TopCoder Reviews

Pros

It is a very community oriented organization.

Cons

Not a place for anyone looking to grow into a career. They have a preference for hiring outside rather than promoting from within.

Advice to Senior Management

Affilliates and departments don't trust each other. Leadership allows providers, affiliates and departments to do whatever. There is no such thing as a standard at CoxHealth at least not one that everyone adopts. There always seems to be a reason why each department or affiliate are exceptions to any standard. The current administration has inherited a bad culture and is making efforts to communicate better. They seem to be making steps in the right direction.

Pros

Winning model that will some day revolutionize the way a (product / idea / concept) is created, developed and delivered.

Cons

Serious lack of Management on all levels. Inability to mate leadership to results as well as employee skill sets to their unique industry model. Their recipe for success needs a few more ingredients.

Pros

Crowdsourcing to the extreme. Large known scope projects on the cheap

Cons

Draconian management suppression of innovation.

Advice to Senior Management

The method never works on small projects. Remove leaders that stiffle ideas. It's OK to not use "The Method".

Pros

Awesome idea to develop software. Crowd Sourcing in a new level. Interesting clients.
Great PMs and Architects to work with.
Management can throw big parties.

Cons

To be successful in the company you need to work 24/7 and convince your client what you deliver is will work well but if they want that you deliver all as singed off they have to pay more.
Employees are replaceable if they are not from Tallan.
A lot of promises but not more.

Advice to Senior Management

Tell the employees the truth and understand that the model is great but far from perfect.
Spend more time on building a value trust level to your employees than going out to parties.

Pros

Exciting atmosphere, edgy concept, exciting client base with notoriety.
Seemingly endless supplies of capital with lavish parties and events for employees and developer community.

Cons

Long hours with the expectation of a total 365 / 24 hour day commitment.
Most of the senior mangement along with other key individuals are past Tallan employees. This club of individuals promote how wealthy you can become if TopCoder ever indeed goes public. Unless you are placed by one of these key folks or are yourself one, you will never find a long career here nor see any of the riches they promise.
Negotiate the MAX $ you can to start, because it will be all you will ever get in your short time there.

Advice to Senior Management

- Do not make uneccessary comitments to customers that require draconian measures to meet, especially when the commitments are for deliverables that are not critical to the customer to begin with.
- Follow your methodology you sell and dont be afraid to say No to a customer when necessary.
- People are not batteries. You cannot pop one out and replace them with another when you exhaust them.

Pros

What a cool concept. Phenomenal idea, and - technologically - the most elegant implementation. The people - some very good employees to work with, and it's very interesting to interact with the members. The client list is phenomenal.

Cons

Execution of the concept does not follow its own ideals. To wit, employees who were a part of management's previous organization are MUCH more highly valued than new hires. Technical people - ie coders, architects, project managers - are the only folks who are valued. Others - marketing, sales, admin, finance, recruiting - are viewed as commodities. There was a mantra - 'You don't start a great company, and hire good people... you hire the smartest people, and they help you build a great company.' Unfortunately, management's direction seems to drive those people away from non-technical positions, or force them into the prototype of how their previous organization succeeded. Which is, let's say, not conducive to living a life outside of work.

Advice to Senior Management

Apply your ideals across the board, not solely on the technical people. We know you were successful before, and we believe in what you've built... so why are you trying to turn it into Tallan, Jr.?

Pros

Good Business Model and smart people

Cons

Travel is tough, promotions and raises non-existent

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate reasons behind cutbacks, plans to improve sales.