Urban Science reviews

They force clunky, outdated, horrendous software development processes on everyone that makes them spend more time on process than actual development. They have unqualified people in several key positions and this stymies growth, potential and change. Despite big disasters in previous efforts, they kept (and sometimes promoted) those responsible. Morale is generally very poor and turnover is high. The new open office environment looks nice aesthetically, but in practicality makes it much more difficult to work. Impossible to concentrate let alone get a moment of privacy. Seems dreamed up to take a good PR photo or by a Big Brother mico manager rather than by the people who have to work in it. For a company whose lifeblood is the capture and transformation of data, they devote shockingly few resources to database design, development, or maintenance.

-Movement up or laterally can be hindered by politics; sometimes what you know is not enough -Some teams will be expected to work vastly over and above a normal schedule with no compensation for the effort beyond what other teams on a normal schedule receive -Processes can be tedious and get in the way of getting work done; processes may differ from team to team or even be at odds between process management groups and project teams -Project delivery dates may be set without any input from the team implementing the project and are seen as unmovable. -Frequent middle management changes in the last 5 years drove a splintering of processes and practices -HR is slow to respond to project staffing needs -Company culture is stale; it is not a particularly "fun" place to work compared to other software companies -Performance based rewards can vary greatly and sometimes seem completely arbitrary -Excellence is not always rewarded; improving efficiency may get you a bonus, or it may just get you more work to do; some promotions seem to be based on placing a person where they will do the least damage vs placing the person most qualified for the position. Some hires and promotions seem to be driven by the fact that the candidate knows the decision maker.