Going independent
I opened Atavis Development in October 2025, after starting my professional software career at Lane Communications. The work brought together requirements, interface design, backend development and the existing systems a business relies on. That combination is still the centre of what I offer.
Getting started
I finished my Bachelor of Software Development in September 2023, graduating in the top five per cent of computer science students with merit awards each year. In December I joined Lane Communications, where I progressed from a junior to a mid-level software engineering role.
During that employment I shipped two full-stack web projects: an online ordering platform with its internal tooling, and an online document version control manager. That work meant taking responsibility for more than the visible screen. Data, access, workflow and the surrounding business processes all had to fit together.
The degree gave me a foundation. Working on systems used inside a business gave those decisions a different context: there were people who needed the software to help them get their work done.
Forming Atavis Development
Atavis began in October 2025. The following month I started contracting with Lane Communications as a senior software engineer, working directly with executive management on the modernisation of their digital ecosystem.
The name has a personal connection: it is an amalgamation of my own name. It also connects with atavus, the Latin word for an ancestor. I like the idea behind that connection. Tools change quickly, while questions about clear interfaces, sensible boundaries and understandable code keep coming back.
That is the thinking behind “built to last”. Software will need changes. I want the work to leave room for them, and for the person making those changes to be able to understand what is already there.
The kind of work I am interested in
Small businesses, startups and independent business people often need someone who can take a rough problem and work out what building a useful solution involves. That can mean defining the workflow, making technology choices, designing the interface and carrying the build through to deployment.
I enjoy the connection between those responsibilities. A design decision can reveal that a business rule is unclear. An awkward integration can change the most sensible way to present a workflow. Being involved across the build means I can follow those issues through rather than leave them at a handover.
Modernisation is a particular part of that work. Existing systems have useful behaviour as well as limitations. I want to understand what needs to stay, what is getting in the way and which improvements can be made without disrupting everything around them.
Working together
You do not need to arrive with a complete specification. A description of the problem, the current process and the people involved is a useful place to begin. From there we can establish what needs building and whether I am the right person to do it.
Some engagements need a complete build. Others need a technical second opinion, a design specification or another engineer alongside an existing team. I offer consulting, development and short-term support to suit those different situations.
I am based in Adelaide and work remotely, with hybrid arrangements where they help the project. The work I am looking for has room for both engineering judgement and care for the people using the result.