Applying lessons from software design to building services engineering

Software engineering has a lot in common with building services engineering. A diverse, technical team of individuals work independently on a series of tasks that are intended to lead to an integrated product. In some cases, these technical individuals support multiple projects at the same time, have different managers and clients, and need to manage time accordingly. The individuals employed are highly technically-skilled, but their time and focus are not always well managed. 

The philosophy of project managing teams of software engineers effectively is rich with new ideas. Unlike building project management, where the focus is usually on the macro (large teams of disparate firms), project management techniques in software have focused mainly on the micro (how to make small teams of engineers highly productive).

This opinion paper explores techniques used at the micro-level in software which could potentially dramatically improve the effectiveness of engineering teams in building services.

About the Author

Andrew brings many years of engineering industry experience and Aussie wit to his role as product director at SketchUp and leads the charge on our Sefaira product.

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