Development Dynamics: May 2020

Steve Wyman, Director of Software, Homebuilder

A word from Steve Wyman, Director of Homebuilder Software

In the coming months I will use this column to give you an insight into the inner workings of our Homebuilder Solutions Software Engineering teams. But first I will take a moment to introduce myself.

I am relatively new to the Homebuilder Solutions group, having taken this role in August 2019.  Previously I spent 33 years in a variety of Software Engineering roles within MiTek, ranging from development to project management, creating drafting, modeling and business management systems. As has been the case throughout my career, I have the good fortune to be surrounded by extremely talented people in many disciplines who bring a wealth of knowledge to our teams and to me personally. I lean on and learn from these people every day, and I look forward to introducing some of them in future newsletters.

Software systems can be extremely complex, as can the tools and techniques used to build them. There are many well-established methodologies, processes, styles and philosophies, and new ones emerging all the time. No matter which process, design methodology or programming language is used though, in my experience there is one common denominator in every successful software project, and that is constant communication.    

Teams that communicate honestly, openly and without judgement among themselves, with other teams and with stakeholders consistently demonstrate greater success than those that do not, delivering software of higher value and quality. As these teams gain experience based on shared successes (and failures), they grow in confidence, competence and efficiency. They take on more ambitious challenges, and the cycle continues. Their success is contagious, and others strive to emulate it.  This culture of continuous improvement driven by collaboration and communication is a key component of our growth and future success as your technology partner. It excites me to see our teams becoming increasingly collaborative even in the last few weeks, despite the challenges of social distancing and enforced virtual communication. We are a work in progress, but we are working hard and our progress is tangible. 

Let’s communicate! You likely have contacts in our Client Engagement, Professional Services and  Support teams already. They work closely with our Software Engineering teams to ensure we understand your needs.  Please reach out to me with questions about our technology, or just to say ‘Hi’. I look forward to working with you and strengthening our partnerships.