Boris Van Rickelen

When a software project is about to fail the deadline, I take over. Every project I'm called into was once considered "almost finished" — until just before the delivery date, everything that has been neglected for months surfaces.

I take responsibility for making a faltering project truly deliverable. I make quick decisions because I know where to look: years as Head of Engineering leading a team — and never stopped working on the code myself. That's why I find the root cause, whether in the code or around it, and keep the whole system in view.

I meet deadlines — with finished work, not with half-baked quick fixes. You might be thinking now: "Delays can always occur in development." And you're right. My task once was to migrate a 25-year-old, safety-critical assembler firmware — around ten thousand lines — to a new microcontroller. There was a month's delay — which I immediately communicated openly. Result: Re-certification without a single objection, every changed line tested and documented — the customer's trust intact.

When things get tough — deadlines, difficult decisions, pressure — I remain calm and structured: options laid out openly, risks honestly named, decisions made clearly.

My development processes help rather than hinder (A-SPICE L2, IEC 61508, ISO 9001) — designed so that teams can adhere to them without losing speed and can continue working without me later.

"Botched work" doesn't show up during smooth operation, but only under real load. That's why I address the cause, not the symptom.

What I'm brought in for:

• Stalled software projects that really need to be "finished"

• Legacy systems and firmware/microcontroller migrations

• Interim Engineering Lead for projects in crisis

• Development processes (A-SPICE, IEC 61508, ISO 9001) that teams actually adhere to

If your project needs the fire put out, contact me.