1 / 22

Mark Chmielewski October 8, 2013 EE 1001

Mark Chmielewski October 8, 2013 EE 1001. Presentation Goals. Company Background Business Operations Software & Systems Engineering Future Growth Plans Parting Thoughts. Location. Duluth – 314 W. Superior St. – Torrey Bldg Grand Rapids, MN. Saturn Systems - Foundations.

felton
Download Presentation

Mark Chmielewski October 8, 2013 EE 1001

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Mark Chmielewski October 8, 2013 EE 1001 www.saturnsys.com

  2. Presentation Goals • Company Background • Business Operations • Software & Systems Engineering • Future Growth Plans • Parting Thoughts www.saturnsys.com

  3. Location • Duluth – 314 W. Superior St. – Torrey Bldg • Grand Rapids, MN www.saturnsys.com

  4. 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

  5. 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, 2012 www.saturnsys.com

  6. Rural Outsourcing • U.S. alternative to Off-Shoring • Saturn Systems Model • Central U.S. Location • High Skill Niche (Degreed Engineers) • Minnesota/Duluth – Lower Overhead Costs • Lower Employee Turnover www.saturnsys.com

  7. Competencies/Skills • Software Lifecycle Agile Process Focus • Experts at Working Over Distance • Technology Expertise • Microsoft – C#, ASP.NET, SQL Server, C++ • Java Technologies • Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP (LAMP) • IOS, Android Mobile www.saturnsys.com

  8. 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 • Telecommuters • Saturn employees, working from their homes in outstate areas • Grand Rapids office • Currently 4 software developers • Contractors • Business Analysts, Engineers and Programmers www.saturnsys.com

  9. Revenue Generation • Project Based Contracts • Time & Materials • Starts with an Idea….Ends with an Application • Staff Augmentation • We plug into client’s existing Development Teams • Make Money by Managing our “Bench” www.saturnsys.com

  10. 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 • Recruiting • CareerBuilder, newspapers, recruiters. • Infrastructure • IT • Rent • Taxes www.saturnsys.com

  11. Business Activities • Operations & Scheduling • Marketing & Business Development • Recruiting • Financial (budgeting, taxes, accounting, forecasting) www.saturnsys.com

  12. 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

  13. Current Technologies • Microsoft .NET, ASP.Net, C#, SQL Server • Web Apps, AJAX, JavaScript, HTML5 • Desktop Apps • SQL Server Database • Java technologies • Mostly Open Source • Oracle, MySQL • Android and IOS Mobile www.saturnsys.com

  14. 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

  15. Software Development Process/Lifecycle • Agile Focused Approach • Marketing/Sales • Contracts • Agile Project Plan • Scoping/Specific Requirements • Staffing • Development / QA • Deployment • Testing • Maintenance www.saturnsys.com

  16. Agile Methodology • Individuals and interactions - team interactions likeco-locationand mentoringare 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

  17. Agile – Engineering Perspective www.saturnsys.com

  18. 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

  19. The Future View • Companies Will Continue to Invest in Software Technologies to Replace Increasingly Costly Employees • We Expect Continued Rapid Growth • Expand Marketing Budgets and Channels • Expand and Refine Recruiting Channels www.saturnsys.com

  20. 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

  21. 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 www.saturnsys.com

  22. Questions? www.saturnsys.com

More Related