Saturn Systems - Company Overview & Culture
The history, growth, and values of Saturn Systems, a leading software engineering company based in Duluth, Minnesota. Learn about their innovative approach to rural outsourcing, company culture focused on quality and teamwork, and expertise in software development and engineering. Discover how they have evolved since their founding in 1990, their commitment to high-quality work, and their focus on enterprise application development.
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Presentation Transcript
Mark Chmielewski October 6, 2015 EE 1001 www.saturnsys.com
Presentation Goals Company Background Culture Business Operations Software & Systems Engineering Future Growth Plans Parting Thoughts www.saturnsys.com
Location Duluth 314 W. Superior St. Torrey Bldg Grand Rapids, MN www.saturnsys.com
Saturn Systems - Foundations UMD Computer Engineering Program Now ECE Keith Erickson and Mark Chmielewski 1987 No jobs in Duluth and Few in MN Keith to Santa Barbara, CA Mark to Mountain View, CA and New York Move back to Duluth 1990, 92 Still No Jobs Started Consulting firms Merged in 1997 www.saturnsys.com
Saturn Systems History Founded in 1990 in Duluth, Minnesota Origins in Device Control and Integration, Detailed Engineering Since 2000, Focus Changed to Enterprise Application Development 25% Growth Annually Since 2006 Recognized in the Inc. 5000 for 2011-2014 Awarded 150 Best places to work in MN Startribune and MN business journal www.saturnsys.com
Rural Outsourcing U.S. alternative to Off-Shoring Saturn Systems Model High Quality / Low risk Central U.S. Location High Skill Niche (Degreed Engineers) Lower Employee Turnover www.saturnsys.com
Culture It s all about Culture Produce the Highest Quality Software Technically challenging work Transparency and communications Teamwork Respect, honesty and integrity Perks and flexibility www.saturnsys.com
Competencies/Skills Software Lifecycle Agile Process Focus Quality, predictability Experts at Working Over Distance Technology Expertise Microsoft Stack Java Stack Mobile - IOS, Android www.saturnsys.com
Staff Profile Management Team MSEE, ECE, CS, Math, Accounting degrees Duluth Technical Staff CS, ECE, related 4 year degrees Project Managers, Technical Leads, Senior Software Engineers, Software Engineers, Programmers, QA Testers Grand Rapids office Currently 8 software developers www.saturnsys.com
Revenue Model Project Based Contracts Time & Materials Starts with an Idea .Ends with an Application Staff Augmentation We remotely plug into client s existing Development Teams www.saturnsys.com
Business Costs Personnel Direct Labor (billable staff) Benefits (Health, Dental, Vacation, Perks) Management and administrative Non-billable (i.e. bench ) time Sales & Marketing Billboards, Public Radio, Google Adwords, Referrals Recruiting In house recruiters, CareerBuilder, Craigslist, employee Referrals Infrastructure IT Rent Taxes www.saturnsys.com
Business Pillars Marketing & Sales Operations Finance Recruiting &HR www.saturnsys.com
Technical Activities Writing Proposals and Estimates Writing Functional Specifications System Architecture & Design Software Development Device control & protocols, web applications, desktop applications, database design and programming Quality Assurance Testing Deployment and integration Ongoing support and maintenance www.saturnsys.com
Key Technologies C#.NET Javascript Java HTML 5 MVC Angular.js, Node.js www.saturnsys.com
Marketing / Sales Multiple Marketing Channels New Customers Minnesota Public Radio Freeway Billboards Organic Search Google Adwords Tradeshows Referrals Existing Customers Familiarity with Quality Products, Processes Match Saturn Capabilities with Customer Needs www.saturnsys.com
Software Development Process/Lifecycle Agile/Iterative Approach Marketing/Sales Contracts Agile Project Plan Scoping/Specific Requirements Staffing Development / QA Deployment Testing Maintenance www.saturnsys.com
Agile Methodology Individuals and interactions - team interactions like co-location and mentoring are key. Working software builds confidence and provides a baseline for discussion. Customer collaboration requirements cannot be fully collected at the beginning of the software development cycle, therefore continuous customer or stakeholder involvement is very important. Responding to change quick responses to change and continuous refinement. www.saturnsys.com
Agile Engineering Perspective www.saturnsys.com
Development Co-Location of Teams Mentoring of less experienced engineers Deployment of Sprint Test Servers / Environment QA Test Sprint Internal QA Client QA Rework (if necessary) Adjust Agile Project Plan if Necessary Tackle Next Sprint www.saturnsys.com
The Future View Software power and capabilities will revolutionize society at a rapid pace Companies will continue to invest in software technologies to increase profit and gain competitive advantage We expect continued rapid growth Expand Marketing Budgets and Channels Expand and Refine Recruiting Channels www.saturnsys.com
What This Means For You Very Bright Employment Outlook Companies will continue to invest in hardware and software technologies to reduce costs and increase profits Reduction in Overhead employees Engineers Will be Scarce and Coveted Very Challenging Degrees Many high school grads are not prepared for the challenge Offshore Competition has equalized www.saturnsys.com
Parting Thoughts Commitment to Your Degree Program Study First. Study Hard. Those with the best record get the best jobs Work For Companies Where You are the Product Revenue Employee vs. Overhead Tech and Engineering Companies Don t be Afraid to Take Risks Move to Another Region if necessary www.saturnsys.com
Questions? www.saturnsys.com
