---
title: Who We Are
category: Who we are
source_files:
  - docs/Who we are/what-does-respellion.md
  - docs/Who we are/respellion-model.md
  - docs/Who we are/qms-design.md
  - docs/Who we are/your-first-day.md
summary: >
  Respellion's identity, services, self-organizing operating model (Holacracy),
  ISO 9001 Quality Management System, and the onboarding ("first day") checklist.
tags:
  - identity
  - services
  - holacracy
  - governance
  - quality-management
  - iso-9001
  - onboarding
related_topics:
  - how-we-work-together.md  # purpose, core values, circles/huddles, coaching culture
  - learning-personal-development.md  # coaching culture, growth & reward
  - day-to-day.md  # meeting cadence, time registration, task board
key_facts:
  core_values: [Trust, Courage, Self-discipline, Entrepreneurship]
  governance_model: Holacracy
  operational_standard: Agile / DevOps
  quality_standard: ISO 9001:2015
  governance_tooling: Glassfrog
  meeting_notes_tooling: Microsoft Loop
ai_context: >
  This file defines the organizational foundation referenced everywhere else in
  the handbook. "Roles" (not job titles), "Circles", "Tensions", "Tactical" and
  "Governance" meetings, "Lead Link", and "Facilitator" are Holacracy terms used
  throughout other documents. The core values (Trust, Courage, Self-discipline,
  Entrepreneurship) are cited as the rationale for many concrete policies
  (e.g. flexible hours, spending, coaching culture).
---

# Who We Are

This section covers what Respellion does, how the organization is structured (the Holacracy-based "Respellion model"), the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, and what a new colleague does on their first day.

## What Does Respellion Actually Do?

### We develop and maintain software

Respellion is an organization that has knowledge and experience about technology and organization. We have a clear vision of how digitization can best be technically developed and managed, but also how this can be organized in an efficient way. This combination is exceptionally powerful and leads to successful solutions.

Our services focus on result-driven projects, high performance teams, and consultancy.

### Projects

Based on years of experience with developing software in multiple organizations, we know how to organize this effectively in an Agile manner and how to execute it in a result-driven way.

Our methodology ensures that we stay in control of progress and budget, in both the development phase and maintenance phase. Our developers endorse the Agile Manifesto as a starting point for daily activities. This provides a basis for big and small decision-making. By using metrics, we know at any time where we stand and what is needed to achieve the ultimate goal.

We are able to scale up and down in a timely manner with the right expertise needed, such as developers, architects, testers, analysts, UX designers and DevOps engineers.

### High performance teams

We deliver high performance teams. In our vision, these are teams of IT professionals with in-depth technical knowledge, who bring the DNA of our organization. The core values of courage, self-discipline, responsibility, and entrepreneurship ensure a way of working together that creates synergy between individual competences.

Team members are highly trained T-shaped professionals who perform all the work necessary to deliver results. By attending training courses, conferences and workshops, they stay up-to-date with the latest developments in their field of expertise. In addition, our agile coaches stimulate new insights and awareness, so that there is attention to the wellbeing of the individual.

For us, high performance also means working closely with our customers and striving for continuous improvement. We continuously evaluate our performance, learn from successes and from failures, and adapt processes to get better and better.

### Consultancy

We have thought leaders who help organizations with strategic challenges and advice, who can perform technical analysis, develop tailor-made solutions, and support organizations in making IT decisions.

We specialize in IT architecture, software development, information security, quality assurance, agile management and coaching. Our services consist of interim deployment, but also of result-driven or individual assignments.

## The Respellion Model: No Management, No Job Descriptions

### Core Principles

Holacracy is a governance framework that enables self-organization without traditional management hierarchies. At Respellion, we've adopted this approach to align with our core values:

- Trust
- Courage
- Self-discipline
- Entrepreneurship

### Why Holacracy?

Our observations from the field show that while agile frameworks effectively facilitate self-organization in teams, organizational structures often remain rigid. Holacracy addresses this by:

- Transforming static job descriptions into dynamic roles
- Shifting from delegated authority to distributed authority
- Replacing large reorganizations with constant micro-iterations
- Substituting office politics with transparent rules and disciplined processes

### Key Elements

1. **Role-Based Structure:** Individuals fill one or more clearly defined roles within the organization, each with specific accountabilities.
2. **Circle Organization:** Related roles form circles that are connected through link roles.
3. **Dynamic Governance:** Roles are defined, amended, or removed through a formal governance process.
4. **Meeting Formats:** Structured meetings focused on action rather than over-analysis.
5. **Tension-Driven Evolution:** The organization evolves through addressing "tensions" — gaps between what is and what could be.

### Practical Implementation

Respellion operates with:

- One organizational circle
- Monthly tactical and governance meetings (Fridays)
- Huddle check-in meetings twice a week
- A Huddle Elevator session every two months
- A task board for tracking work
- Microsoft Loop for administration and meeting notes

### Meeting Structure

All meetings are administered in Microsoft Loop.

**Tactical Meetings**

- Focus on operational issues and coordinating next actions
- Result in clear tasks assigned to specific roles
- Tasks are tracked on the Respellion Task Board

**Governance Meetings**

- Focus on evolving the organizational structure
- Create, modify, or remove roles based on emerging needs
- Follow a structured process to address tensions through role changes
- Meeting notes are administered in Governance Meeting Notes

### The Concept of Tension

A tension represents an opportunity for improvement — a gap between current reality and potential reality. Tensions can be resolved by:

- Providing information
- Creating new roles
- Defining specific actions

This approach empowers our people with real responsibility, entrepreneurial freedom, and the ability to evolve our organization continuously.

**Reference:** Blog – [Holacracy](https://www.holacracy.org/blog/)

## Quality Manual (QMS) — ISO 9001:2015

This describes the Quality Management System (QMS) of Respellion. Our QMS is designed to deliver maximum value to our customers through "sustainable digitization" without unnecessary bureaucracy. We use Holacracy as a governance model and Agile/DevOps as an operational standard.

### 4. Context of the Organization

**4.1 Understanding the Organization and Its Context** — Respellion operates at the intersection of open-source technology and societal impact. Our context is determined by the need for safe, scalable, and sustainable digital solutions. Documentation: Manifesto, Company Report. Review: Annually during a strategic governance session of the General Board Circle.

**4.2 Stakeholders and Their Needs** — We identify our stakeholders (customers, employees/roles, government, partners) through our circle structure. Implementation: Roles and their 'accountabilities' in Glassfrog define responsibilities towards stakeholders. Evidence: Glassfrog governance overview.

**4.3 Scope** — The QMS applies to: "The design, development, implementation, and maintenance of customized software solutions and the provision of consultancy in the field of digitization and open-source technology."

**4.4 Quality Management System and Processes** — Our processes are not linear but cyclical (Agile). The interaction between processes is managed through Holacracy meetings (Tactical & Governance).

### 5. Leadership

**5.1 Leadership and Commitment** — At Respellion, leadership is distributed. The roles of Lead Link (strategy/prioritization) and Facilitator (process oversight) ensure a focus on quality. Our core values (Trust, Courage, Self-discipline, Entrepreneurship) form the basis for quality awareness.

**5.2 Quality Policy** — Our policy is focused on "Sustainable Digitization." We commit to: meeting customer and legal requirements; continuous improvement of our 'rebellious' approach; security by design.

**5.3 Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities** — In accordance with Holacracy, all roles, responsibilities, and authorities are transparently documented in Glassfrog. There are no hierarchical positions, only dynamic roles.

### 6. Planning

**6.1 Risks and Opportunities** — Risk management is an ongoing process for us, not an annual document. Trigger: a felt 'Tension' (gap between current and desired situation). Action holder: any role within the relevant Circle. Action: bring the Tension into a Tactical or Governance meeting. Output: output of the meeting (projects or governance changes).

**6.2 Quality Objectives** — Objectives are defined per Circle in the form of OKRs or Circle Purposes. Measurement: progress is discussed in the monthly Tactical Meetings.

### 7. Support

**7.1 and 7.2 Resources and Competencies** — People are our most important capital. A formal review of the development and contribution of role-fillers takes place twice a year. Huddle Elevator: coaching and feedback sessions ensure knowledge levels.

**7.3 Awareness** — Quality awareness is ensured through Onboarding and Huddle Check-ins.

**7.4 Communication** — Communication about the QMS is done during our monthly Tactical meeting. We also focus a lot on our quality policy and our quality goals during the Onboarding process and in our Employee Handbook.

**7.5 Documented Information** — We minimize static documents.
- Source codes: Git (version control is evidence).
- Processes: Glassfrog (Governance).
- Tasks: Task Board (Jira/Azure DevOps).

### 8. Execution (Operations)

**8.1 Operational Planning and Control** — We work according to the Agile methodology (Scrum/Kanban). Quality gate: the Definition of Done (DoD) serves as the primary quality control (ISO 9001:8.1). Each user story must meet the DoD (e.g., peer review, automated tests, security scan).

**8.2 Requirements for Products and Services** — Trigger: customer request or Request for Proposal. Action holder: role 'Contracting' or 'Product Owner'. Output: signed proposal or approved Backlog items.

**8.3 Design and Development** — Software development follows the CI/CD pipeline. Review: peer reviews (Pull Requests) are mandatory for every code change (ISO 9001:8.3.4). Validation: User Acceptance Testing (UAT) by the customer before release.

**8.4 Control of Externally Provided Services** — Suppliers (Cloud providers, SaaS tools) are selected based on security and sustainability criteria (ISO 14001 integration).

### 9. Performance Evaluation

**9.1 Monitoring and Measurement** — Customer satisfaction: measured directly during Sprint Demos and through informal feedback loops. Process performance: Velocity and Lead Time in Agile boards.

**9.2 Internal Audit** — We continuously audit ourselves by testing the 'Governance' against reality. Formal audit: annually, a designated role outside the circle conducts a check on compliance with its own process agreements in Glassfrog.

**9.3 Management Review** — In accordance with Holacracy, we replace the classic management review with a specific Strategic Review in the General Board Circle.
- Input: overview of Tensions, customer feedback, financial status, incidents.
- Output: strategic course changes and updates to the QMS.

### 10. Improvement

**10.1 General and 10.2 Deviations** — Mistakes are learning opportunities ("Most Rebellious Failures").
- Trigger: a bug, incident, or customer complaint.
- Action holder: the relevant Role within the Huddle.
- Action: root cause analysis during the Retrospective (ISO 9001:10.2).
- Output: improvement action on the Backlog or adjustment in the DoD.

**10.3 Continuous Improvement** — Our structure is self-cleaning. By continuously processing Tensions in Governance meetings, the system improves itself every month.

## Your First Day

Welcome to Respellion! We have collected some useful information for you to start with. In the first few days, we also plan a few appointments in your calendar.

You can start with the following activities:

- Check the onboarding checklist on SharePoint and filter on name
- View our SharePoint environments
- Read through the Employee Handbook
- If you work on internal activities, you turn them into an activity on the Respellion Taskboard
- Write a short profile text for the Respellion website (see examples)
- Create your personal plan on the Miro board

Here are a few topics for the first few weeks that we will discuss together:

- Introduction presentations:
    - Respellion Introduction.pptx
    - Respellion Holacracy
    - Coaching Culture
- Check the current organizational model on [Glassfrog](https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/32697/orgnav/roles/13886133)

All the necessary information is available via our employee handbook or the internal docs.

## Related Topics

- [How We Work Together](how-we-work-together.md) — purpose, the four core values explained, the manifest, circles/huddles, and the coaching culture that the QMS and Holacracy model reference.
- [Learning & Personal Development](learning-personal-development.md) — the coaching culture, Personal Development Plan (POP), and Growth & Reward model that operationalize the "people are our most important capital" QMS principle.
- [Day to Day](day-to-day.md) — time registration on the task board, meeting cadence, and the practical working rhythm implied by the Holacracy model.
