Hack Belgium: my contribution to tech, talent and social benefit

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The value of hackathons is not to be underestimated. The vibe is on the one hand comparable to my daily work as Senior Consultant and Project Manager at IBM, and at the same time so different. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal, but everything happens at a high pace with a strong focus on the end result. Together with colleagues, experts and partners you collaborate closely on an end product with a direct economic and social value. This was also the case during the three-day Hack Belgium 2018.

During the event in Brussels it was all about twelve challenges for which in total 80 teams worked for three days on a specific solution. The teams were supported by various experts from universities and technology firms. Experts from IBM gave support on artificial intelligence, analytics, blockchain, robotics and internet of things (IoT).

Innovation workshop

On the side of the participants there were also many people from different backgrounds. Our team consisted of developers, but also more customer-oriented people and a project manager. That composition does not differ very much from our daily practice. The difference is mainly in the fact that you are physically together for a few days to work with a full focus on a challenge.
An internal innovation challenge, consisting of a workshop and pitches was part of our preparation. On the basis of consultation and feedback, we investigated which technological possibilities, ideas and solutions seemed to the most promising and relevant to us. We also did some training with design thinking, prototyping, pitching and so on: all skills that would be needed later during the hack.

Initially it was decided to focus on the theme ‘Future Proof Education’, because we all found this meaningful. Both for ourselves, IBM and for society as a whole. In the end nevertheless we decided to switch. Within the ‘Meaningful Work for All’ theme, we opted for the development of an onboarding app for new employees. We all saw the urgent need for this. Education here also plays an important role.

Social component

Our concept was based on three ideas: first the app had to be a digital buddy of the new employee, who offers support in the various phases of the onboarding. In addition, the user constantly has an overview of the route to be followed, including checklists of steps taken. Secondly, the app contained a chatbot for answering concrete questions. Finally the app had to have network possibilities for matching employees around specific topics. Think of cloud computing or artificial intelligence. The idea was that the employee himself indicates his or her professional expertise.
The social component was crucial for us. Especially in times of very scarce talent, it is important that people within the organization are fully supported. A good onboarding experience is fundamental. It ensures a substantially higher employee satisfaction and increases the retention of people with the right competencies.

Valuable for everyone

Again: the idea for this app came entirely from ourselves. It was a type of tool that we all missed during our own onboarding. Based on design thinking and prototyping, we developed something that was valuable to all of us. Ultimately, the product will be used internally at IBM, but also become available to customers and partners.
I think it’s great that the development of this app shows that things do not always have to be highly connected to popular and often hyped themes such as cognitive, robotics or cloud.

Call for Code

Hack Belgium 2018 has given us insight into the value, both for ourselves and for others. I was in the fortunate circumstance to contribute to society through my knowledge and experience, and I can recommend this to anyone. For those who want to do something good, and do not want to wait for a next hackathon: Call for Code may be a good opportunity. Click here for more information.