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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<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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Business Pillars www.saturnsys.com Marketing & Sales Finance Operations Recruiting &HR<br>
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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<br>
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Key Technologies C#.NET
Javascript
Java
HTML 5
MVC
Angular.js, Node.js www.saturnsys.com<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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Agile – Engineering Perspective www.saturnsys.com<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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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<br>
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Questions? www.saturnsys.com<br>
