It is the end of the year and time for some internal assessments and
reflections! This is an extremely high overview of our internal workings over
the last year to give an idea where we currently stand. Overall things look
pretty good since not all of the herd is full-time and all of our business has
been acquired from word-of-mouth!
Milestones
Project
Description
Date
Duration
CHESS
Consultant on the U.S. Army Computer Hardware Enterprise Software and Solutions project.
Oct 2012
9 months
EKS ARSAPTS
Consultant on the U.S. Army Reserve Staff Action Process Tracking System project.
Nov 2012
8 months
jquery-analytics
jQuery plug-in to provide custom analytics. For those of us who can not use Google Analytics at work or just want to dork with something else.
Mar 2013
1 month
EKS KSS
Consultant on the U.S. Army Reserve Knowledge Software and Support project.
May 2013
2 months
SAMEDI
Safety report system for a variety of industries.
May 2013
2 months
CMMI
Consultant Consultant assisting in the CMMI process acquisition and audits.
Jul 2013
1 month
ScanR
Web application accepting multiple sources of vulnerability reports. Users may then digest the information with informative reports and other analytics.
Dec 2013
3 months
Ready Resume
iPhone application with accompanying website provide an easy to use resume system. The application makes aides in the ability to easily distribute resumes as well as assist in recruitment.
Dec 2013
5 months
Earnings
Removed from the public version.
Reflection
What went right…
Freedom - The main goal of this venture had been to free ourselves and let
us grow in ways we choose. For the most part this was accomplished. During
the year there were periods an extended absence was necessary and completely
within the realm of reason. Normal working circumstances this may be very
difficult to accomplish not just with the amount of time away from work but
also financially.
Variety - A wide variety of projects came across our whiteboards. In fact,
we developed in most of the major programming languages and on each of the
major types of operating systems (Windows, Apple, and Linux) and their
offspring (iOS, Android, and Surface Pro). In the typical grind of a
developer you tend to stay in one focused area which can go stale in cycles.
Actually deviating from your comfort zone is rewarding and boosts
self-confidence in your abilities while still keeping things fun!
Estimates - Part of the job is to bid for projects as needed. Typically they
come in a form of level of effort and costs. For those quotes we were
selected for the estimates were dead-on. There is still room for improvement
as far service appreciation but the profits are there alongside good
workmanship.
What went wrong…
Contract Disputes and Payments - There is an old saying to get everything in
writing. Unfortunately that is not the whole quote and it should also state
“… from the entities who write your paychecks.” So if your project manager
approves a pay rate, and this pay rate is sent and approved by executives it
doesn’t mean squat if the financial department is not part of the
communication chain.
Antique Platforms - We can’t all pick and choose our platforms and tools,
and honestly sometimes you just have to suck it up and get things done.
However, there are certain environments which are painful to develop in and
actually seem to inhibit forward thinking and best practices. We did a lot
of work in these areas this year and while it is good money and constant
work it may not be worth the mental stresses.