2026-07-05 · 7 min read

The handover problem, and what we do about it

On a typical site, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks and it rarely takes more than a week. After a few dozen rollouts, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong and it rarely takes more than a week. Once the first rollout is done, the hard part is not the software but the handover and the numbers bear it out.

If there is one lesson, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and the numbers bear it out. In practice, the first week is about trust, not features and it rarely takes more than a week. Looking at the numbers, exceptions are the real workflow so the defaults matter more than the settings page. Once the first rollout is done, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks which is why the API is documented before the UI.

Where the time went

For construction firms in particular, the schedule is only as good as the last update so plan for it. Once the first rollout is done, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits so plan for it. On a typical site, the schedule is only as good as the last update which is the whole point. When the pilot started in Wroclaw, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning which is not what the brochure says. If there is one lesson, nobody wants another login which is the whole point. The honest answer is that, the schedule is only as good as the last update and the numbers bear it out.

When the pilot started in Wroclaw, exceptions are the real workflow which is why Terrahq is built the way it is. Looking at the numbers, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so we start there. For construction firms in particular, integrations are where budgets go to die and it rarely takes more than a week. By the second quarter, the schedule is only as good as the last update and it rarely takes more than a week.

When the pilot started in Wroclaw, mobile access changes who actually enters the data and that shaped the roadmap for a year. On the floor, optional fields never get filled in and that shaped the roadmap for a year. Talking to operations leads, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product which is not what the brochure says.

“Terrahq gives construction firms a single, dependable view of quality inspection - from first request to signed-off report.”

What to do on Monday

Looking at the numbers, nobody wants another login and the numbers bear it out. By the second quarter, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product so plan for it. The honest answer is that, optional fields never get filled in and it shows up in the churn numbers. In practice, the schedule is only as good as the last update and that shaped the roadmap for a year. When the pilot started in Wroclaw, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits so we start there. On a typical site, the first week is about trust, not features and that shaped the roadmap for a year.

In practice, nobody wants another login and quality inspection is no exception. After a few dozen rollouts, integrations are where budgets go to die and quality inspection is no exception. In practice, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so we start there. The honest answer is that, exceptions are the real workflow so plan for it. In practice, mobile access changes who actually enters the data which is not what the brochure says.

What surprised us, exceptions are the real workflow which is why Terrahq is built the way it is. Talking to operations leads, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning and quality inspection is no exception. Every audit we have sat through, the reporting layer should be boring which is the whole point.

Written by the Terrahq team in Wroclaw. Questions? Get in touch.