The book
What is Build Here?
Build Here is a free book of practices for people who build, and for the people who help them grow. It is made of short cards, each carrying one idea taken from real work, grouped into ten capabilities: the mindset, the craft, autonomy, understanding, delivery, ownership, systems, leverage, leadership, and being the reference. You can read it in English or in French.
What is a builder?
A builder is someone who understands a problem and makes a situation better. Building isn’t another word for coding: support, sales, design, finance, operations, engineering and community work all count. The glossary defines the book’s other words.
Who is the book for?
Four kinds of reader: people who want to become builders, builders who want to go further, people growing a team, and people who want to back builders. The four paths give each of them a way in.
Who wrote it?
Luc B. Perussault-Diallo, a builder since 2000: SiteDynamic, then 2xMoinsCher, then Afrikrea, now ANKA, co-founded and built as CTO from 2016 to 2025. You can reach Luc on LinkedIn, or through the issues and discussions of the book’s repository. The About page says why the book exists.
Is it free?
Yes. The whole book is free to read online, as a PDF or as an EPUB, with no account.
Can I download it?
Yes, in each language: a PDF, A4 and ready to print, and an EPUB for e-readers, phones and tablets.
Which languages is it in?
French and English, complete in both: the same cards, the same pages and the same test. French is the original.
Can I reuse or adapt it?
Yes, under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 licence. Name the source and your changes, and share your adaptations under the same licence. Workshops, internal training and translations are welcome.
How do I cite it?
Build Here, by Luc B. Perussault-Diallo (https://build-here.africa). For a single card, add its title and its link.
The builder test
What is the builder test?
Fifty questions, five per capability, about what you did in recent months. It takes about twelve minutes and gives a builder level from 1 to 5. Then you choose a line of work, with three cards from the book. Take the test.
What happens to my answers?
Without an account, nothing is sent. Your answers disappear when you leave the page, unless you choose to keep them on your device to see what moved next time. Signed in, your result is saved in your space.
Is the level a judgement of my talent?
No. It describes what you did in recent months, and its cut-offs are provisional. A step your setting didn’t allow does not lower your level. The method sets out the choices and the limits.
Can an AI assistant run the test with me?
Yes. The questions, the scoring rules and the bands are published at /builder-test.json, for any assistant to ask the questions and work out the level.
Teams
What is Build Here for Teams?
A paid offer for companies. Your team takes the builder test on its own schedule, weekly, monthly or quarterly, and you see a team map across the ten capabilities, its progress, its strengths and the capability holding it back. Everything reads as team totals: members see their own results plus their team and company totals, and no one else sees their answers. See Teams.
When does Teams open?
Teams is not open yet. Leave your email on the Teams page and we’ll let you know when it opens. The first companies get set up one team at a time.
Can a team use the book without Teams?
Yes, for free and with no account. The workshop guide runs a thirty-minute session around one card, the templates help you agree an attempt and review it, and six weeks to learn together shows a whole cycle.