We work with early-stage startups and mid-size technology organisations to deliver cultural outcomes that drive business benefits. We do that by teaching, growing teams, and leading by example.
Teaching
Customised apprenticeship program
The program is focused on levelling up less experienced developers, allowing intermediate developers to build upon their already strong foundation, and reducing cost of acquisition and churn.
Skill and culture workshops
We offer workshops on team communication, workplace culture, and hiring practices. We also offer technical training on topics such as Test-Driven Development in Ruby on Rails, using Git and GitHub for better workflows, and refactoring techniques.
Growing teams
We work with engineering and HR teams to apply rigour, consistency, and predictability to your hiring process, level-up your engineers, and reduce churn from juniors to senior leaders. We guide organisation-wide implementation of OKRs.
Leading by example
We work directly with your engineering and product teams. We serve as role models and mentors while delivering features and improving code maintainability. We review your codebase and provide an assessment.
Our process
Blackmill is a software engineering practice consultancy focused on deliberate development. We believe thoughtful engineering practices lead to quality, stability, and effectiveness.
The best way to make software is to constantly seek for new efficiencies, new improvements. There is always room for growth. Blackmill helps you review your engineering practice to identify its key strengths and core weaknesses. We help you learn and grow.
An engineering practice has three major components. People, Philosophy, Processes. These are the meta structures of how a technology organisation does its work. People enact Philosophy via Processes.
Our purpose
Blackmill exists because we believe that software engineering can be done better. Now we're bringing all our experience together under one roof.
Our values
We believe in people, in learning, and in clear and open communication. We do what we love. We make time to do it right.
Lachlan's contribution to the Engineering and Design team at Data61 has been extremely well received. He came on as a maternity leave backfill for our FED team leader, working on project delivery as well as coaching the team resulting in two successful promotions.
On the back of this, as well as his broad and highly professional (and great positive attitude) we engaged him further to provide production operations coaching to various early stage technology project teams needing advice on technology stack, team culture and production goals as well as Data61 Executive Team coaching for the organisational implementation of Objectives and Key Results.
I look forward to working with him again.
Hilary Cinis , Director, Engineering and Design at Data61