Being intentional about restoring JOY...through every step of what we do
Producing quality software isn't easy. It takes a high-functioning team using the right tools. Paired programming, open-space collaboration, frequent client feedback, short iterative work cycles—in the end, they're all about quality.
Menlo's joy starts with our physical surroundings.
Our Environment
We are set in a big, open "factory" full of chatter and activity. As you pull open the tall glass doors and walk in, you feel the energy of the place—it's palpable. You see an open space flooded with light. You see people working together in pairs and groups. The walls grab your attention with their posters, papers, and columns of index cards. You might even see a dog wandering around or a baby asleep in a swing.
None of this is accidental. Everything you see—the index cards, the pairing, even the babies—intentionally ties back to our relentless quest to restore joy to our stakeholders—to the people who use technology, the people who commission it, and the people who create it.
We learn by watching and listening with intention.
Our Process
In order to delight the people who use our technology, we start with what we call High-Tech Anthropology®. Our High-Tech Anthropologists® (HTAs) design not just screens but the entire user experience. To do this, we start with humility. We aren't the end user. We don't assume we know what they need. So our HTAs spend time with them in their native habitats, honor them with attention, listening carefully and observing them without interruption.
To delight the people who sponsor our work, our project managers partner closely with them. The tools we use: weekly show-and-tells, frequent estimation of tasks, and transparent prioritization and financials that provide our sponsors with the reins that allow them to drive the project and change direction quickly as needed. There are no big surprises near the end of a project here, no gotchas.
To delight the teams who develop our software, we champion the importance of quality through every part of our process.
Why? W. Edward Demings said it best: "All anyone asks for is a chance to work with pride." Our development team is proud of the quality we deliver. You won't hear the phone ringing off the hook at Menlo with frantic reports of crashing software, and we can't emphasize enough how much joy that brings us. (Not to mention our clients and our end users.)
Our culture
Being intentional about restoring JOY...through our culture