Menlo Associates

read moreWhat does joy look like to our clients' project managers? We've found it looks something like this: transparent control over the project with predictable outcomes. At Menlo, our clients have complete control of the project's direction. At any given moment, they know exactly where the project stands-how much progress has been made, the estimated cost for each step, and how the budget is holding up. In this 4 hour virtual interactive workshop, you'll get an introduction to the methodologies we use to bring joy, transparency, and control to project management.

read moreProducing 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. 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.

read moreJoy is what happens when people use our software with ease, even excitement. It's what happens when we exceed our project sponsors' expectations. It's what happens when our teamwork brings out the best in each other and in what we create. Joy is the thing that underpins everything we do and everything we're about. And it's contagious. But joy doesn't just happen. Over the years, we've learned a lot about what does and doesn't work, primarily through what we call "running the experiment." We'd like to tell you about where this ongoing experiment has brought us to today and why we do some of the seemingly crazy things we do.

read moreEverything at Menlo is set up to support collaboration. For example, all our work is done in pairs. Each pair of developers shares a keyboard and a monitor. High-Tech Anthropologists work as pairs on field observations and software design. Quality Advocates validate together. Pairing is the quickest way we've found to share knowledge throughout the team, eliminating towers of knowledge and bringing new team members up to speed. And then there's our workspace. When you walk around the room you'll see clusters of people focusing intently on a shared task.