We are pleased to announce that a book has been published to commemorate 30 years of design excellence at Development One, Inc. To view an electronic version of the book please click the cover below.
Development One, Inc. is an architecture and project management firm based in Orange County, California. The firm specializes in the design of critical facilities, with a focus on aerospace, aviation, and defense. Our design and operational philosophy is based on a set of Core Values that guide all of the firm’s efforts:
The firm has built its reputation upon the concept of “quality control,” and has positioned itself as an expert on the topic through the development of its Change Order Prevention System. The firm’s mentality is that NOTHING is more important than quality control. Accountability is the biggest factor in maintaining Development One’s high-quality standards.
When staff members feel a sense of personal accountability for the projects they work on, they will usually go a step further in making sure that their work is free of errors. At Development One, everyone knows that the job is not truly finished if quality control has not taken place.
The idea of being “mission driven” is fairly straight forward, given the nature of our firm’s clientele. Clients like NASA, JPL, and the Armed Forces are by definition “mission driven.” In order to properly be of service to agencies whose missions constantly have human lives in the balance, Development One has embraced and adopted a similar mentality and culture. Regardless of the size or scope of your project, our team will approach it with a Mission Driven approach.
The single biggest factor in our firm earning repeat business has been providing a level of service that is above and beyond the call of duty. It is the practice of many firms to squeeze every last nickel from a client: to charge for each phone call, to quibble over every minor change.
Development One has a different philosophy; to provide the highest level of service and subsequently reap the rewards of repeat business. This value of “service excellence” is also practiced internally within the firm. The staff endeavors to be of service to one-another. When help is needed in any quarter, egos are set aside and everyone is ready and willing to pitch in. This mentality has been essential to the success of our firm.
At first look, this core value of being “purpose driven” may seem redundant to the value of being “mission driven.” There is, however, a subtle, yet important difference. Given the firm’s project portfolio, Development One offers its employees an experience that may be absent or diminished at other firms. For example, working at a firm that cranks out retail shells, or “cookie cutter” residential developments, while not without reward, may not compel the same level of pride as working on a major facility for NASA.
In the grand scheme of what NASA accomplishes as an agency, Development One’s contribution to their efforts is the tiniest of specks… or perhaps more appropriately, the tiniest star in an enormous galaxy. However, that spec (or star) is an important one. Through the design of facilities and infrastructure, Development One does contribute to the success of NASA’s efforts, and this is something that the firm is extremely proud of. It’s what makes us excited to get out of bed every day and head to work. This is the definition of “Purpose Driven.”
As a design firm catering to a number of technologically advanced clients, it is of the utmost importance for Development One to be a forward-thinking firm. We strive to think outside of the box when faced with new design challenges, and we have a well-established track record for being at the forefront of incorporating new technology into our practice.