Meet the Writer: HackerNoon Contributor Novi Milenkovic Talks Complexity Management and More

So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

Hi, I’m Novi, nice to meet you. I work as a consultant mostly focused on product development, organizational design, and complexity management. I’ve been doing that for a long time, and I was lucky enough to work with both startups and Fortune 500 companies. I like to write, I used to compose music and I like sailing. Sometimes I talk about product management in front of a lot of people.

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

In Subjectivism and Organizations, I’m applying ideas from phenomenology to organizational design, all from a very high level. The main point is that different people can internalize the same phenomena in different ways, so in order to have an effective organization, we need to consider how each of us experiences any phenomena and build meaning around them.

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

I mostly write about complexity management and related topics. I believe that anything we do needs to be grounded in theory, otherwise it’s just a game of numbers—us doing random things and hoping that something will stick. But there’s a better approach to product management and organizational design than hope. When Airbus builds an aircraft it goes without saying that they need to be experts in physics, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, chemistry, etc. When it comes to organizational design there’s often something left to be desired. So in my writing, I’m sharing my experiences, while trying to find a balance between theory and practice, and also create a story that other people can relate to.

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

I don’t have a strict routine, but on most days I start writing after 18h and until 20h. When I say write, this also implies research and outlining. I often write on weekends, regardless if I feel inspired or not. Subjectivism and Organizations was completed a few months ago on a random Sunday. I was able to complete it in a day as I already had a detailed outline and knew exactly where I wanted to go both creatively and narratively.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

My job is my vocation so I invest a lot of time, energy, and creativity into what I do. The hardest part when it comes to writing is not finding free time, but actually switching off from work and everything else.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

There is a product management framework that I developed over the last five years. I hope that in the near future I’ll be able to conduct research with the help of an established organization, all with the goal to collect empirical evidence and ultimately publish a scientific paper about this framework.

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

Ice cream of course.

Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?

I used to compose music, but I haven’t done it in years. I like to work out and when possible, go sailing.

What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?

More stories on complexity management, sensemaking, the lifecycle of an order, and philosophy-meets-product-development.