# How We Build — the CodeNicely culture

> We started CodeNicely as we learned to CodeNicely.

Software, businesses, and each other. — what we believe, how we work, and what we expect of each other.
Written for our team in Raipur, and shared openly.

This is not a constitution. It's a book about how we like to work — written down, so nobody has to guess.

We wrote the first version in 2021, and one line in it still holds up better than anything we have written since.

> We aim to remain reflective and not prescriptive. We trust the empathy, judgement and intellect of our teammates.
>
> — The CodeNicely Culture Code, 2021

That is still the deal. This is not a rulebook. It's a shared understanding, so there is less friction and more good work.

Most of what's here is open to interpretation, on purpose. Don't argue about the exact words. Take the spirit of it, and use it when you're not sure what to do.

A handful of things are not open to interpretation. We call them the red lines, and they get their own page. Everything else is judgement — and the judgement is yours.

## The six values

1. **Own the outcome** — Not the task. The outcome.
   https://codenicely.in/culture/values/own-the-outcome
2. **CodeNicely** — It's the name of the company. It was always meant as an instruction.
   https://codenicely.in/culture/values/codenicely
3. **Be open** — Say it simply. Say it early. Nothing hidden.
   https://codenicely.in/culture/values/be-open
4. **Be kind — and fun to be with** — How we treat each other matters as much as what we produce.
   https://codenicely.in/culture/values/be-kind
5. **Their business is our business** — We are not a vendor. We are the technical team they don't have.
   https://codenicely.in/culture/values/their-business-is-our-business
6. **Stay curious** — The tools change every six months. Learning is the only skill that lasts.
   https://codenicely.in/culture/values/stay-curious

Every value comes with an explicit statement of what it does **not** mean. A value with no
limits is just a stick to beat people with.

## The rest of it

- **Our story** — We never planned to start a company. Two friends from college, ₹8,000 of internship money, and eight interns hired before there was a company to put them in.
  https://codenicely.in/culture/our-story
- **How we work** — The rhythm of the week, why we run our own company on our own software, and how we treat the founders who hire us.
  https://codenicely.in/culture/how-we-work
- **The craft — our engineering standard** — What 'done' means, how we review code, the four documents we owe every project, and the four rules for building with AI.
  https://codenicely.in/culture/the-craft
- **What we expect** — Almost everything in our culture is a matter of judgement. This part is not: the red lines, confidentiality, and the work we say no to.
  https://codenicely.in/culture/what-we-expect
- **Growing here** — Who we hire, how you actually get further, what your first week feels like, and the days we celebrate together.
  https://codenicely.in/culture/growing-here

## Closing

> Don't feel proud for achievements older than a week.

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CodeNicely — an AI-first product studio in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.
Founded 2017 by Meghal Agrawal (Founder & CEO) and Ujjwal Agrawal (Co-founder & CTO). Bootstrapped. Started with ₹8,000 of internship money. No outside investment, ever.
50+ products built, 5M+ end users served.

The full culture: https://codenicely.in/culture
The printed book (75 pages): https://codenicely.in/culture/book/ — PDF: https://codenicely.in/culture/How-We-Build.pdf