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Insights, stories, and experiments from our team.
About Us
We don’t have traditional managers. This is how we make decisions and keep things moving.
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Mar 13, 2026
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12 min read
There's a myth that in flat organizations, everyone decides on everything.
That's not how it works. At least not at Kaizen.
When people hear "no managers," they often picture one of two extremes: either total chaos where nobody is accountable, or endless meetings where 80 people vote on which coffee to buy. The reality is neither.
Not everyone decides on everything. Not everyone votes. What we do have is a clear set of decision-making methods that we choose based on context.
Before choosing how to decide, we ask ourselves a few questions:
These dimensions help us pick the right method. Not every decision deserves the same process.
Over the years, we've landed on a few methods that we use depending on the situation:
Some decisions belong to a specific role. If someone owns a responsibility, say, office logistics or hiring for a team, they decide within that domain. No committee needed. The key is that roles are transparent: everyone knows who owns what, and the scope of each role's authority is clear.
When a decision doesn't clearly belong to one role, or when it crosses boundaries, we use the advice process. Here's how it works:
The decision-maker is not a committee. It's one person (or a small group) who takes responsibility. But they don't decide in isolation, they bring in the perspectives that matter.
We sometimes call this "Team Advice" when a working group forms around an issue that doesn't naturally fall into anyone's area, and "Area Advice" when a team opens up a topic that exceeds their own scope.
Consent is not "everyone agrees." Consent means "no one has a strong enough objection to block this." We do use a poll, but not to count votes — we use a 1-to-5 scale to measure the level of agreement and surface objections, not to let the majority rule.
We use it in two flavors:
Not everything needs participation. When a decision has already been made through a legitimate process, the right move is to inform, not to fake-consult. One of the fastest ways to kill self-management is to ask for feedback and then ignore it. If you're not going to change course based on input, don't ask for it, just be transparent about the decision and the reasons behind it.
We didn't adopt these methods because they're trendy. We adopted them because they solve real problems:
Transparency is the foundation. Every method we use, from role-based decisions to high-participation consent, works because information flows openly. People know what's being decided, who's deciding it, and how they can participate.
Horizontal doesn't mean structureless. It means fewer hierarchical levels, clearer roles, and intentional decision-making processes that match the weight of each decision.
Not everyone decides on everything. But everyone knows how things get decided.
About Us
We don’t have traditional managers. This is how we make decisions and keep things moving.
12 min read
About Us
12 read time
We are thrilled to share some exciting news! Our company has recieved the Clutch Award for Top User Experience Company in IT 2023. This recognition underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional user experiences and innovative software solutions to our partners.
Our dedicated team of five designers brings together a remarkable 50 years of collective experience. With this extensive knowledge, we are well-prepared to handle your project with exceptional skill and efficiency, providing you with the assurance that our work will consistently deliver the quality results that align with and effectively meet your goals. Meet our design process.
At Kaizen Softworks, we believe that user research is the foundation of a remarkable user experience. We dive deep into understanding your users – their behavior, preferences, and pain points. This profound understanding drives our design process. We are committed to creating solutions that are not just visually appealing but also highly functional and user-friendly.
We turn concepts into tangible prototypes using the latest tools and technologies, with Figma at the forefront. Our goal is to collect valuable feedback from users, stakeholders, and team members. This feedback loop is crucial for refining functionality, identifying weaknesses, and uncovering opportunities for improvement – all before the development process begins.
We go the extra mile by designing not just impactful user interfaces but the complete visual identity of your project. This encompasses logo design, typography selection, color scheme curation, imagery choices, and website aesthetics. These visual elements collectively represent the identity of your project and play a vital role in enhancing the overall quality of your solution.
Our approach is driven by users' needs. We focus on creating solutions that users can navigate effortlessly. By closely analyzing user interactions and feedback, we continually refine the design to enhance user-friendliness and align it with user expectations. This iterative process helps us spot usability issues early, reducing the need for extensive rework during development.
Motion design is all about taking your user experience to the next level. At Kaizen Softworks, we're experts in creating seamless animations and transitions that guide user interactions and boost engagement. These dynamic elements not only grab the user's attention but also add that extra layer of quality to the overall user experience.
Technology
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Jun 1, 2023
12 read time
We’ve all been there: we want to learn about a new framework or technology so we go to its official webpage and carry out the online tutorial. Unfortunately, these tutorials generally aim to cover a basic first approach to the tool, but not enough when we want to use them for something more complex such as creating a product for a production environment. The aim of this blog then is to provide some tips on how to approach learning a new framework or technology.
I remember when I used to have more free time at work and decided to learn how to use React. I carried out the online tutorials from the official website, which I found quite interesting but I was not even close to being able to use it in a complex project. For example: one of the tutorials only covers React components and hooks, but not its characteristics which are highly important in a webpage, such as:
You may be thinking: that’s what the advanced guide on the website is for, as it even tackles even more complex topics. While I agree with that, those guides fail to give answers to the above mentioned, which I believe are quite basic and should be present in any production solution.
That is why, I believe the best way to learn a new technology is by trying to simulate a project including all the characteristics a production solution should have. I know it’s not easy to come up with a good idea for a project and then develop it so thoroughly. Instead, I suggest not to bother so much about the functionality of the project in itself.
If we want to implement authentication and authorization using OAuth, it isn’t really important whether we try it in a social network system or in an account management software, what’s really important is that certain routes access, websites or resources are restricted according to the characteristics we consider important. So don’t waste time trying to think of an appealing idea, just roll up your sleeves and get down to work.
In the same line of thought, during my last stay on the bench (which is what we say in Kaizen when someone has not been assigned to any client yet) I decided to learn how to use NestJS to implement a solution using microservices. While I was acquainted with that topic as I had seen it in University, I never had the chance to put it into practice. The first thing I did was to resort to something very good we have here at Kaizen: our workmates!
In Kaizen developers work in teams which are assigned to different clients. Different teams often use different technologies and architectures. Developers at Kaizen are always willing to help their peers, even if they are not part of the same team, so I decided to ask one of my colleagues working with microservices for help.
This colleague told me about the technology they used to implement microservices in his project and some tips on what to bear in mind when using it. Based on that I came up with a list of characteristics which are necessary for a solution of this kind:
As you can see, there are many things to bear in mind. This is why it is highly advisable to count with a working plan to help you work out the different steps and to set short term goals to feel motivated. This is how I planned it:
As you can see, I made some changes based on my own experience and interests. For example, I made the database connection using Dapr as connecting databases from Node.js isn’t very different from doing it using NestJS. Moreover, I split the deployment in two as first I wanted to learn docker, then docker-compose and finally Kubernetes.
I may not have the same experience I have using other frameworks and implementing a solution based on what I learnt may not be so fast and efficient. However, I consider that I have learnt how to use NestJS, Dapr, Docker, Kubernetes satisfactorily. I could also create a Github repository where I have everything ready if I have the opportunity to put it all into practice in a real situation with a client. This repository can also be used to pass on knowledge to future colleagues.
In conclusion, learning a new framework is not only about following some basic tutorials, but more like diving into simulating projects which involve more complex characteristics and challenges. By simulating a project with characteristics necessary for a production solution, we can gain practical knowledge and face common obstacles present in the real world.
In addition, seeking peers and experts' support aids our learning and offers us a broader perspective. Designing a working plan and setting up short-term achievements can help us feel motivated and to obtain non-stop progress. Finally, this approach allows us to develop hard skills and to create a knowledge repository that we can share with others in the future.
Business
12 read time
In the rapidly evolving landscape of software solutions, businesses often find themselves at a crossroads: deciding between off-the-shelf software and custom software tailored to their unique needs. This crucial decision can significantly impact efficiency, productivity, and long-term success.
In this blog post, we'll explore the pros and cons of both options to help you make an informed choice for your business.
Ultimately, the choice between off-the-shelf and custom software hinges on your business's unique needs, budget, and long-term goals. Consider factors such as scalability, customization requirements, and the importance of aligning software functionalities with your specific processes.
In conclusion, both off-the-shelf and custom software solutions have their merits and drawbacks. The key is to weigh these factors against your business priorities and make an informed decision that propels your organization towards sustained success.
Ready to explore the possibilities? At Kaizen Softworks, we prioritize partnership. Let's talk to discuss how our custom software services can elevate your business to new heights. Our expert team is here to guide you through the process, ensuring that the software you choose becomes a strategic asset tailored to your success.
About Us
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Mar 17, 2023
Kaizen’s Great Place to Work recognition reflects a culture built on trust, open communication, and real team participation.
12 read time
A great workplace culture is essential for any company that wants to attract and retain top talent, foster innovation, and achieve long-term success. A positive work environment can make all the difference in team satisfaction, motivation, and overall productivity.
That's why we are thrilled to announce that Kaizen has been recognized in the 2023 Ranking of Great Places to Work™ in Uruguay. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to creating a workplace culture that values and supports our team members, promotes diversity and inclusion, and fosters a sense of community and belonging. We believe that investing in our people and creating a positive work environment not only benefits our team but also drives our business forward.
The Certification Great Place to Work™ is a program designed to recognize organizations with a high-quality work culture. The methodology used in this Certification Program is grounded in 30 years of research, aimed at quantifying organizational culture and comparing it with the Great Places to Work.
The Trust Index© comprises 60 statements that evaluate collaborators’ perceptions of their workplace, specifically relating to behaviors associated with trust. These statements are categorized into five dimensions: Credibility, Respect, Impartiality, Pride, and Camaraderie.
In order to achieve the Certification™, the data gathered through the survey needs to meet the minimum requirement of a 90% level of statistical confidence, with a maximum margin of error of 10.5%.
We were recognized among 50 organizations of different industries and scales, grouped into 3 categories based on the number of employees:
According to the results of the Trust Index©, 98% of Kaizen Softworks team members say this is a Great Place to Work, all things considered, compared to 60% of employees at market companies.
Here are our most notable outcomes:
Creating and sustaining a positive workplace culture is essential for fostering a productive and happy workforce. One of the critical factors in achieving this at Kaizen is open communication and inclusivity in decision-making.
Encouraging a culture of transparency and feedback helps us foster a sense of community, trust, and accountability. Providing opportunities for team members to give and receive feedback helps us to identify areas for improvement and recognize individual and team achievements.
One great example of this is our recent office move, being one of the most mentioned aspects in the Trust Index© Survey to improve our company. The entire process of finding and selecting a new office was organized and executed by the interested members of our team. This allowed for a collaborative and inclusive approach that ensured everyone's needs and opinions were heard and considered. By valuing and implementing a consent process, we were able to choose our new office making everyone part of the decision.
On March 16th, the Club de Golf del Uruguay hosted a ceremony to celebrate the 2023 Ranking of Great Places to Work in Uruguay.
Being recognized as a Great Place to Work™ in Uruguay is a great achievement that speaks to our dedication to creating a positive and supportive workplace culture at Kaizen. Our commitment to open communication, inclusivity, and transparency has been key to building a strong sense of community and trust within our team.
By creating a culture where everyone's voice is heard and valued, we can foster an environment where our team feels empowered and motivated to contribute to our shared goals. We will continue to prioritize our people and invest in creating a workplace culture that is truly “For All”.
About Us
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Feb 6, 2023
Our team grew, so our space had to change too. Here’s what we built.
12 read time
For anyone who hasn't been following along, this year we took part in the Great Place to Work certification process and then used it as an opportunity to improve ourselves as a company. One of the aspects most mentioned by our team mates was the idea of looking for a new office where we can focus, collaborate, learn, and socialize. The desks and barbecue space seemed to be getting smaller by the day as our team grew bigger, so we listened to our needs and put hands on work.
To do this in an inclusive way, a self-managed and voluntary commission of Kaizen’s team members was formed with the goal of creating the best possible proposal to move to a new office. This was fully organized by the people who wanted to take part in this initiative, without intervention of management.
The commission was in charge of creating a backlog to tackle the proposal, establishing an evaluation criteria, broadcasting the advancements and periodically submitting decisions into a consent process with the whole company, and lastly presenting the agreed proposal to the Board for a final approval.
The criteria for evaluation of our new office was created based on the feedback gathered from the whole team. Some of the most valued aspects that made up the agreed criteria were:
Once the evaluation criteria was agreed, the commission began to look for options and make a comparison between all of them to see the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
One of the options shined above them all. To make the strongest start possible, the proposal was presented to all the collaborators and their input was again requested.
Through a consent process, people provided their opinion qualifying from a range of Veto (meaning they don’t approve at all) to Whole-hearted Endorsement. In order to move forward with the proposal, it was necessary to reach a minimum of 90% participation of all Kaizen collaborators and 80% of approval.
During this process, those opinions that were furthest from approval were reviewed to investigate the reasons behind them and be able to provide solutions to their concerns. After some revisions and improvements were made based on the feedback collected, we achieved 93% of participation and 93% of approval to be able to choose this beautiful place.
Leading our business through a successful office relocation is a huge accomplishment and we are proud to say that this initiative was fully managed and carried out by all of us who are part of Kaizen.
As a next step, our office space will be beautifully designed and decorated according to our vision and culture. At Kaizen, we want to enjoy our work environments for being more engaged, productive, happy, and healthy. Finishing this project might take a while, but we trust on setting a workplace with a collaborative atmosphere that has tonnes of coffee + a BIG barbecue!
About Us
12 read time
We are so happy to announce that we have been recognized as an award-winning company in the United States by TechBehemoths, for our expertise in Custom Software Development, Mobile App Development and eCommerce Development.
Established in 2019, TechBehemoths serves as an international connection point for software development firms and clients. With a focus on two key groups, the platform is designed to cater to the needs of both reputable, trustworthy, and experienced IT service providers seeking increased visibility, as well as individuals, organizations, and companies looking to find reliable IT firms for their project needs.
TechBehemoths recognizes exceptional achievement, hard work, and customer satisfaction through its awards program. Each company that receives an award in 2022 is acknowledged for its outstanding performance for its services and scalability.
It has been a privilege to serve our partners and help them achieve their goals since the beginning of our journey nine years ago. Our mission has always been to understand the needs and aspirations of our partners and strive to exceed their expectations.
We are deeply grateful to every member of our team, who have made this achievement possible through their talents, hard work, and unwavering commitment.
As we reflect on this remarkable milestone, we are not only grateful for the recognition but also for the incredible journey that brought us here. Over the years, we've had the honor of collaborating with diverse clients and witnessing their visions transform into reality through the power of technology.
This journey has been marked by innovation, resilience, and a shared commitment to excellence. We look forward to the future with even greater enthusiasm, continuing to push the boundaries of what's possible in the world of custom software development. Our team remains dedicated to delivering exceptional solutions and exceeding the expectations of our valued partners.
Thank you for your continued trust in us, and we're excited to embark on the next chapter of this incredible journey together.
Check our profile in TechBehemoths
UX Design
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Dec 27, 2022
We ran another Design Thinking workshop. Here’s what changed this time.
12 read time
After a successful pilot of our Design Thinking Workshop in August, we knew we had to come back for more.
We had an incredible full attendance from across the company, and Pablo Manzoni, leader of our UI/UX design team, did a fantastic job leading the workshop.
Design Thinking is all about taking a step back from the problem at hand, rethinking it from a different perspective, and looking at it as if it were an experience rather than just another project. It’s about understanding the problem before trying to solve it.
It all starts with a user-centered mindset. You have to understand the user and their needs, and then you can start discovering how you can create solutions that matter. In short, if you understand the problem you have half of the solution!
Design Thinking is a flexible and iterative process that encourages you to experiment and be playful with your ideas. It's not just a linear process, so don't worry if you try something new and it doesn't work! Keep trying until you find something that does work for your project or problem.
That’s why we decided to create a space for our collaborators for reflection and dialogue as a team. We wanted them to learn how to tackle challenges by approaching them creatively.
This was a great opportunity for our team to connect with each other and learn more about how we can collaborate effectively in our day-to-day work. Kaizen is an open environment where all ideas are welcome, and events like these help us stay connected as a team.
Want to learn more about the stages of this process? Check our related read to discover how it works in practice.
Business
Startups
Technology
·
Dec 20, 2022
Not every project goes as planned. This one didn’t, but it led to something better.
12 read time
We believe in doing things the right way, and we want to make sure our partners know that. That's why we live and breathe transparency as one of our main corporate values – even if it means saying no to opportunities.
In this post, we will present you with a Product Discovery case with a pretty unusual outcome. Keep reading to find out why we lost a project but ended up gaining a friend.
UGallery is an eCommerce platform founded in 2006, that connects artists directly with collectors on its website. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, UGallery positions itself as an approachable and convenient alternative to the brick-and-mortar contemporary art gallery.
This platform allows artists to submit their artwork, and after a strict admission process carried out by the UGallery team, the artwork gets published in their e-commerce platform allowing people from all over the world to buy fine art.
When UGallery first approached us, they were looking to improve their eCommerce platform but had the challenge of taking care of their profitability too, as each enhancement or modification to the platform implied the concentration of large resources (time and money), making it difficult to accurately estimate plans for the future.
Faced with this challenge, UGallery was concerned about their current development velocity, processes, forecasting abilities and robustness of their product. They thought that the solution would come by approaching a recommended software partner who is familiar and experienced with the technologies that compose their systems.
Our team investigated the root of their problem and we sought to understand whether the approach they considered the most appropriate was actually the most suitable solution based on the problem. Therefore, we investigated the history of UGallery and inquired about the specific pains they were experiencing.
Following a technical deep dive, we conclude that their productivity problems and system weaknesses could not be avoided just by partnering with someone experienced in their tech stack. Their codebase reflected over 2 decades of development with many code smells, moreover some technologies were already obsolete.
Despite our willingness to help, we knew that taking over the development of this platform would not change the experiences they were having. As tech debt grows, predictability, quality and velocity are taxed. When it is not properly managed, the expected return on investment for each development initiative decreases because the cost of maintenance gets higher. Hidden costs emerge, and the system becomes fragile.
After this analysis, we saw no real gain in transferring software development to us. Moreover, the learning curve costs of getting up to speed with non-standard development practices, and getting up to date with outdated technologies would be too high. And, in order to solve technical debt problems in an efficient way they would have to invest in rebuilding the software from scratch, since the cost of paying off tech debt within the current system was higher than rewriting the system.
As a result of this first consultation, UGallery could have a better picture of what was the root of their problem, and they decided not to proceed with the migration at that time, because they were not prepared money-wise.
A year later, UGallery returned to us with the idea of building a software from scratch as a solution to its problems of technical debt and platform scalability.
In order to successfully address their challenge, we stated that it was necessary to take a few steps back from the solution and understand whether a rewriting of Ugallery’s platform could solve the problems they were encountering or not. In other words, before putting hands on the rewriting, it was essential to understand what changes needed to be made and why.
Given this, our team understood that there were three possible solutions and divided the research tasks into the following lines:
After investing over a month of work on identifying the scope of the project and working on a proof of concept, we found there was a high percentage of Feature Parity with a pre-built solution.
So, the best option for this client was to apply a pre-built solution, covering almost everything of what UGallery needed, instead of a custom software development solution.
This provided the client with a number of advantages:
Faced with this situation, our team had to discuss what we were going to do, since this result could imply not selling our services. We met internally and decided to give the customer a demo of the research findings to understand whether or not the customer would go ahead with this solution.
This was a tough decision and was very strongly debated. But it was also a values-based decision—we didn't want UGallery to spend the time and money it takes to build a custom solution when there are already tested SaaS solutions available that could do the work.
Here’s what Alex Farkas, founder of UGallery said about us:
“I would like to share a few words of genuine praise for Kaizen. Since launching our online art gallery in 2006, we’ve worked with seven dev shops in four countries. We’ve had mostly positive experiences, however, these external teams generally focused on individual tasks and features.
Big picture planning and particularly cost/benefit analysis of our projects wasn’t usually considered, and my partners and I became accustomed to this. Then we met the Kaizen team. We approached them because our codebase was old and becoming difficult to debug and add new features. Kaizen did a very deep study of both our business model and code and came up with several ideas for moving into the future. They listened to our needs and understood the big picture.
Here’s the most amazing part - in the course of their research, they determined that our best course of action was a SaaS solution that they didn’t offer. And they were right. Choosing this path has saved us considerable time and money. Instead of trying to sell us on something they could do, they gave us expert advice. In all of my years in business, this is one of the most memorable experiences of integrity and technical know-how. We were first referred to Kaizen by an acquaintance who spoke very highly of their team. And now I am happy to pass on the referral. This is how business should be done”.
We can finally say that we've made our contribution to UGallery. Through our Product Discovery process, we provided quality information to determine which solution best served our partner's needs, in terms of efficiency and profitability—and that's what really matters. It's not about closing deals; it’s about building trust and putting the interests of our clients before those of our company to provide differential value.
This serves as an example of why we believe in doing things the right way. We are committed to building long-term relationships with our partners, through an honest and trusting approach. It's also why we value transparency and open communication, so we can make sure both parties are on the same page and no one feels misled or taken advantage of during their project's lifecycle!
What we learned from this experience? That there is a lot more than just the technical stuff behind collaboration and innovation. It’s about understanding each other's needs and goals, being open-minded and flexible when it comes to solutions, respecting people's time, being honest when you don't know something or being humble enough to say “we’re not the right partner for your needs” … in short: being human!
About Us
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Oct 27, 2022
12 read time
We've been working in offices for a significant amount of time, and throughout the years, we've come to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating the perfect workspace. So, when we embarked on the journey of establishing our brand-new commercial office in the vibrant city of Salt Lake City, we decided to break away from conventional norms.
At our Salt Lake City office, we've blended the benefits of an open workspace with the convenience of private offices, offering our team members the best of both worlds. This unique approach has transformed our office into a dynamic and versatile environment, catering to the diverse needs of our team. Whether it's a collaborative project that calls for an open setting or a task requiring focus and privacy, we've got it all covered.
Our office space is part of a global network of workspaces, providing us with the advantages of an open layout without compromising on privacy and productivity. This integration into a larger workspace community has not only enhanced our professional network but also offered us the opportunity to connect with a myriad of talented individuals from various industries.
During our recent visit to the Salt Lake City office from September 24th to October 1st, Daniel Castro and I had the pleasure of experiencing our office space firsthand. It was clear that the office was thoughtfully designed to meet the diverse needs of our team members and facilitate productivity.
The office is equipped with ergonomic furniture, ensuring that every member can work comfortably and efficiently. We understand that a well-designed workspace can have a significant impact on our team's well-being and productivity, and that's why we've invested in creating a space that prioritizes their comfort.
Additionally, the availability of meeting rooms provides a conducive environment for brainstorming sessions, team meetings, and client presentations. These dedicated spaces are designed to enhance collaboration and communication, making it easier for our team to work together seamlessly.
Our Salt Lake City office is strategically located on Main Street, Downtown. This vibrant area provides not only easy accessibility but also inspiring views of the majestic Wasatch mountains. The stunning backdrop of natural beauty is a constant reminder of the importance of balance and the harmony that can be achieved in both work and life.
We invite you to stay tuned as we share more about our Salt Lake City workspace and the unique experiences of our team members within this dynamic environment. Our commitment to innovation extends beyond our projects, and it's reflected in every aspect of our work, including the spaces in which we operate. So, whether you're a part of our team or a visitor, we look forward to sharing the Kaizen experience with you in Salt Lake City.
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