Oliver Fries-Senior Analytics Software Engineer & Tech Lead

Technical consulting and support of a mature legacy software environment in the chemical industry, focusing on code quality, infrastructure improvements, AI-assisted software development, and solid architecture decisions.

• Core contributions & results Acted as a technical sparring partner for architecture decisions in a mature legacy system environment and supported the assessment of technical risks, dependencies, and modernization options. Introduced AI tools for assisted software development and legacy reverse engineering, creating a foundation for faster understanding of historically grown code areas. Established coding standards and structured review principles to improve maintainability, readability, and long-term code quality. Supported the enhancement of automated development and quality assurance processes by analyzing existing workflows and introducing clearer technical standards. Advised on modernizing legacy code in C# and Visual Basic and helped make technical debt visible and manageable.

• Technologies & methods C#, Visual Basic, Git, GitLab, NUnit, SonarQube, Mistral, AI-assisted software development, legacy reverse engineering, coding standards, code reviews, code quality, architecture consulting, technical debt, automated processes

• Developed a GenAI prototype for automated AAS creation from technical documents and type plates, reducing manual modeling effort from about 5 hours to under 15 minutes per AAS
• Restructured the AASX Server and PackageExplorer for production use with clear architecture decisions for six core components, reducing critical runtime errors by around 70%
• Established an end-to-end CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions and cut release cycles from several weeks to under seven days through automated builds, tests, and analyses
• Measurably improved system performance and reduced startup times by 35% by modernizing runtime dependencies and optimizing build pipelines
• Increased code quality sustainably through binding coding standards and automated tests, significantly reducing rework due to regressions
• Enabled cross-project reusability by defining interoperable AAS and OPC UA data models in industrial projects like Factory-X and Condition Monitoring
• Technologies & methods: C#, .NET 8, Blazor, Python, Docker, GitHub Actions, AAS, AASX Server, OPC UA, CI/CD, Automated testing, Software architecture, Performance optimization, NUnit, Strangler Fig Pattern, Dependency management, DDD, Technical debt, Code ownership, Coding guidelines, Clean Code, Serilog, Incremental modernization, Breaking changes management, Moq, NDepend, Legacy assessment, Codebase assessment, MSBuild, FluentValidation, Modular monolith, xUnit, Build optimization

• Took on the interim role of Technical Product Owner / Tech Lead for a 7-person team over seven release cycles and boosted sprint completion from ~75% to >95% through clear technical prioritization and focus on technical debt
• Played a key role in modernizing an existing .NET codebase (Xamarin → .NET MAUI) for a production enterprise app with >300,000 monthly active users, cutting app crashes by ~60% within 12 months
• Established binding clean code rules, architecture guidelines, and quality gates across 13 teams, increasing automated test coverage from ~25% to >70%
• Reduced regression-related bugs by >50% through consistent test automation, refactoring, and technical consolidation of a codebase with >300,000 LOC
• Lowered technical debt by decoupling critical modules, shortening feature integration time from several days to <1 day per module
• Supported data-driven product decisions by introducing analytics for core features, increasing their usage by ~30%
• Accelerated team skill development through pair programming and mentoring, halving onboarding time for new developers from ~6 to <3 weeks
• Technologies & Methods: C#, .NET MAUI, Xamarin, ASP.NET-based services, SonarQube, FluentAssertions, Moq, automated testing, refactoring, modularization, quality gates, analytics, pair programming, agile development, .NET 7, NuGet, clean architecture, resilience, DDD, performance profiling, story mapping, root cause analysis, Serilog, legacy assessment, codebase assessment, MSBuild, modular architecture, clean code, requirements development, integration patterns

• Managed stable operation of a Microsoft infrastructure for >500 users, ensuring system availability of >95% through structured maintenance windows, monitoring, and targeted troubleshooting
• Implemented and maintained Active Directory structures for over 20 function and role profiles, cutting on- and offboarding processes from several hours to <30 minutes
• Improved access security by consolidating, documenting, and cleaning up historically grown permissions, reducing security-related support cases by >40%
• Stabilized Windows Server environments through targeted configuration adjustments, root cause analysis of recurring issues, and long-term fixes for structural problems
• Created complete system, operations, and handover documentation, enabling independent continuing operation without external dependencies
• Technologies & Methods: Windows Server, Active Directory, Microsoft infrastructure services, identity & access management, monitoring, troubleshooting, system & operations documentation

• Developed and maintained production enterprise applications for client environments, delivering stable releases in short iterations under real operating conditions
• Handled over 100 second-level support cases, systematically analyzed logs and root causes, reducing average resolution time to <24 hours
• Cut recurring incidents by ~30% through thorough root cause analysis and structural bug fixes
• Worked closely on system integration and data flows between application and backend systems, ensuring consistent, reproducible processes
• Technologies & Methods: Production system stabilization, error analysis, support proximity, system integration, agile development, Azure DevOps, interface design, observability, technical debt remediation, dependency cleanup, breaking changes management, refactoring

• Managed the stable operation of IT and hardware infrastructure across multiple branches and significantly reduced unplanned downtime in daily operations
• Modernized existing systems and shortened update and adaptation cycles by maintaining them internally rather than relying on external dependencies
• Migrated central operational systems to cost-efficient, mobile solutions, lowering hardware costs by over 50% without disrupting ongoing operations
• Implemented technical migrations under production conditions and ensured full functional parity
• Digitized operational processes step by step without downtime
• Technologies & Methods: System operation, Legacy modernization in production, Process digitization, Cost optimization, Legacy assessment, Incremental modernization, Dependency cleanup