From the Stars to the Apps

A conversation with our Principal Engineer Yuke Priyantoko

Growing up in a hometown with a clear sky and a sea of stars decorating the night view, young Yuke Priyantoko had always been interested in studying Astronomy. The celestial sphere, he mused, holds so much mystery and knowledge to decipher.

Later in high school, he was introduced to programming and realized that it resonated with his other interests: solving complex problems and building solutions that matter. After careful consideration, he decided to study IT instead of Astronomy at university. His love for software development then grew even stronger. The field, he said, holds enormous opportunities for growth, both professionally and individually.

With 20 years of experience under his belt, Yuke has led and built numerous teams of engineers, sometimes from scratch. He established new routines that led to significant growth in their capabilities, such as pair programming, along with formulating R&D strategies for improvement. He is also well-versed in Test-Driven Development (TDD) and cloud computing, which he believes will help engineers deliver exceptional results.

His valuable expertise later led him to be an early member of DKatalis engineering team in February 2020.

Now, 3 years later, we sat down with Yuke to chat about his journey at DKatalis.

Can you tell us about your first project at DKatalis?

Yuke Priyantoko (YP): When I was invited to join DKatalis, the leaders shared one of their visions with me: to create a product that matters. One of their visions is to create a people platform that will support employees in growing smarter and healthier, not only in their engineering abilities but also in their personal lives. That platform, now known as People Xperience, was my first project. And it is still used to support DKatalis and Jago employees today.

The next challenge was to choose the appropriate tech stack. We eventually decided to use cloud computing, Flutter, and NodeJS. Many team members, however, needed to learn the tools because they had little experience with them. For me, it was both a challenge and an opportunity to put DKatalis’ Fearless Creativity value into action.

At DKatalis, we can make decisions quickly and without being constrained by bureaucracy. The leaders also supported our decision-making autonomy, such as adopting new, unfamiliar technologies and respecting the team’s learning process.

How did you deal with the challenges? Each engineer must have a unique learning pace and style.

YP: The key is collaborative learning. We initiated intensive peer learning programs, such as pair programming, so that the engineers could learn from one another. Engineers tend to forget that software development is about more than just coding, it’s also about collaboration and learning. We also held weekly stand-up sessions, in which each member discussed a variety of topics, some of which were not related to coding or software development. This accelerated the learning process while also improving the dynamic of our team.

Engineers tend to forget that software development is about more than just coding, it’s also about collaboration and learning.

The second is to create a safe learning environment for everyone. We encouraged them to make decisions and not to fear failure, because sometimes, mistakes can teach us valuable lessons. By adopting this mindset, we were able to become more creative and agile.

You have been assigned to the Money Storage Clan, one of the teams that handle the Jago App, since last year. How is the transition going?

YP: I was asked to assist the Money Storage team, particularly the engineers, in growing. We must devise strategies to improve their performance, such as changing the way they work and creating an environment that encourages decision-making and self-organization. A self-organized team can make better decisions faster.

However, in Money Storage, the tech stacks, framework, and even team size are vastly different from PX. It’s more complicated and larger, so I need to figure out how to stay agile.

So far, I can say that we are continually improving. But still, transition, like everything else, takes time. Fortunately, the leaders are very supportive of changes that push us toward a better outcome.

How do you know that you’ve succeeded?

YP: When the team no longer relies on me, I know I’ve accomplished my goal. That is one consideration. Another one is when all members can voice their different opinion and ideas confidently and freely. One event that stuck with me was when the quietest member of our team expressed their opposing viewpoint. It was like they felt courageous and secure enough to do so. It was a very moving moment.

Now that you’re in your third year, can you describe the engineering culture at DKatalis? How close is it to the culture you want to create?

YP: Everything moves so quickly at DKatalis, but we are also privileged to work with the best leaders and in the best working environment. Still, what I enjoy the most about the culture is the open and friendly environment. At DKatalis, you’re collaborating with your friends to build solutions.

As for the engineers, I envision a culture of continuous improvement. I want DKatalis engineers to have a mentality to do their tasks better, every time. This is why weekly team meetings and retrospectives are so important, as they allow the team to reflect on what we’ve done and where we can improve, increasing their confidence in self-organization and decision-making.

As for the engineers, I envision a culture of continuous improvement. I want DKatalis engineers to have a mentality to do their tasks better, every time.

Last but not least, 3 words that describe the Money Storage Clan?

YP: Learning, Creating, and Happy! We are a group of friends that grow and learn together.

Like the culture you’re seeing? Join us in building the next digital solutions! We’re hiring.