Code Culture: Values
We wanted a means to work together effectively. A way to share our knowledge and understanding of the web development world plus look into improving our workflow and processes.
We needed a way to take a group of great individuals and make them an amazing team.
We wanted to avoid writing extensive documentation on our processes, they’re difficult to write, time consuming and no one ever reads them. Instead, we wanted to create an environment in which we can openly discuss, learn and improve on what we have as a team. A setting where we all have a shared ideal of what we want and where we want the team to go.
This is where our Code Culture comes into play.
Our Code Culture Values
Culture is a fuzzy thing. It occupies the invisible space between people. It’s almost impossible to create and is made up of many different elements. But the one thing that all cultures have is a set of values. It’s values that really define a culture and the people within them.
This is why we’ve set out to build our team on a set of shared values.
We have six values that define what we believe as a team:
- Play as a team
- Open mind, open source
- Autonomy
- Build with balance
- Code is beautiful
- Strive for greatness
Play as a team
We play as a team. Where we share the wins and the losses. Where code belongs to the team, not the individual. Where communication is key to a project’s success. A team where we respect and trust each other to write good code and ask for help.
Open mind, open source
We keep an open mind. We’re open to new ideas, tools and process so that we can explore and learn from them. We’re also flexible, allowing us to adapt and change quickly.
Autonomy
We use tools to automate mundane task so we can focus on more important things – building awesome projects. We too are autonomous. By having a clear workflow, shared resources and an organised code base, each developer knows what to do and how to do it, when the time arrives.
Build with balance
Building any website can be tricky. With much to consider when you look at the complexity of a website it is easy to make major sacrifices in one area for the sake of another, but this can cause problems. That is why we build with balance, looking to find the middle ground by considering all things.
Code is beautiful
Writing code is a creative endeavour, we build creative solutions that solve problems. That’s why we take pride and work to keep our code clean.
Strive for greatness
We want to be the best we can be and we do that by continuously learning and improving, both as individuals and as a team. We keep up to date with the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of web development, adopting professional practices and standards to keep us pushing forwards.
It starts with our values
It’s our values that form the foundation of our Code Culture. A foundation that we can build from as we come to improve our workflows, refine our process and become an amazing team.
This is only the beginning. As our team grows, so will our code culture, but its our values that remain constant.