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SOFA 1 GmbH

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Alexander Fauland, CEO von SOFA 1

Description

CEO von SOFA 1 Alexander Fauland spricht im Interview über den Aufbau des Dev Teams, wie das Recruiting abläuft, was bei neuen Bewerbern im Fokus ist und mit welchen Technologien gearbeitet wird.

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Video Summary

In "Alexander Fauland, CEO von SOFA 1," Speaker Alexander Fauland explains how a six-person team works with a strong UX focus, mandatory two‑reviewer code reviews, and long QA cycles—reflected by only one support case in five months on their largest product. The stack includes C#/.NET APIs on Azure, Angular for web, and Xamarin/MAUI for mobile, with AI tools used as assistants while keeping people at the center. Hiring runs via Dev-Jobs, the website, and local schools, with inclusive invitations, optional trial work, and a two‑week on-site onboarding (especially for remote); they seek passionate, team‑oriented candidates (“ein Team, ein Ziel”) who enjoy the work more than matching a specific tech stack.

Alexander Fauland, CEO von SOFA 1: One Team, One Goal—How a Six-Person Engineering Org Wins with UX, Code Reviews, and Deliberate QA

Context: What we learned from “Alexander Fauland, CEO von SOFA 1”

In the DevJobs.at session titled “Alexander Fauland, CEO von SOFA 1,” with Speaker Alexander Fauland (Company: SOFA 1 GmbH), we got a clear, practical look at how a small engineering team operates when it chooses quality and user experience as non-negotiables. No theatrics—just a firm stance: build products people love to use, protect quality with code reviews and long QA cycles, and hire for motivation and mindset.

The essentials: SOFA 1 runs with a compact team of six. One person covers marketing and assistance, four developers span Full-Stack, Web, and App work—some internal, some external. At the helm is CEO Alexander Fauland, who describes himself as being “in management” and, as he puts it with a smile, “the one who provides drive.” The tone throughout is grounded and intentional.

What stood out to us: the throughline of “one team, one goal,” plus a conviction that superior user experience doesn’t just delight customers—it also supports employee retention. The recruiting stance is open (“everyone should at least get the chance”), onboarding is structured around two on-site weeks that enable remote or hybrid afterwards, and the tech stack is modern and pragmatic: C#/.NET on Azure in the backend, Angular for the web frontend, Xamarin for mobile with early .NET MAUI prototypes already in play. The big technical question ahead is code sharing across web and mobile despite frontend framework boundaries.

Team structure: Small, clear, effective

Alexander Fauland lays it out plainly:

  • 1 person for marketing and assistance
  • 4 developers: one Full-Stack engineer (backend, frontend, and app), one Web developer, and two external developers working across app and web
  • 1 CEO in management who “provides drive”

The breadth inside engineering is notable: the Full-Stack role spans backend, frontend, and mobile app development—signaling that generalists with curiosity are welcome. External colleagues are integral to delivery: web and app are pushed forward by a mix of internal and external talent.

Team size forces clarity. Handoffs must be clean, quality gates must be real, and every safeguard has an outsized effect. That’s exactly where SOFA 1 leans in with mandatory code reviews and extended QA cycles.

Product philosophy: UX as the bridge between customers and the team

“We place a lot of emphasis on user experience… because we are convinced that working with a cool product is a lot of fun and also contributes to employee retention.”

UX here isn’t just surface. It’s a mindset: build software you enjoy using every day, and it will motivate the team and retain customers. For a small team, that’s a key lever—less friction, fewer support issues, more time for meaningful development.

Engineering practices: Four eyes, long QA, near-zero support

Code reviews by default

“Nothing is checked in unless it has gone through a four-eyes principle.”

It sounds standard, but in fast-moving teams, reviews are often the first thing to slip. SOFA 1 resists that temptation. The result: knowledge spreads, defects are caught early, and design decisions get more deliberate.

Quality assurance with long cycles

“We have very long cycles in QA, because it’s completely important that the product works for our customers.”

This is a statement against rushing releases and in favor of reliability. And it has a measurable result:

“With our biggest product, we’ve had just one support case in the last five months. That speaks for the QA process.”

Less support means more builder time, fewer context switches, and a calmer cadence—critical advantages for small teams.

Tech stack: C#/.NET on Azure, Angular for web, Xamarin and MAUI for mobile

  • Backend: C# on Azure, “a C-Sharp .NET API and an Azure environment with all sorts of services”
  • Frontend: Angular
  • Mobile: Xamarin and—“already in parts, of course, the first prototypes”—.NET MAUI

It’s a modern, pragmatic stack with strong tooling support. Azure services scale with a small team. Angular offers a robust web ecosystem. Xamarin and MAUI allow mobile apps to benefit from .NET know-how—with a path toward better code sharing over time.

The big challenge: Sharing code across web and mobile

“The challenge will be to use as much code in common as possible.”

That’s a daily trade-off for most product teams, and Fauland addresses it head on:

“With Angular, there’s a bit of a problem if we make a library that can be used in Xamarin on the client—we can’t use that in Angular.”

The implication: technology decisions are ahead. It’s not about chasing trends but about efficiency and maintainability. Which layers can be shared (models, logic, services)? Where is UI best kept separate, and where do shared libraries make sense? SOFA 1 is approaching these questions deliberately—with a long-term maintenance mindset.

For talent, that’s exciting: there are real architectural decisions to make with a direct impact on productivity and quality.

Recruiting: DevJobs.at, website, schools—and giving every application a chance

“Our recruiting process runs through DevJobs, which works well for us, directly via the website, and through schools in our area, hotels, and so on. We post there as well.”

Multiple channels, deliberately open process:

“People apply, they’re invited. I say everyone should at least have the chance to introduce themselves and maybe also do trial work or whatever.”

The principle is simple and effective: create visibility, lower barriers, and give talent room to show up. One line stood out about hiring from a “Stiftung” (foundation):

“We’ve had people from the foundation, from which we got a really good frontend developer—that worked great.”

The signal is clear: potential matters. Pathways vary—what counts is what someone wants to contribute.

Onboarding and collaboration: Two weeks on-site, then home office or hybrid

For remote hires, SOFA 1 runs a structured onboarding:

“Basically, it works like this: people come to us for two weeks—especially if they are remote—to get to know everything: the products, the team, the way of working, the technologies, and so on. And then they are either released into the home office or hybrid or whatever.”

Two on-site weeks are a strong investment: experiencing product, team, processes, and tech before distance sets in. It reduces friction, builds trust, and makes remote/hybrid an option rather than an obstacle.

Culture and expectations: “One team, one goal”—people who bring the fire

“Technologically, you can learn anything, I always say. But people should be in the middle of life. They should burn for what they do… We have this motto: one team, one goal.”

The expectations are clear—and human:

  • The tool list matters less than motivation and attitude.
  • Enthusiasm is not a bonus; it’s a requirement: “They must simply like what we do here.”
  • The human stays at the center—even with AI in the toolbox.

“Of course the whole AI topic… as support—it’s very important for me. The human must still be in focus and at the center. But I always say, everyone now has an assistant with all these tools, and that’s cool.”

Grounded and balanced: AI is welcome—as an assistant. But decisions, accountability, and customer focus remain human.

Why SOFA 1 is compelling for tech talent

Based on the session “Alexander Fauland, CEO von SOFA 1” with Speaker Alexander Fauland (Company: SOFA 1 GmbH), here are concrete reasons developers might want to join:

  • UX focus that matters: building products people enjoy using—great for motivation and customer loyalty.
  • Quality by design: four-eyes code reviews, long QA cycles, and measurably low support (“one support case in the last five months” on their biggest product).
  • Clear, modern stack: C#/.NET API on Azure, Angular on the web, Xamarin and early MAUI prototypes in mobile—productive with real team influence.
  • Architecture to shape: code sharing across web and mobile is the stated challenge—real decisions with long-term impact.
  • Onboarding that sets you up: two weeks on-site to internalize product, team, and ways of working; home office or hybrid afterward.
  • Open recruiting: DevJobs.at, website, schools/“hotels” as channels; “everyone should at least have the chance”—including trial work.
  • Culture of ownership: “one team, one goal”—enthusiasm, responsibility, and teamwork are the defaults.
  • AI as an assistant, humans in charge: tools support, people lead.

What the day-to-day signals for engineers

While Fauland doesn’t prescribe minute-by-minute processes, the contours are clear:

  • Collaboration through code reviews: knowledge sharing and quality control embedded in daily work.
  • Intentional release readiness: quality over speed to minimize support and preserve focus.
  • Broad roles: Full-Stack capability is valued; app and web development are closely connected.
  • Externals as true collaborators: work spans team boundaries with a pragmatic, results-first mindset.

If you thrive in environments that are lean yet principled—small teams, big leverage—this setup offers room to make a visible difference.

Leadership with drive: Clarity, standards, trust

Fauland’s stance shapes the system: “in management” and “the one who provides drive.” It’s leadership through direction and consistency. UX and quality are non-negotiable, people are the focus, and processes serve outcomes. In small teams, this blend of standards and trust is decisive:

  • Standards: code reviews, QA discipline, high UX bar.
  • Trust: “everyone should at least have the chance,” and the two-week on-site onboarding as an investment in autonomy.
  • Direction: “one team, one goal”—no ambiguity about where the effort points.

Takeaways for tech leads

The session “Alexander Fauland, CEO von SOFA 1” offers patterns that resonate beyond SOFA 1 GmbH:

  • Small teams need strong quality levers. Code reviews plus extended QA is a powerful combo to reduce support and increase long-term velocity.
  • UX is culture. Building products that are “fun to use” motivates both customers and teams.
  • Recruiting should open doors. Lower barriers, trial work, and alternative pathways (e.g., via a foundation) can reveal strong talent.
  • Onboarding is an investment. Two on-site weeks pay off when remote/hybrid is the operating mode.
  • Technology choices are team choices. The goal of cross-platform code sharing requires open trade-offs and clear decisions.
  • AI is an assistant, not an autopilot. Keep humans accountable to keep quality accountable.

Conclusion: A compact team with a big commitment to quality

“One team, one goal” captures how SOFA 1 GmbH works, as described in “Alexander Fauland, CEO von SOFA 1” by Speaker Alexander Fauland. With a strong UX stance, a strict four-eyes principle, long QA cycles, and an onboarding approach that builds trust, the team ships software that holds up in the real world. The stack is modern, the architectural challenges are real, and the culture asks for enthusiasm over buzzwords.

For talent seeking ownership, who believe in quality, and want to see product impact, this is the right mix. Join to build more than features—build reliability.