Unraveling the Story of Petr, the Jack of All Trades AKA Head of Mission Delivery

Hear ye, hear ye! Stay awhile and listen (or read, rather) about our main storyteller, Petr Buchbauer - Senior Cheerleader, Consultant and Head of Delivery Management. He joined Lundegaards’ ranks some 4 years ago, and whilst finishing his studies, he has grown from a Project Manager to a leader of both project managers and business analysts, with a Consultancy role on top of that. Petr spends a lot of time outdoors, mostly running in order to tire out his dog (and himself), and reminds himself from time to time that he used to play the saxophone and should not forget that entirely… Read further to get to know Petr, his team, and the rest of Lundegaard.

Well hello there!

What’s been the most memorable experience during your tenure at the company so far?

Well, I joined Lundegaard in February 2017, and over the course of time I was fortunate enough to participate in some 40-ish projects across 20-something clients personally. Each one of these activities was completely unique, but one still does stand out among the others…

In the Fall of 2018 we were put in front of a serious challenge - a “beauty pageant” between two companies on who is going to analyze, design, implement, test, and deliver a better full-scale intranet solution for a major international company. All this in less than eight weeks!

This was just my second year in Lundegaard and third year in the IT field, but the experience was quintessential to what this company means to me, and to my colleagues as well.

What followed was one of the most trying, demanding and enriching experiences in my life as I got to work with an utter dream team. Lundegaard had some 50-ish developers then, out of which only 10 would match with the projects’ technological stack, seniority, location requirements… But not one of them would be available at the time…

I worked with the former management to muster a team for this particular mission. We formed an absolute A-Team, but the twist was that none of them would have more than 50% allocation to the project, due to other commitments. In spite of all this, we delivered on time, and proved our skills superior to the competing company.

If you could pick one theme for Lundegaard to turn into a book about the company, what would it be?

Closeness. On all levels. We, as colleagues and comrades, enjoy spending time together. On projects, at work, outside the office, pubbing, drinking coffee, going skiing, attending conferences, brainstorming with clients… you name it!

The crucial factor to our lives is that we get along. I have met so many lifelong friends in Lundegaard I already lost count!

The incredible sense of camaraderie, support, strong will, creative approach, intensive work with our clients - that’s what Lundegaard is to me. A nurturing family, group of friends and helpful minds alike.

Back in the days, when we were able to go skiing every single winter!

What are 3 words to describe Lundegaard?

Family, quality, devotion. All of which I have already addressed at least to some extent in my previous statements. Those are the main pillars of Lundegaard. And here I speak as someone, who is handling some 70+ FTEs of developers’, testers’, designers’, analysts’, and managers’ positions.

Lundegaard is one big family. We know each other personally (and most of us in person as well with a few exceptions - thanks COVID…), we know who is working where, and what are each other’s respective strengths and weaknesses.

We work with each other not as resources, but as human beings. We empower and support. We can rely on each other and move forward better than most. We are a family of individuals that have each other’s backs, and that is what counts!

Quality is absolutely crucial to all of us. We believe that our work and “legacy” go far beyond the commit messages, deployments, references and whatnots. We must be proud of what we deliver and we will not settle with anything subpar. Full stop.

Devotion sort of stems from the previous. We are fully dedicated to what we do - be it clients’ projects, helping out each other, trying to push ourselves further. Lundegaard’s culture supports, nurtures and promotes full immersion to one’s activity.

What advice do you have for prospective Lundegaard candidates?

Be yourself. It is as simple as that. We go for full transparency and trust every single time. I believe (and we all do) that a good team consists of selected individuals that complement each other, that help each other out, and that are there for each other. And this can only be achieved with people that are willing to be “real” in nature.

Our motto - Born to code, forced to run!

How do you spend your time outside of the office?

Other than trying to keep up with the demand of the field and educating myself, I strongly focus on myself and spending quality time with my four-legged partner Bodie. My border collie is the best friend I could ever wish for and I do my best to keep him occupied, entertained, and overall happy. Walking, running and playing everywhere is the name of our game!

Back in the day, when the times were “normal”, I would go out with friends (colleagues from Lundegaard) and play my sax with them as well. We cannot wait for the band to reassemble and rock again!

How do you describe your work personality vs. your home life personality?

To use a classic consultants’ phrase - it is the same, but different. At work, I need to balance multiple priorities of different projects, clients’ needs, internal projects, and my own time to actually produce and push some things… All combined with being there for others.

At home, the variety of priorities and the necessity to evaluate everything in accordance with the personal impact of my decisions is the same. But the reasoning at work is a bit more pragmatic compared to my personal life, or at least I sincerely hope that it is!

I sure love my LEGOs and where else to place them than in the office!

Top three life highlights?

Highlight No.1 - having a week-long stay in New York City with my former jazz orchestra at the age of 21! The intense experience of performing on a completely different continent with a 20+ band was utterly amazing. This goes for both enjoyment and organization of the whole operation.

Highlight No.2 - playing in the European Mecca of Jazz - Montreux Jazz Festival. Twice. Including the jubilee 50th anniversary. I can hardly fathom something bigger happening to me outside my family/work life than this. Performing at a stage (for amateurs) right next to the auditorium, where Prince, Quincy Jones, Deep Purple and the likes have played, is simply divine.

Highlight No.3 - Once again a music-related event. Being able to record in a pro-level recording studio with a full symphonic orchestra was huge. And more than that - the studio has been used by the likes of Common - the rapper, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, and the Rock God - David Bowie. Heaven on Earth, seriously.

Playing some 5 hrs straight at friends’ weddings is nothing uncommon!

If you were an animal what would you be?

My dog! That beloved beast is having the time of his life (at least I hope). He gets the best food, the best treatment, he is SO spoiled and so happy. I love him beyond the whole Universe and the simple thought of having his “daily treatment” is my everlasting motivation to improve the quality of life for us both. And then taking his place, of course… =)

What's your motto or personal mantra?

I am a fan of Robert M. Pirsig. And as such, the motto is rather “simple”:

“Absence of Quality is the Essence of Squareness”

Whatever does not bring/have/bear quality is of no interest to me. Quality of everything is absolutely essential - be it quality time with your significant other, with your family, be it quality of the work you do. Quality is the answer to basically anything.

Obviously, to cover my bases, I always have a backup, and that is a sentence uttered by my old friend, one of the former professors at Northwestern University: “When writing something, be brilliant and be brief. And if you cannot be both, just be brief”. I fail at the latter, so (I hope) I bring some brilliance to my stream of thoughts at the very least!

And my main partner in crime - Bodie, the border collie

Experience Quality with Lundegaard and Petr!

If the lines above have struck a chord with you, feel free to reach out to Lundegaard or Petr personally and learn what daily life in Lundegaard is all about.

Petr’s cheerful, straightforward and honest nature is the essence of Lundegaard company’s culture and we all strive at nurturing such qualities in our colleagues, in our comrades-in-arms, here in Lundegaard.