A couple of weeks in the new job and I work for a different company! Well almost - Interface21 has been renamed to SpringSource to strengthen the association with the Spring portfolio of products.
New web site, new email addresses, new logo, new business cards, etc. On the other hand the job is unchanged, as is the green corporate colour scheme...
I'm gradually noticing what's different about working in a small company. For one thing, there are very few processes, other than for software development where there are one or two.
For instance, I just took this photo. of the room I work in. Damilola (on the left) and Chris (on the right) noticed the idiot lifting his macbook into mid-air, but Nancie (in the distance) apparently didn't. I wonder how many levels of sign-off would have been needed to publish such a photo. in my previous company?
A more telling example of the minimal processes was that it recently took about an hour to obtain licenses for a piece of commercial software we decided to use. This included getting financial sign-off from someone on a business trip on the West Coast, submitting the order, and getting the license keys ready to use.
This is a pleasant change for me. Processes are sometimes essential, but it's so easy to make them too heavy. The emphasis in a small company seems to be talking to other people and trusting them to do the right thing.
Today I start work for Interface21 in Southampton. After more than a month of gardening leave, or more accurately decorating leave, I can't wait!
