The Most Expensive Lesson: An Unfinished Automation Project in a Landscape Company

In my long career as a landscape designer and entrepreneur, there was one lesson that cost me particularly dearly – the story of an unfinished business automation project. I spent significant funds and time trying to create an ideal CRM and management system for my company, 'Dom i Sad' (House and Garden), but in the end, the project was never launched, leaving behind only valuable, yet painful, experience.

My First Steps in Automation: The 90s and Alkar

My automation story began long before 'Dom i Sad,' back in the 90s, when I was deputy director at NPF 'Alkar.' At that time, we developed software for training methodologies, and even then, I was assigning tasks to programmers for management accounting. This was my first experience interacting with the world of code, and it showed me the potential of automation for systematizing processes. But back then, it was about fairly specific tasks, and I hadn't yet realized all the pitfalls of large-scale development.

Why 'Dom i Sad' Urgently Needed Automation

By 2000, when I founded 'Dom i Sad,' the company was growing rapidly. We designed and built cottages, landscaped properties, and then maintained them. Each year, the number of clients, projects, employees, and partners increased. I saw how much time was spent on routine operations: material accounting, work planning, payment tracking, client communication. My goal was clear: to create a unified system that would integrate all these processes, making them transparent and manageable. I wanted data on every client, every plant, every pipe to be accessible at any moment, so that estimates and schedules could be quickly built, and project profitability tracked.

Typical Mistakes That Led to Failure

The main problem, as I later understood, was the lack of a clear and detailed technical specification, as well as a vague vision of the final product. As the client, I didn't delve deeply enough into the technical aspects, relying on the programmers' experience, while they, in turn, didn't always understand the specifics of the landscape business. This led to the following:

• Too broad functionality: We tried to bite off more than we could chew, incorporating every possible function into the system, from CRM to warehouse accounting and project management. As a result, the technical specification grew to over 50 pages, and each new item added complexity and delayed deadlines.
• Lack of iterations: We worked using the classic waterfall model: we spent a long time writing the technical specification, then a long time developing, and when we received the result, we found that it no longer quite met current needs or was simply inconvenient. There were no short feedback cycles.
• Communication problems: As a landscape expert, I couldn't always clearly articulate my requirements in a language understandable to developers. They, lacking experience in our industry, often interpreted tasks in their own way, leading to the creation of unnecessary functionality or the neglect of critically important details. This gap in understanding is a common problem, which I wrote about in the article "The Gap Between 'I Know How the Business Should Work' and 'I Can't Code It'".
• Lack of priorities: Everything seemed important. As a result, none of the parts were brought to a working state. We spent tens of thousands of dollars and months of work but never received a finished product.

Financial and Time Losses

My investments in this project amounted to tens of thousands of dollars. These were not only direct payments to programmers but also my own working hours spent on discussions, testing, and attempts to revive the project. If these funds and time had been invested in developing other business areas or in marketing, the outcome would have been entirely different. We lost not only money but also precious time that could have been used for company growth. The project stalled for almost two years, and in the end, I decided to freeze it, never receiving a working tool.

Lessons Learned from Bitter Experience

This failed project became one of the most expensive lessons for me. I realized that automation is not just about writing code; it's about a deep understanding of business processes, clear task setting, and continuous, iterative work. Here's what I learned:

1. Start small: Don't try to create the 'perfect system' right away. It's better to launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with basic functionality that solves the most pressing problems, and then gradually develop it.
2. Visualization and prototyping: Before coding begins, it's essential to visualize as much as possible how the system will look and function. This helps identify shortcomings and inconsistencies before they become costly errors.
3. Client involvement: The entrepreneur should not just be a sponsor but an active participant in the process, clearly articulating requirements and providing regular feedback. I reflected on this in detail in the article "What I Learned About Development from Years of Observing Programmers from the Sidelines".
4. Phased approach: Divide a large project into small, manageable stages with clear goals and deadlines. Each stage should deliver a tangible result.
5. Understanding specifics: It's important for developers to understand the specifics of the industry for which the product is being created, or for the client to be able to communicate it to them as clearly as possible.

How to Plan with formspace.design

It was this experience, this pain from unfinished projects and the gap between vision and implementation, that ultimately led me to create formspace.design. My goal was to build a tool that would allow landscape designers and property owners to articulate their ideas and requirements as clearly and visually understandably as possible, before embarking on costly implementation or development.

Imagine you're planning a complex landscaping project. Instead of trying to explain your ideas with words or imprecise sketches, you can use formspace.design to create a detailed visual plan. With module 1.x (plan/zones/objects), you can easily place elements on your property, zone the space, and arrange objects, whether it's a 4x8 m pool, 1.2 m wide paths, or a group of trees. Module 2.1 'AI Concept' helps you quickly generate various design options based on your preferences, and module 3.1 'Design by Photo' allows you to see how selected elements will look on a real photo of your property. Thus, you get not just a set of ideas, but a concrete, visualized project that you can show to contractors, discuss with your family, and, most importantly, use as a clear technical specification for further work. This approach minimizes the risks of misunderstanding and costly rework, as you see the result before investing real money and time into it.

FAQ

Why is automation so complex for the landscape business?

The landscape business combines many unique aspects: seasonality, working with living organisms, dependence on weather conditions, complex logistics, and an individual approach to each project. Off-the-shelf CRMs often don't account for these nuances, and developing a custom solution requires deep immersion in the industry's specifics and constant adaptation, which is rarely found in third-party IT teams.

How to choose the right developer for an automation project?

It's important to look for not just a coder, but a partner who is willing to delve into your business. Pay attention to their experience with similar industries or projects, the presence of analysts on the team, a willingness for iterative development, and transparent communication. Don't hesitate to ask many questions and request examples of their work, especially if they relate to the specific tasks you want to automate.

What are the main risks of custom software development?

The main risks include budget overruns, missed deadlines, the final product not meeting expectations, and difficulties in support and scaling. This often happens due to unclear technical specifications, insufficient communication between the client and developer, and attempts to implement too many features at once.

How can a non-programmer manage such a project?

The key to success is a clear vision and effective communication. Break the project down into small, understandable stages. Use visual tools to describe functionality. Hold regular meetings with developers to provide feedback and check progress. Don't be afraid to ask 'stupid' questions and demand explanations in plain language. Your role is to be the business expert, not the code expert.

Is it always better to create custom solutions than to use off-the-shelf CRMs?

Not always. Off-the-shelf CRMs are suitable for standard business processes and can be an excellent starting point. However, if your business has unique, critically important processes that off-the-shelf solutions don't cover, or if you see a significant competitive advantage in customization, then custom development might be justified. Always start by analyzing your needs and available market solutions.

What role does product vision play in automation success?

Product vision is a fundamental basis. Without a clear understanding of what exactly you want to achieve, who it's being created for, and what problems it solves, the project is doomed to fail. The vision should not only be yours but also shared by the entire development team. It should be dynamic, evolving, and adapting, but always retaining its core objective.

Can formspace.design help prevent such mistakes?

Yes, that's precisely why I created it. formspace.design allows you, as a property owner or landscape professional, to detail and visualize your ideas as much as possible, creating clear plans and concepts. This helps form a precise technical specification for any subsequent work, whether it's hiring contractors or even setting tasks for programmers for more complex systems. The clearer your vision at the start, the less likely you are to make costly mistakes during implementation.

Conclusion

My 'most expensive lesson' taught me to value clarity, planning, and an iterative approach. These very principles underpin formspace.design. I believe that by using the right tools and learning from the past, we can build more effective and successful projects, avoiding the mistakes that once cost me so dearly. The main thing is to start with a clear understanding of what you want to create and be ready for continuous dialogue and adaptation.