pay off. Let's find out how they perceive it now.

Can you tell us something about your last project?

Our objective for the project was to develop a client-security related solution with focus on identity management. Our team focused on building the backend solution and deploying it. To enhance client security, we utilized Keycloak, which required us to implement numerous security features. As some of these features were new, e.g. entity statements and federation identity, we encountered a scarcity of online resources on how to incorporate them.

Which technologies did you use?

· Java (Spring Boot)

· PostgreSQL

· OpenShift, Kubernetes

· Keycloak

· Angular (Ionic, Native Script)

· Native Android (Kotlin)

· Native iOS (Swift)

· OAuth2

What were the most critical obstacles in your way?

Security requirements, because the definition based on the legislation was not complete and there were ongoing changes during the development. With agile development and with skilled people this is not an obstacle. (But once we got a grasp on it, it was a joy to build this solution and learn so much.)

What do you do when you get stuck and cannot move on with your project?

We ask a team member or architect for help.

What would you say is your personal passion regarding that project?

Our passion? It definitely was creating a solution that could be potentially used by millions of people - it was the biggest implementation of anything that any of us has ever done. So basically, each of potential millions of users has to do a login which takes them through our services in order to use the full solution. We also did other security checking, not just login. Basically, everything is client-security related. We are one of the teams working on the solution. There were around 70 people working on it. But nothing works without our part.

Also, it was a great experience starting the project from scratch. Most of us usually come to projects mid-development or when it’s already in production. And, finally, using all kinds of client security implementation with Keycloak.

Does it sound appealing to you? Do you want to be a valuable team member? Are you excited by the idea of challenging projects and innovative technology? Make sure you send us your CV if you want to join us and grow unique together.

Just 2 more questions for our Croatian team.

What was your motivation to join the Unique People Croatia team?

Working in an environment that cherishes personal development, non-corporate structure, and great co-workers.

And what would you say to our potential candidates?

Just be yourself and believe in your abilities.