A tale of two applications
While we were navigating AEP's evolving technology mandates with Scope Builder, another critical need emerged: a better system for actual material ordering. AEP's existing material ordering application left much to be desired, and they wanted something 'nice like Scope Builder.' We developed Material Order Builder (MOB) to streamline material procurement once a project scope was finalized. In contrast, TMIC was built internally by AEP's IT team, although we provided initial architectural guidance.
A decade later: the value of maintainability
Material Order Builder has remained stable for over a decade, outlasting many of the systems it integrated with. TMIC, evolving over time with multiple contributors, became increasingly slow for end users and difficult to modify. Years later, AEP asked us to take over support for TMIC. By then, the system had accumulated enough technical debt that running it locally or making changes efficiently proved challenging. This contrast highlights the advantages of a dedicated development team ensuring long-term maintainability from the start.
