Software Craftsmanship in Our Studio

Have you ever been to a Woodworking shop? Everything about it is set up so the woodworkers can efficiently and effectively ply their craft. Though there may be pencils and other equipment familiar to other professions, there would be no question that you've walked into a place where wood is turned into fine furniture or other crafts.

The folks who work here take their work seriously and love every minute of it!

We've set up our studio in such a way that we can effectively and efficiently collaborate to create custom software. Whiteboards and corkboards that facilitate collaborative design discussions and project tracking line the walls (and can easily be moved). Computers and monitors are set up such that no developer has to turn more than 90 degrees to look at another developer to ask for help or provide it, while still providing plenty of space to effectively accomplish the task they are working on. Reference books are readily available (both the paper and electronic kind) so that the information needed is never far away. All of the power and network cables are out of the way in the middle of the room so no one trips as they are fluidly moving from whiteboard to their computer to another developer that needs a hand.

Find out more about our people by clicking the links on the right.

Software off-site?

But what if the people we need to collaborate with can't work here with us? If the client can provide the space somewhat close to home, we'll happily work on their site and reproduce as much of this productive environment as possible. We've worked very well with clients in other locations and other timezones using a variety of means that are the next best thing to being there. No matter how much a client thinks they have things specified, we find it necessary to have a high degree of collaboration and tight feedback in the continuous discovery process that results in highly-effective software. Our people will do what it takes to make that happen.

The Power of a High-performance Team

You'll find that the collective members of our team have a wide variety of experience in a wide variety of domains, and know the craft of software as well as any team out there, and far more than most. And, when we don't have direct experience in a particular detail, we have tried and true techniques to figure the details out. Even though the individual software craftsmen are very accomplished as individuals, we take the saying that “two heads are better than one” very seriously. (For a great analysis of why one of the techniques we use is so effective, see How Pair Programming Really Works) We work together as a team to raise up the skill level of each individual and the team as a whole. So, even though you may have only one or two individuals assigned to a smaller project, you will still benefit from the collective skill of the team.

Cost-effective Software Apprenticeship

We've also found that, in many projects, there is a lot of work that well-trained craftsman find simple. We have found that the age-old technique of apprenticeship is both an effective way to keep our craftsmen fresh (and new craftsmen up and coming), and also a cost-effective way to keep the costs down for our clients by having less experienced developers work on simpler task while still under supervision of the more experienced craftsmen.