Many software companies are encumbered by their size, high management overheads and an unempowered workforce. All too frequently the company itself contributes nothing to the success of a software project - it's all about the individuals that happen to be involved in the team.
ThoughtPatterns believes that excellence in software engineering comes from the ground up. That's why we strive to attract the best technical people we can, and keep an optimal managerial/technical ratio.
We also believe that people work best when they are enjoying what they are doing. Computer programming is unique amongst the arts because the programmer works with an infinitely malleable material - pure "thought patterns", if you will. We encourage our technical staff to look for ways to improve their practice. Each project is a catalyst for reflection and improvement of our software engineering techniques for the next job.
In the 25th anniversary edition of "The Mythical Man Month", Brooks suggests that reuse will be the key to improving the productivity of the software engineering industry in the future. We agree. We also think that reuse can take many different forms - reuse of software, of patterns and frameworks, of process, of experience.