Breaking Ground

Something we take great pride in at the Clever Software Group is that we're different to the rest. One of our defining values is that we try to break the mould with everything we do. Whether that be creating a totally original software product, or embracing a seemingly impossible challenge.

So we thought we'd share some of the ways that we strive to be atypical software developers.

Software developers who don't talk tech speak

We work in an industry where there may well be an abbreviation for every type of development activity. From MVP and API to RAM and EIGRP. Answers on a postcard for those please.

As a team we're fluent in many software development languages. Yet we're not fans of gobbledygook. Put us in a room of fellow software developers and we'll happily speak the lingo. Yet we much prefer plain English. Nice and simple. We'll never leave you reaching for a thesaurus to decode what we're talking about and we're unlikely to send you code to review.

All progress updates and working prototypes are provided in non technical language. So we're all speaking the same language.

Sure, some of our clients are tech savvy and their jargon vocabulary are impressive. So, we're sure to adapt our communication style, level of detail in a way which best suits our clients.

Our software developers communicate directly with clients

Many software development companies will rely on a project manager to act as a translator between the client and software developers. To decode updates into a language that the client can easily understand. Project managers are great at driving our projects forward and bridging any gaps.

However, there are many occasions when our developers need to speak directly to clients, particularly those on support agreements with business-critical software. So, we ensure they speak regularly; no one is a stranger. Direct communications, in our experience, ensure that our software developers really get to grips with what the client and their users are looking to achieve.

We are both logical and creative

Software developers aren't always classed as creative types. We're usually pigeon holed into the brainy, sensible, analytical tick box. That's ok, because those attributes are alive and kicking amongst us. Yet for us, the box needs a bigger window so that we can think outside it; reach beyond it.

Working in a bespoke environment means we are always thinking how to make what we do innovative. Thinking creatively; following a process but always embracing the curves in the road.

We break free from our desks

We're not going to pretend to be beach bunnies, even though we love a promenade stroll with a Callipo in hand at any time of year. And it's true that we love playing with tech at home as much as we do at work.

But we also like to break free from the office. Whether that be visiting our clients at work, attending events, working from home, building lego in the breakout area, meeting new faces or making use of our new tech explore days.

A change of scene, and a good dose of Vitamin D, never fails to give our productivity a good boost.

We're not always right

Ok that was hard, and maybe typed through gritted teeth. We admit we know our stuff. We've worked on enough bespoke software developments to make the best recommendations and pave the best way forward for our clients. However, we're firm believers that a successful software development lies in working collaboratively between both teams. Pooling our knowledge.

Our software developers are clever clogs, without being know it alls. We know software; you know your business. We'll always advise you as best as we can, but decision making during the process will always be your call. We're nice and flexible so if for any reason something doesn't go to plan, we will do everything we can to make it right.

We like to talk

Yes, emails are a wondrous thing. They're a perfect way to reach someone who isn't always reachable, and to get important details record in writing. Yet we think you just can't beat a good conversation. We've found many times before that by chatting, we've managed to gauge something that wasn't communicated clearly in a requirements document; that ideas flow freer during an actual discussion.

Call us old fashioned, but getting to know someone is always that much easier when you're having a chat. Getting to know the person behind the email signature really does enable us to produce a greater user experience and build a partnership where we look forward to catching up to talk some more.

Hopefully that settles it. We're creative, chatty, flexible, curious, sociable, humble software developers. Each of us has something unique to offer, and we're creating a new sort of normal for software developers like us.

Discover more about what makes us unique.