Futurice is a company with a flat hierarchy and everyone having lots of power to decide things. However, this comes with the responsibility. If you want to get something specific done, you don't go bother the boss or, in the case of bigger things, the boss's boss, to get a rubber stamp for the decisions they have no clear idea about, like in several traditional companies. The point is that you decide. With that comes the responsibility to make a good decision, and involving other relevant people in your decision making process as needed.
Of course, the responsibility part can sometimes be tricky: is it ok if I buy a piece of software that costs 1000 €, or is it not? Small things are usually not a problem, but what about bigger or more complicated decisions potentially affecting a greater number of people?
There are not and cannot be any good and fixed rules in a changing environment like ours. Thus, we drafted not a set of rules nor guidelines, but a short piece of support material about what would be good practices for decision making in Futurice. Creating this material, of course, has followed the way presented in it: practise as you preach, like the saying goes.
Principles: everyone has the decision making power, and the obligation to make good, transparent and fair decisions. The decisions have to be evaluated agains our 3x2 framework, that is, taking the people, customers, and numbers into account now and in the future.
Check out the attached presentation for the main points, more details and sample cases.
Eemeli KantolaSenior Software Consultant
