ERIKS Hackathon: It's More Than Just Ideas

I’ve recently been part of the ERIKS x Cognizant hackathon as support/SME. And as a strong supporter of the multi-disciplinary way of working, I just couldn’t help myself and note down some useful tips. Just to make sure, this isn't a rulebook, but it might help you get the most out of your next hackathon.

We've all been part of a hackathon or at least heard about one.

If not, here’s a rundown: A hackathon is an intense event where diverse individuals with different skills collaborate to solve problems and create tech innovations. It's a vibrant mix of teamwork, brainstorming, and hands-on building, all within a limited time frame. With a competitive edge, teams work passionately to outdo each other and bring out their best. It's an amazing experience that often leads to impressive outcomes!

Hackathons can be super stressful. Crazily running around for hours or even days. Reading a bunch of stuff, talking to a bunch of people, and then brainstorming and arguing a while. And then suddenly, someone says, "You need to start building!" and it's a race against the clock to finish before the judges come. You start panicking, thinking, "What if they don’t like it? What if another team has the same idea but does it better?" Or maybe you're cool and confident with your idea. Either way, we all feel relieved when it's finally over.

The Struggle is a Part of It...

It’s never easy. There are many things to do during this short period of time. Understanding the challenge and figuring out a solution is part of it. A challenge is called a “challenge” for a reason. Otherwise, it would be called "an easy" or "a simple".

But there is one thing that most of us do but might not do consciously during a hackathon: figuring out this team thing. Sometimes working together is smooth sailing, sometimes the sailing is everything BUT smooth. So… how do we go about this team thing?

Be Empathetic

Everyone has feelings, ideas, opinions, and stuff like that. Be respectful towards each other. It's totally cool to disagree and have discussions, though. Let everyone share their ideas and talk. If someone won't stop blabbering, try setting time limits. And if you're the one doing all the talking, don't get mad if someone cuts you off. Remember, it's about the team and the goal, not you personally.

Work Together

Be a team, be an expert, have discussions. To quote one of my favorite movies: "We're all in this together." Discussions are healthy and allow you to explore. During the ERIKS hackathon, several teams had intense discussions. These were also the teams that had an answer to almost every question asked by the judges. Different viewpoints equal a more complete view on the challenge. Your discussions are people explaining why their view is important.

To paraphrase one of the most amazing things I've heard during the hackathon: "Yeah, we had intense discussions, but I would do it all over again with the same team. Because now I know what everybody can deliver. I honestly see the value of working this (multi-disciplinary) way."

Stay Goal-Oriented

Here's the deal: You must all agree on the goal. If you can't, it's going to be a hot mess. You don't want to end up six hours later with a team trying to solve six different problems.

Take the time to make the problem statement crystal clear. Spend an hour, two hours, whatever it takes. Write it down and do not remove that sentence until the hackathon's over. This sentence is your one true goal. If you feel like the team is going off track, bring them back to the problem statement. Maybe you'll realize the problem statement needs tweaking, and that's cool, if everyone agrees.

Don’t Stress and Just Fail

Everything is fine. Your team might fail, your idea might flop, and your demo might crash. Take a deep breath, it's all good. It's not personal, so don't make it personal.

You're here to have fun and learn. We all have this thing where we want to win and avoid mistakes. But guess what? You have to let go of that. You can’t let that fear or stress hold you back from possibly coming up with the best idea in the world.

Your presentation doesn't have to be perfect.

Your idea can have flaws.

You might not have answers to every question.

You might have some discussions and disagreements.

And those might just be part of the perfect cocktail to create some great solutions.

The best ideas come when you embrace the challenge, the team, the struggles, and the mistakes.

There is so much more I’ve learned from the ERIKS x Cognizant hackathon. But the one thing that keeps repeating is: It’s more than just ideas. You are there to work together with other expert people and discover the value of a multi-disciplinary way of working. So go out there, get to know everybody, and have fun.

Remember, you're a bunch of awesome individuals trying to have a good time creating even better solutions. 

If you're interested in talking about organizing your own hackathon. Let's connect and empower each other in driving innovation and success!