A Note from our CEO, Alan Shalloway

Our vision is Effective software development without suffering. We believe that for software developers, the act of attaining a certain mindset and following some core principles can eliminate many risks, problems and pain associated with their jobs. We teach a selective curriculum that enables developers to achieve this mindset and to practice these principles.

We consider it unfortunate that certain industry leaders endorse a “you can’t learn it until you try it” approach. Many teams do this and learn by trial and error -- they implement what they can. And they get as far as they can get within the limits of their project. And it often ends up being very successful after it is all over. And along the way there is usually pain.

I ask myself, “Is that how it must happen?” or, more accurately, “Is that what I am going to accept?”

Not today.

Although we do believe that the only way to really learn new techniques is by doing them -- just jumping in because it was emphatically endorsed by a developer, or a corporation, or a team who did it before can lead to serious challenges and even more pain. We believe a necessary component of these teachings is a solid understanding of the concepts involved.

This allows for a more relaxed, less disruptive, migration. To educate teams in this migration requires trainers/mentors to have an ability to discern and explain the principles involved, not merely be able to follow them. This approach simplifies the approach for virtually all involved in the migration. It also enables many to comprehend the full benefits of these techniques prior to implementation because the roots of these techniques lie in common sense and can be related to past experience.

This is one of the greatest distinctions between our staff and the staff of most other training/consulting companies. We don’t just teach what to do, we clearly explain why you do what to do in a way you can understand the techniques. You trust your judgment as you move forward, not that of experts in the field. This increased understanding allows for the effective adoption of new techniques and practices without (or at least with less) pain. As one of our staff put it "Eventually you’re going to need to get in the water — but you don’t need to get pushed off the dock."