This is the first of the three documents outlined in ‣ (private), the others being the Gaiwan operating principles and the ‣ (private).

The Gaiwan Strategic Objective is the basis for all organizational and individual decision making. It concretely describes our vision and mission. This is no feelgood marketing rhetoric, neither is it a grand five year plan. Instead it is a concise and specific description of what we are and what we stand for. It will evolve over time, but its essence stays the same.

Gaiwan is a business of expertise. Through our expertise we help companies and individuals to be more successful at building software. We define Successful Software as software which:

• fills a real need
• is stable and reliable over time
• is resilient, it displays few defects when employed in the real world
• has a known, documented scope and behavior
• has known, documented, and verified security requirements
• is adaptable, easy to change in the face of changing requirements
• is able to change and adapt quickly and continuously
• has a low ratio of incidental vs essential complexity
• makes efficient use of machine resources
• is developed through steady, predictable progress, not unnecessarily wasting people's time or cognitive resources

To help others accomplish such Successful Software, Gaiwan provides guidance when making technological choices, and when devising the architecture of systems. It provides educational and consulting products and services to help people, teams, and companies be more effective.

Software is about more than code. In the first place it is about people, both as creators and consumers.

As an organization Gaiwan cares about the people that work for it, providing them with a healthy income, a healthy social environment, a job that provides satisfaction, and enough freedom to create the life they want. It also cares about those it helps, by improving how software is created we indirectly provide others with more satisfying working conditions, and with healthier businesses, providing more freedom and ease of mind.

We believe in the strength and resilience of a diverse, interconnected community. Nothing of value is created in isolation. This is why we support the technical communities we participate in through infrastructure, documentation, open source contributions, and events.

Next: Gaiwan operating principles, ‣