2026-08-19 · 6 min read

The handover problem, and what we do about it

Talking to operations leads, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and that shaped the roadmap for a year. In practice, nobody wants another login and the numbers bear it out. On a typical site, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and it rarely takes more than a week. For construction firms in particular, fleet telemetry is a people problem wearing a software costume and it rarely takes more than a week.

Every audit we have sat through, the schedule is only as good as the last update which is why the API is documented before the UI. Talking to operations leads, the handover from the old system is where projects stall so we start there. Talking to operations leads, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product so we start there. When the pilot started in Ghent, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong which is why the API is documented before the UI.

What we would do differently

By the second quarter, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet so the defaults matter more than the settings page. On the floor, the reporting layer should be boring and fleet telemetry is no exception. When the pilot started in Ghent, integrations are where budgets go to die which is not what the brochure says. Talking to operations leads, the first week is about trust, not features which is why Nova Metrics is built the way it is. When the pilot started in Ghent, the first week is about trust, not features which is why Nova Metrics is built the way it is. The honest answer is that, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and it shows up in the churn numbers.

On a typical site, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits so we start there. If there is one lesson, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so plan for it. Every audit we have sat through, the first week is about trust, not features which is the whole point.

After a few dozen rollouts, the schedule is only as good as the last update so the mobile app came first. After a few dozen rollouts, the reporting layer should be boring which is why Nova Metrics is built the way it is. On the floor, mobile access changes who actually enters the data which is the whole point.

“Replace the spreadsheet, the whiteboard and the group chat with one suite your team will actually open.”

What to do on Monday

What surprised us, the schedule is only as good as the last update which is why Nova Metrics is built the way it is. After a few dozen rollouts, nobody wants another login and the numbers bear it out. The honest answer is that, fleet telemetry is a people problem wearing a software costume which is why Nova Metrics is built the way it is.

Once the first rollout is done, integrations are where budgets go to die and that shaped the roadmap for a year. The honest answer is that, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product which is the whole point. Talking to operations leads, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and that is fine. Every audit we have sat through, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning and fleet telemetry is no exception. On a typical site, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and it shows up in the churn numbers. When the pilot started in Ghent, the reporting layer should be boring and that shaped the roadmap for a year.

Written by the Nova Metrics team in Ghent. Questions? Get in touch.