I retired from personal blogging in July 2008.
But you can find me over at http://blog.xero.com.
Phil and Leonie just got back from the Cooper design course in San Francisco.
I’m excited they’re excited. These two are really starting to push the envelope and the innovation coming out of the team is exciting to see. As a night time developer, I don’t do enough design. Too quickly I jump into code. Then you iterate and the process to build something quite simple can quickly extend. Having a blue print before coding greatly reduces project time. It’s like a builder putting up a wall day one, without having the architects drawings. Sure you have a rough idea of the shape of the house but the detail kills you. You miss opportunities from not spending time on the design.
All of the mini projects they have designed has lead to unexpected features and elegance that creates competitive advantage.
Our developers are jazzed about being able to develop to world class blue prints and build features that are pushing the envelope. I’m happy that we’re really developing to real customer requirements and delivering innovative differentiation.
One of the benefits of our sale to Quest is that our staff are getting the experience of working with a global software company and building products that really are going out to the world. Our focus on the one main product gives them the opportunity to focus on a specific set of problems. That focus is key to the success of the design process. Watching them teach themselves new skills, seeing them meet and spend time with industry thought leaders and do work not usually seen in NZ is very satisfying.
We’ve finished our first quarter. It’s gone well, and our team have proved themselves. This results in further investment in New Zealand as we grow our team. We have some open headcount and this is an exciting time to get involved. Flick me a note if you’re interested. We’re having fun.
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