Kolja Ehmling currently works on different startup projects based in his own coworking space. Originally he was studying Economic Engineering and MBA. After his Diploma, he started to work within the Airbus organisation as business Process analyst and system designer for 3 years. He was doing 2 projects there to create Transparency in the configuration management in A380 Electric. Afterwards he worked in Procurement Controlling and Reporting for 2 years at Jungheinrich, where he changed the xls based reporting to databases. He realized that traditional hierarchy organisations do not fit his needs and so he became freelancer. In parallel he started up his own coworking space.
What was the most interesting project you have implemented?
This is my current project. As of beginning of this year, in February, I was standing in the rooms we are currently using for our coworking space. At that moment I knew I had to bring this vague idea of creating a coworking space to reality. Right beside Hamburg Central Station with over 300 square meters. Together with my business partner, Harald Helmchen, we were opening doors within 2,5 months.
Another very interesting project was to create a configuration control tool for Airbus A380 Electric Quality in 2006/7. It required a lot of process analysis and system archeology to get to the core and deriving transparency.
What was the most difficult experience you have had with a customer?
We were having a customer, who was (and still is) a notorious helper, but in the end making things worse.
What was the biggest challenge that you had to face?
Realizing that my ideals of Transparency, Argument based Decisionmaking and Cooperation are not always asked for in bigger organisations.
Are there customers for whom you would not work?
Sure, there are. Bt luckily, I didn’t meet them yet.
Who is the client of your dreams?
Open people, who say what the like and (more important) what they dislike.
Ideally they are working and living by the KISS principle.
