Abstract
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 is 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.
Applying lessons from software design to building services engineering 3
