Posts Tagged ‘guadalajara’
Do you know C, or C++? Do you want to learn iPhone development?
Posted by: andy in Agave Lab, iPhone and iPad on January 19th, 2012
Do you know how to program? Do you want to learn iPhone development?
We are looking for a few developers with a background in software development that would like to learn how to do iPhone/iPad and Android applications. Agave Lab is a small company that develops mobile applications that are fun, interesting, and that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. We’re located in Col. Americana but all of our clients are in the US.
Attitude is key in that we’ve built a really fun team and we all get along well. The candidate will have to be flexible as our development methodology (which is based on Agile and SCRUM) is very different from a traditional waterfall approach. We’re not too hung up on university degrees or professional background. We’re looking for people who really enjoy coding and are genuinely interested in current web programming trends. You can see some of the projects that we’re working on at www.agavelab.com. Some English skills would be good but not required. You can contact us at info@agavelab.com.
(and now in Spanish)
¿Sabes como programar? ¿Quieres aprender sobre el desarrollo del iPhone?
Estamos en busca de unos pocos desarrolladores con experiencia en programacion que quieran aprender a hacer el iPhone / IPAD y aplicaciones de Android. Agave Lab es una pequeña empresa que desarrolla aplicaciones que son divertidos, interesantes y que están forzando los límites de lo que es posible. Estamos ubicados en Col. Americana, pero todos nuestros clientes están en los EE.UU..
Su actitud es importante en la que hemos construido un equipo muy divertido y todos nos llevamos bien. El candidato tendrá que ser flexible como nuestra metodología de desarrollo (que se basa en Agile Y SCRUM) es muy diferente de la metodologia “waterfall” tradicional. No estamos demasiado colgó título universitario o experiencia profesional. Estamos buscando a personas que realmente disfrutan de codificación y están realmente interesados en las actuales tendencias de programación web. Usted puede ver algunos de los proyectos que estamos trabajando en www.agavelab.com. Algunas habilidades Inglés sería pero no es necesario. Se pueda contactarnos a info@agavelab.com.
How we do that voodoo that we do.
How we do it
Agile, XP, and SCRUM
We use programming and project management techniques that are derived from Agile, Extreme Programming (XP), and SCRUM.
Realtime Visibility and Control
We offer client tools that allow you to monitor and control your project in realtime. Projects are broken down into “user stories” and then progress against these stories is updated continually by our engineers. You’ll always know exactly where things stand. You can also add, remove, change, or rearrange stories at any point. You have up-to-the-minute control over what features end up in the final release and in what order they get done.
Sprint-based Iterations
A sprint is a one week release cycle. By keeping the interval short, we maintain a tight focus on the most critical features. The end result of a Sprint is functioning, error-free, releasable product. This gives the stakeholders a chance to actually use the product which, in turn, influences the features and functionality of subsequent Sprints.
Continuos Deployment
During the Sprint, user stories are deployed to a test environment immediately upon their completion. This gives stakeholders a chance to see features in action before the end of the Sprint. This serves two purposes: First, the project owner can adjust the remainder of the Sprint based on hands-on experience, and Second, with new features appearing everyday, excitement about, and engagement in, the project remains high.
Test Driven Development
The first step in User Story development, is the creation of automated unit tests that validate the feature. After the tests are written, engineers then write the code that implements the feature. Test Driven Development has been shown to be more responsive to rapid changes in requirements while generating more reliable code.
Pair Programming
The concept is simple. Two engineers sit side-by-side and work together on the same code. With two minds continually refining, discussing, and working on the same problem set, fewer mistakes are made, difficult problems become easy, and designs are generally simpler and easier to maintain. Simply put, Pair Programming generates better code, faster.
Team Scalability
The smallest team is one pair of engineers but our approach lends itself to near linear increases in productivity as more pairs are added. Engineers often switch programing partners and the more sets of eyes on a given problem the easier it becomes. With more than three sets of pairs on a given Sprint, productivity gains become less linear due to the increased inability to parallelize. As business requirements change, team size can be quickly ramped up, or down, depending on output needs of the specific Sprint.
Built to Transfer
At the end of the engagement, the project will be transitioned to your internal team. Because our methodology requires that all work be readable by all members of the team, code tends to be more elegant, easier to understand, and have both clear in-line comments and user documentation. In addition, our engagement process gives you real-time access to all features, documentation, and code as it’s checked in.
Our Sweet Spot – The sorts of things we look for in a project.
At Agave Lab, we help companies and individuals affordably convert their ideas into products. This might mean transforming a napkin sketch into a fundable, high-quality beta release, or building out the feature set for the next release of an existing application.
Common themes include:
Working with clients to evolve a seed of an idea into a compelling product plan
Keeping our fees low so that our clients can afford to try take risks and try new things
A dedication to user interfaces that are clean and crisp
A belief that form should follow function
A focus on viral growth strategies
Industrial-strength code and architecture
Development processes based on Agile and Scrum
Projects That We Look for
iOS and Android
Mobile social
Feedback and reviews
Photo sharing
Just what we need.
So it appears that the US is sending “C.I.A. operatives and retired military personnel” to Mexico to help fight the drug cartels. From a recent NYTimes article:
“The pressure is going to be especially strong in Mexico, where I expect there will be a lot more raids, a lot more arrests and a lot more parading drug traffickers in front of cameras.”
Speaking as a gringo who lives here, thanks, but no thanks. How much evidence do we need to conclude that the “war on drugs” is a misguided notion? Also from the article:
“the number of deaths in Mexico is proof positive that the strategy is working and that the cartels are being weakened,”
How’s that? More violence is a good thing? If this is progress, I can do without it. Since Mexico began “cracking down” on the cartels, drug sales have gone through the roof. And now we’re adding drones, Blackhawk helicopters, and private contractors to the mix? If memory serves, that didn’t work so well in Iraq or Afganistan. I have a better idea: if the US wants mexico to stop selling it drugs, perhaps the US should stop buying them.
Estamos en busca de programadores!!
Follow your heart
Estamos en busca de programadores para unirse al equipo aquí en Guadalajara.
US Shoots Itself in the Foot, Again.
Posted by: andy in Nearsourcing on September 15th, 2010
Check out this post by Kirk Laughlin concerning recent US legislation that increases the processing fees for H1B visa to $2,000. I suppose the bill’s sponsor, Senator Charles Schumer, has the intention of protecting US jobs but does he actually think that preventing highly-skilled technology workers from coming to the US is a good thing? In any event, it’s a boon for the Mexico tech market as the TN visa (the one that allows Mexicans to do the same thing) has been exempted. Bad for India, bad for the US, GOOD for Mexico!!!
Mexico has somewhere between 500,000 and 600,000 IT professionals, and the country graduates approximately 65,000 IT students a year. Both Guadalajara and Monterrey landed on Nearshore Americas ranking of the Six Leading IT Cities in the Nearshore Region.
Agave Lab develops Facebook app for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Posted by: andy in Nearsourcing, Random on August 9th, 2010
We were lucky enough to be selected by JDRF to build a facebook app that allows parents with kids with diabetes to sign up to visit their elected representatives in Washington D.C. Check it out.
NYTimes: Mexico poised to outstrip US in economic growth
Posted by: andy in Nearsourcing on July 1st, 2010
Not any more, sucka!
Now this is something you don’t see every day. Latin America’s economy is on a tear and, surprise, it’s not all fueled by drugs and bootleg DVDs! I’m sure that much of the success was due to the region’s luck in dodging the pyramid scheme that was the mortgage market in the US (not due to any wisdom or foreword thinking – mortgages of any stripe – much less sub-prime ones – are just not common here). In any event, let’s celebrate before wheels fall off (again)!
After a sharp contraction last year, Mexico’s economy grew 4.3 percent in the first quarter and may reach 5 percent this year, the Mexican government has said, possibly outpacing the economy in the United States.
How to Motivate People: Skip the Bonus and Give Them a Real Project
So my wife tracked this article down via FastCompany. Fascinating, and fun to watch.
Bottom line, the more you pay people, the worse they do. Seems counter intuitive, no?
