Kelly Schrock, the new senior solution architect for Twentyseven Global, a software development firm with offices in Kansas City and Denver, recently discussed why he wanted to join Twentyseven Global, his vision for the company, what types of software development projects he will be working on and more. See his Q&A below.
Why did you decide to come onboard with Twentyseven Global?
At the time I joined, several opportunities were available either as a solo developer on a project or as someone with ownership of part of a project or product. Twentyseven Global offered a higher-level role, with a broader reach across multiple projects. It seemed like the opportunity with the potential for the greatest amount of impact. Not only that, but Twentyseven Global has a reputation for applying creative approaches to their clients’ needs, and a strong inclination toward doing things the right way, as opposed to just “getting them done”. That attracted me as well.
What’s your vision for the future of the company?
Twentyseven is growing, gaining new clients all the time, while keeping existing clients happy. I expect that trend to continue.
What experiences and skills are you pulling upon during your time at Twentyseven Global?
I have a background building software on a variety of platforms, doing a large variety of things. Things you’ve might never have heard of, and others you most likely have. I’ve been doing Android development since just before the first SDK was widely available, and worked on projects at Garmin that gave me an opportunity to work at the OS level with Android. More recently, Node and Angular, single-page web applications. Embedded development, building flying and programming autonomous drones, home automation, mesh networking, audio, and on and on. Whether a given platform or technology takes on mainstream appeal or not, it all gives experience to draw on and learn from. No experience is wasted.
Twentyseven’s current clients are primarily in the web and mobile application markets. So I draw on that experience a fair amount. But not exclusively. I’ve had recent occasion to propose work on an embedded Linux project.
What do you hope to bring to the table for Twentyseven Global’s clients?
My role for a long time has been as someone responsible for the inner workings of things, so I tend to focus on implementation, the “how” of a project. Which technical approach is the most appropriate? Where is the best area of a given project to focus effort first? Where are the areas that need attention first? Working those things out at the beginning pays dividends not only in the quality of what you produce, but usually how quickly you can produce it. A focus on those details is something I bring to the table. Being able to communicate those details to others in a way they understand is another.
What types of projects are you going to be working on?
A variety of things. Getting to know a client’s problem domain and suggesting a technical approach. Prototyping new applications to work out the “mystery details” of an effort as part of defining a technical approach. Evaluating new tools and frameworks to make our work more efficient. Building new frameworks and tools to make our work more efficient. Building proof-of-concept applications for new technologies, or to validate ideas.
Anything else you’d like readers to know about you?
I’m married and I have two kids, two dogs and one cat. I ride a mountain bike, I’ve played guitar on a few released CDs, I’m currently researching an idea for an autonomous lawn mower in my spare time and my favorite color depends entirely on what the color is applied to.
What is the most exciting thing about your new role?
If you’re the kind of person who likes to branch out and reach beyond your boundaries, it’s nice to be in a place where that kind of behavior is encouraged, rather than constrained. This is that kind of place. Arbitrary limitations on your ability to contribute don’t exist here. I think that’s pretty exciting.
