Practices Articles

We’re curious people by nature. And we love to teach others what we’ve learned. So explore our blog to gain fresh insights from our expertise in areas ranging from culture to AI.

SEP Wins TechPoint’s 2024 Innovation Service Partner of the Year Mira Award

SEP Recognized as Indiana’s Top Innovation Service Partner, Winning TechPoint’s Prestigious Mira Award Westfield, Indiana - SEP has been named the Innovation Service Partner of the Year by TechPoint at the 25th annual Mira Awards. The Mira Awards, Indiana’s largest…
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Shift Key

Transferable & Soft Skills: The Unjustly Unsung Heroes of Software Development

“If you don’t figure out what you want to do for a career, you will fall behind in life.” I can remember hearing this loaded statement as early as 8th grade. Which, looking back on it, is about the equivalent of attempting to teach a dog new tricks as a squirrel scampers about in its […]
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meeting in conference room with cropped view of hands gesturing at laptop screen

Manual Testing vs. Automated Testing: Which Best Suits Your Project?

Why are we discussing manual testing vs. automated testing? Good question. I’ll preface by saying this article will not discuss the general importance or necessity of testing. At SEP, it is an integral part of our development process. However, the methods and extent to which our client or we decide to test can vary greatly. […]
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Floppy Disc on a desk.

Think Software Maintenance is Expensive? Here’s Why It’s Worth the Investment.

The world of software and software development moves at lightning speed. Every day, new tools are introduced. Languages and frameworks are upgraded. App store requirements change. Operating systems are updated. New hardware is announced. So, what happens if the software world evolves but your software codebase doesn’t? Development Tools Chain Reaction Development tools continue to […]
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Chris Shinkle Presenting at SEPTalks

In Product Strategy, Ideas Are Important, but Execution is Critical

Ideas are important, but executing them is even more so! I had the opportunity to present at our recent SEPTalks event about how companies can close the gap between idea and delivery. We touched on the North Star Framework, what barriers get in the way of trying to achieve these goals, and a mental model […]
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Employees at SEP working from the office.

Is going back to the office really worth it?

Travel back in time with me to November 2021… SEP executives felt that we do our best work together, in person. We had a date set – December 6, 2021. The opening of our new headquarters in Westfield, IN. This was happening. After almost two years of working from home, we are returning to the […]
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Friday’s 13 Tips to Overcome Design Workshop Facilitation Nerves

Facilitating design workshops can oftentimes feel as scary as Friday the 13th. The nerves that build up moments before meeting with a client can feel the same as the nerves I would get as a kid while watching the classic 80’s slasher film as Jason skulked around Camp Crystal Lake. In both scenarios, I was/am […]
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consultation working meeting close up of laptops and hands drawing on paper

Software Design Accessibility Audits 101: What You Need to Know

Accessibility in software design is an important topic that often gets overlooked or deprioritized. The good news is, addressing accessibility does not need to be a giant undertaking. In this post, I’ll give an overview of accessibility laws and how you can conduct your own software accessibility audit. This won’t make you an expert on […]
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SEP product development team collaborating with whiteboard

Common Elements of an SEP Project Team Area

We often get asked what a typical team setup looks like at SEP. We think these elements help to make our project, client, product, and employee experience better. Kanban Board We like to use physical kanban boards to track work so everyone can see the big picture from 10 feet away. The ability to visualize […]
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Person being plucked from team

New Leads Need to be Replaceable

The title I wanted… “New leads will want to have a succession plan in place from day 1 because it’s so much harder to detach yourself from the project if you start thinking about it on day 500” … but it didn’t fit in the character limit, so here we are. Replaceability Replaceable 👏 does […]
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