Most software for small businesses is built for people who already have an office manager. Durable is built for the person who is the office manager, the technician, the salesperson and the owner, usually all before lunch.
That changes what "good" means. A feature that needs a manual is not good. A dashboard that has to be checked is not good. The bar is simple: it works while they are working on something else.
Here are the ideas we build on, and the practices that keep them honest. Principles guide how we think. Practices are how those principles show up in the work.
Principles
Assume good intent
Trust that people mean well and seek to understand before reacting.
Extreme ownership
Take responsibility for the outcome, not just your part in it.
Lead with joy
Bring energy, optimism and a sense of possibility to hard problems.
Be a learning machine
Stay curious. Learn quickly, adapt and improve.
Naive optimism wins
Believe a better outcome is possible, even when others doubt it.
Action precedes motivation
Take the first step; momentum will follow.
Find the third door
Reject false binaries. Look for the option that makes the tradeoff unnecessary.
Sometimes, not making a choice is a choice.
Focus on outcomes
Optimize for what changes, not how much work went into changing it.
Radical candor
Be direct, honest and kind in giving and receiving feedback.
Practices
DRI
Every project and every issue has one person responsible for it. Others help. One person answers for it.
Always ask why
Do not inherit assumptions. Understand the reason before accepting the constraint.
Goals are helpful
Goals create shared direction and remind us what matters beyond the work in front of us.
Scope issues to fit in a day
Small issues get done and reviewed. Large issues get postponed. Break work down until progress is visible every day.
Ship weekly, announce weekly
Something real reaches customers every week. The changelog is written for the owner, not the team, in words they would use.
Follow the puck
Stay close to where customers, technology and leverage are moving. Change direction when reality does.