Before You Buy A Tool Ask What Impact It Will Have On Your Time

A friend of mine says you should take every call because you never know what you might learn.

As a heads-down engineer this is hard advice to take. Other engineers will know this – we’d much rather build something ourselves than look to anyone else for a solution.

This is not always a good thing.

Taking a leaf out of the asset management industry the thing to figure out is what matters in the short term vs the long term.

For example, it’s well known that the long term operational costs of an asset like a boiler or vehicle are much more than the initial cost of acquiring the asset.

It’s the same with software systems – it’s just instead of buring fuel we burn people’s time.

So as an engineer, there’s a hierarchy – a way to do things to save time, just like you would if you wanted to save fuel.

1. Start with the tools you already have

We build sustainability tools using SharePoint, PowerBI and Python because organisations already have these tools. With AI’s help you can now do pretty impressive things very quickly.

It’s frictionless. No procurement. No legal. Just service.

2. Use tools that have a proven track record

If you need something specialist then it’s time to look at tools that have a proven track record of use.

All too often people buy tools for other people that are never used. There should be a rule that a manager shouldn’t be allowed to buy a new package unless they’re willing to personally spend three months working on it.

See how people have used it before. How it’s saved them time. You need proof.

3. Buy new tools when they add new value

Look at a new product when it genuinely adds value – something new that you couldn’t do before.

Many tools simply reinvent something that’s already available. And research shows that we’re easily overwhelmed – seeing a thousand options makes us less likely to buy any single one.

So, the takeaway is that we should listen to what’s out there – because there is some amazing stuff being built.

But before you buy – ask how this will actually work in the long term and what impact it will have on the fixed amount of time you have to spend.