Human was a software development agency I founded with four friends in 2010. Over almost a decade, we developed and integrated solutions for major clients whilst growing and nurturing a team of effective professionals. We learned a huge amount too - especially about how to use agile methods in an agency setting.

The journey

Human was founded when, as a team of freelancers and micro-businesses sharing space, we realised we had all of the skills in the room to be able to win work and do a good job for clients.

Over time our specialisms became:

• web software and mobile apps
• agile development
• collaborative workshops
• effective user interfaces
• complex integration challenges
• digitising business operations

Clients & projects

We scoped, developed and integrated solutions for clients including:

• Jaguar Land Rover
• Marshalls Plc
• The Telegraph
• Medem UK
• Ear To The Ground
• Morris Hargreaves McIntyre
• Swift Dental
• The National Justice Museum
• Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
• Impact International

The work was pretty varied. Over the years, we built dashboards synthesising data from diverse sources to enable teams to make decisions as well as tools to support automotive diagnostics. We built market research and segmentation tools, systems to monitor energy usage, innovative content management systems and even an app to help people find places at university.

Our team

One of my proudest achievements was growing and nurturing a team of effective professionals - our culture was caring and supportive. Over time we developed skills in transformation strategy, built technical expertise, and created a culture of working in partnership with our clients.

Failure or success?

In the end, it was a bit of a rollercoaster. As we got better at what we did, our client work expanded and we grew the business. But we also made some significant mistakes which compounded in the later years and ultimately led to my decision to pursue an orderly closure, on our own terms.

I didn't realise at the time, but the last three years at Human were teaching me valuable lessons about leadership, failure and growth. The final experience of closing the business was deeply painful and yet necessary.

It also showed what our team was capable of when I was honest and candid about the situation we faced.

Valuable lessons

My time at Human taught me things that have informed my current work at One+All. But my years at One+All have also helped me understand what really went wrong at Human. I've learned that candour, clarity and deciciveness are essential ingredients in a caring culture - and in the business we had built, each of these was in short supply.

I'm massively grateful to my Human co-founders and all the colleagues we worked with along the way. It was an incredible experience and a significant chapter of my life.