Our Mission: Why Single Parents?

Several years ago I was invited to take a board technology chair with the At Ease Project. Dedicated to helping veterans experiencing PTSD, the At Ease Project focused on looking beyond fundraising and into challenging why traditional treatments don’t work for everyone.

It was at that time that I began to question my personal motivations for being a leader. As a good friend of mine is fond of saying, “money is easy, happiness is hard”. As I examined my life I recognized that I was on the easy path, only focused on the bottom line and not the impact I could make.

Over the next few years I quietly observed the culture of the companies I consulted with. As an industry, technology is broadly homogenous in the United States. There are several groups dedicated to helping add diversity to the tech employment field and that work is crucial. However, I sensed that there were underlying, systemic changes that needed to be made to create a more equitable and opportunistic space for all.

After careful consideration of cultures and extensive research on hiring trends, I came to a fairly obvious conclusion. It wasn’t the workers that needed to change – it was the work. I began to construct a new product for the market; Remote Workforce Management. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to determine why so many companies fail at managing remote workers – telecommuters, offshore, near-shore, even teams in different offices.

The primary observation I made was that success in a job is largely tied to the outdated belief that to be present is to be productive. Thousands of hours are wasted year over year in companies of all sizes because of this belief.

To change this I began by studying methods to manage outcomes (not measure opinions). My project management background helped tremendously with this aspect. I also studied communications and recognized how important feedback loops and telepresence are. I created ways to create peer-pods for managing work jointly – helping to bond workers who had never physically met. I incorporated Gamification into my system as a way to challenge team members to level-up.

This, however, was doing little to affect the change I was seeking. This changed one afternoon when I was grocery shopping. Standing in line in front of me at the checkout I overheard a young woman on the phone. By her tone you could tell it was a work call. She was explaining how she needed the rest of the afternoon off to take care of her son. He sat in the cart in front of her, probably 4 or 5 years old. He was crying quietly, obviously sick but also likely sensitive to the stress his mother was projecting as all of us in line were feeling it too. The cashier graciously asked how her day was going – the young woman answered with tears in her eyes about how hard it is to “do it all alone”.

She left the store but the impression she made didn’t leave me. I began to question how my concept of Remote Workforce Management could be applied differently. How it could be used to help others. This is when I realized my mission.

My belief is that technology work is primarily based on outcomes. Code can be written at 10 in the morning or 10 at night and still provide the same value as long as deadlines and milestones are met. Using the Smart Factory 3C’s rule (Clarity, Communication and, Control) – we can manage those outcomes while simultaneously helping a traditionally underemployed population – the single parent – work in their homes and be available to their families when the need it.

Not every single parent is capable of taking on a programming job. Many lack the requisite education and experience for the challenge. To help get them started on the path we offer free custom training in Software Testing, CMS, LMS and Incident Management Administration, and Project Administration.  To encourage employers to get involved we offer low rates, but more importantly, we employ the Smart Factory model of pairing our workers with veteran executive leaders to guarantee quality outcomes.

It is an ever-evolving mission and we hope you will help us shape our path.

Doug Richards

IT Management Consultant; Founder