Building a Systems Development Team - Mistakes

While there are many benefits to contractors starting their own internal Systems Development teams, there are also many risks.

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Contributors Chris Hodge David Brown
  • First of all, it wasn’t the best fit as previously discussed. 
  • Underestimating the cultural mismatch between developers and other team members that were brought in from outside the construction industry.
  • Not funding the development team properly, including funding of individual roles. Just like the field, many times the cheapest labor is not the most productive per dollar.
  • Not putting the right amount of resources into the management of the team. Managing software engineers and developers is very different than managing a field workforce or project managers. A hands-off “hope” style or a micromanaging style are both typical mistakes.
  • Not sequencing the projects properly, so a return is seen for the investment across the organization.
  • Over-building when a “Minimum Viable Product” or MVP is what you really need. This will impact returns as much as not sequencing properly.
  • Not planning for and managing the roll-out, training, continuous improvement, and support aspects of an internally developed tool.

This is Part 16 of an 18-Part Series


Topics Covered in the Series Include:

  • Workflow
  • Management
  • Balance
  • Risk
  • Outsourcing

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Systems Development Teams for Contractors
Construction technology innovation is accelerating and the contractors that learn how to effectively integrate technology into every aspect of their business will dominate tomorrow. ...

Systems Development Teams for Contractors
Construction technology innovation is accelerating and the contractors that learn how to effectively integrate technology into every aspect of their business will dominate tomorrow. ...

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