Jens Peter Traff, affectionately nicknamed "Potter" by his old swim coach—thanks to his glasses and academic prowess—has always been deeply fascinated by how systems, whether human or computational, can be optimized for performance. In his dual career as a swim coach and software developer at 3Shape, Traff has found striking parallels between these two seemingly unrelated worlds, both of which require a precise understanding of underlying principles to help individuals and systems achieve their fullest potential.

As a swim coach, Jens Peter doesn't just train athletes to be faster in the water; he strives to help them become the best versions of themselves. "Swimming combines the full exertion of physical strength with the calm of gliding through the water.” he explains. “Even minor adjustments to one’s technique can yield significant time gains.”

This meticulous attention to detail is not confined to the swimming pool. At 3Shape, where Jens Peter works as a developer specializing in algorithms, he applies the same mindset to the creation of innovative solutions that help transform dental care.

"Whether it's swimming or developing software, it's about figuring out what aspects you need to improve to get the best results," he says. "When you start to break down the mechanics of a perfect stroke or an optimal dental algorithm, it all comes down to understanding the core variables and how to adjust them for maximum efficiency."

Jens Peter’s approach is both scientific and creative. As a swim coach, he developed a "level system" that helps athletes track their progress across key areas, which are not usually quantifiable, like form, breathing, and power. Each level, from basic to advanced, is a marker for specific skills. 

"The beauty of swimming is that if you can quantify progress in very specific ways, identifying effective solutions becomes much easier" he says. "I’ve seen elite swimmers struggling with level 2 in my system, where they are not using their legs effectively. Fixing that opened the door for major time improvements."

This same process of quantification translates directly into his work at 3Shape. "In software development, especially in the dental field, it's important to quantify what makes a good tooth design," he explains. "There are hundreds of subjective rules about what makes a tooth 'good.' But once we break it down into quantifiable attributes—just like I do with swimming—we can optimize the entire process." 

Jens Peter's ability to codify complex, nuanced domains into measurable parameters has allowed his team to significantly improve 3Shape’s dental algorithms, ensuring that dental technicians worldwide have a better starting point when crafting crowns and implants.

This is where Jens Peter sees the strongest parallel between his two roles: the ability to use data-driven optimization to impact real-world outcomes.

Despite his individual expertise, Jens Peter is quick to point out that teamwork is at the heart of both his swimming and professional careers. 

"In swimming, you are part of a team where everyone is pushing each other to be better," he reflects. "Even though the race itself is individual, your success often depends on the support and feedback of your teammates and coach. So, implementing that kind of teamwork awareness in our systems, is something that I take great pride in."

The same applies to his work at 3Shape. Jens Peter is deeply committed to working collaboratively, whether it's within his own team of developers or with dental technicians across the globe. "We don’t create groundbreaking algorithms in isolation," he insists. "It’s a collaborative process, where each person’s expertise is essential for the final outcome."

This emphasis on teamwork is what truly drives Jens Peter in both arenas of his life. ”The more thoroughly we do our work, the more patients out there in the world experience a significant improvement... And I think that's worth fighting for” he says passionately. 

For Jens Peter, whether he's coaching a young aspiring swimmer or perfecting dental algorithms, the end goal is always the same: to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

Ultimately, Jens Peter's passion for optimization, be it in the pool or at the keyboard, stems from a deep-rooted desire to see others achieve their full potential. "If I can come close to perfecting something, whether it’s a swimmer’s technique or a software algorithm," he concludes, "then I know I've made a difference.