Ruth Ann S. Basnillo

SYSANAL

O0A

David Heinemeier Hansson

Partner, 37signals

            David Heinemeier was just a part of 37signals 2.0 management team. He became the consulting company’s partner after having transformed it into a product company.

            He later founded one of the most popular tools among web developers- Ruby on Rails.

            Actually, 37signals wasn’t begun as a startup. It was just founded by Jason Fried as a web design shop in 1995. But the idea of Hansson of the Basecamp which made the transition of 37signals from a consulting company to a product one.

            It was started while Hansson was working as a contractor in the said shop doing the programming. It just so happened that they came to the idea of blogging to distribute information to people because they had difficulty managing the client project process.

            The particular problems that Basecamp encountered were: the bank they had a deal with didn’t let them sell a service that’s going to be promised for an entire year unless they had a long history with the bank, they had this notion before that Basecamp was for creative services and so the assumption went very deep making it hard for them to fix it again., and they didn’t consider time zones making the transactions with other countries one day late.

            The idea for Basecamp was an improvement of something that has already existed before. People liked and used their service because it was pretty simple and it was an online project management tool. They used it because they were impressed by its simplicity unlike the other products offered before which are very big and honking, as said in the case study.

            Basecamp had an impact in the history of the Internet in a way that it improved the existing project management tool into an organized and simple one, still, with the widening of the development of the Internet because it’s made online. It influenced to what Hansson built later which was Ruby on Rails. The generic ideas Hansson had was pulled from Basecamp and put into the toolbox Rails until it became larger and larger, and very useful.

            What’s unique about Basecamp is that it was built with the whole constrained development model making them to really focus their views on what they really needed, and it forced them to make tough decisions about making less software all the time.

            If I were in the cofounder’s shoes, I would have also pulled some generic ideas I had for Basecamp to work on a better tool for my own. It sounds selfish but I think it’s not really because my rationale is that I had those ideas and I should not be using those for others’ success only.

            The startup would have been possible in a Third World Country since there are already many companies that are working with Project Management tools. If there are already companies like these, I’m sure that they’re also having problems with managing their project clients and so, the thing is there would be a possibility that they would be able to think also of the same idea Hansson had. Moreover, their model would also be the whole constrained model because they have limited resources. The peculiar characteristic that Basecamp had was that it was very adaptable to constraint. The developer was even more focused with the productivity of his idea because of constraint.

10 THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW:

1. After reading the case study, I learned that the startup that could really be considered a startup in this case study is the project tool of the 37signals which was Basecamp. Before, I thought that 37signals was really the startup cofounded by David Heinemeier Hansson.

2. After reading the case study, I learned that hackers were also identified and awarded. Before, I thought that they’re not.

3. After reading the case study, I learned that Basecamp was an online project management tool. Before, I didn’t hear about Basecamp or online project management tool.

4. After reading the case study, I learned that David Heinemeier Hansson was the Hacker of the Year Award at Oson in 2005. Before, I didn’t hear about Heinemeier.

5. After reading the case study, I learned that Basecamp was built by a constrained model development. Before, I thought that you’ll never experience constraint whenever you’re working for a great idea in a company.

6. After reading the case study, I learned that Ruby on Rails, which was founded by Hansson, became one of the most popular tools among web developers. Before, I didn’t know anything about Ruby on Rails.

7. After reading the case study, I learned that Hansson was the only programmer working on Basecamp. Before, I thought that startup like this needs a lot of programmers.

8. After reading the case study, I learned that Basecamp was worked on by Hansson 10 hours a week only. Before, I thought that 10 hours a week is a very few time for working on startups like this.

9. After reading the case study, I learned that the idea for Ruby on Rails were generic ideas pulled off by Hansson from Basecamp. Before, I didn’t know that you can also pull off ideas from the product you’re working with for a certain company.

10. After reading the case study, I learned that 37signals was initially a consulting company. Before, I didn’t know about 37signals.