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Fourth Year of Aritma's Summer Project
In June, Aritma kicked off its 2024 summer project, marking the fourth consecutive year of this initiative! The project allows all part-time employees to spend 20% of their time during the summer on a self-chosen project. This initiative is inspired by Google's 20% rule, which encourages employees to spend a portion of their time working on projects of their choice that are not related to their usual tasks.
Aritma's goal with this project is to inspire innovation and strengthen collaboration across different teams within the company. Additionally, the project provides our employees with the opportunity to learn something new and influence Aritma's direction. We find that these projects help the company broaden its perspective and develop a mindset for improving existing products, routines, and processes. Since the fintech industry experiences slower periods during the summer, it is also valuable for both the company and the employees to contribute with their knowledge and perspectives. At the same time, it adds variety to the work tasks throughout the summer.
Building on Past Success: Selecting Key Projects for Maximum Impact
Previous summer projects have included improving onboarding routines, developing market reports, and making technical UX enhancements. For example, in 2023, a former part-time employee improved the Bank Admin tool we use internally for support. This tool is used daily and has created significant value for Aritma’s banking team.
This year's initiation phase consisted of a brainstorming session where many potential ideas were discussed. Factors such as the value the project would bring to customers, Aritma’s employees, and its feasibility were carefully considered. Despite numerous suggestions, the teams ultimately decided on two selected projects.
One of thisyear’s summer projects, led by our part-time employees Sebastian and Vilde Eline, is to develop a chatbot for Aritma’s website. By linking this to thecompany’s customer management system, we will be able to provide quick and effective support to our customers. Filip, Jonas and Even have initiated a project to further develop and improve existing solutions for the Bank Admin tool. This could enhance the company's internal processes by simplifying the management ofcustomer accounts. The teams are expected to present their solutions at theall-hands meeting at the end of August.
Even had the following to say about the summer project:
“The summer project has been very rewarding. Having the opportunity to identify a need and then see the project evolve from an idea to a product has been educational and provided a sense of accomplishment. It has also been incredibly fun to work as part of a team with the other part-timers!”
Ruben has been responsible for this year’s summer project and believes that the summer project is an important platform for innovation, value creation, and interdisciplinary collaboration at Aritma.
“The participants have free rein in their projects, and the only criterion is that the projects should create some form of value for the company. They solve specific problems in creative ways. I also think the employees enjoy the chance to work on projects that are outside their daily tasks. I am impressed by ourpart-timers—they have a good understanding of the company's needs, identify areas for improvement, and have strong execution skills from idea to completedproject. These projects hold great value for both Aritma and the employees.”
At Aritma, we firmly believe that the summer project promotes a culture of innovation and collaboration. It allows part-time employees to take ownership of their projects and ensures that the company is always working towards continuous improvement. We look forward to seeing the exciting results of this year’s projects and to continuing this tradition in the years to come.
