When to Call the Pros

If you've kept up with my videos here on LinkedIn, you know that I moved out of my old house in May, spent some time drifting around, and moved into my new house in July.

My old house was a townhouse and, at the time I moved in, relatively new. The combination of the "newness" of the previous home coupled with the fact that 100% of the exterior maintenance was handled by the HOA kept me somewhat shielded from just how much of a pain in the ass home ownership can be.

That was, until I moved into this new house.

Built in 1969, my beloved brick ranch home feels virtually indestructible. The thing is solid as a rock. That doesn't mean it isn't without its fair share of problems, though. Although all of the power outlets were upgraded to 3 prong, the overall electrical system is ungrounded (minus 2-3 outlets the previous homeowner decided to "DIY") and the plumbing is a hodge podge of copper, galvanized, PVC, ABS, and PEX; a result of 50 years of plumbing repairs and upgrades. Those who own older homes might understand the frustration. If you don't, consider yourself among the fortunate.

Unfortunately I had the mother of all plumbing problems happen last week. I will spare you all the disgusting details but, essentially, the main sewer line in my home needed to be replaced. It didn't start out that way, however. It all started when I had my plumber over to look at two very small leaks under the house.

"See your sewer line?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"It shouldn't have a bend in it like that. I guarantee things aren't draining properly into your septic system."

So here I was, just thinking that I had two simple leaks that needed to be fixed and we're already up to running a new sewer line. Unfortunately it didn't stop there. On day two of the repair process, we uncovered the following issues.

One of the original leaks was due to a faulty flange around one of the toilets so the flange needed to be replaced. When he cut the flange out, the subfloor around it came out with it. The leak had rotted the floor so badly that that we had a section of subfloor that needed to be replaced.

We upgraded my kitchen drain from 1.5" PVC to 2" PVC. Not only was there a massive clog and not only was the galvanized pipe being held together with only caulk, but the ABS pipe behind it was severely damaged and ready to leak into the wall.

My point is this: Figuring out PVC is simple. It is measuring, cutting, dry fitting, and then gluing. If my two small leaks had been just that, I might have been able to have things fixed in no time but that wasn't the case. There were extra problems. Those extra problems had their own extra problems. Before I knew it, it was 2 full days of labor, a 3 man plumbing crew, and thousands spent. Had I tackled the immediate problems without correcting the bigger issue, I'd have had my sewer line backing up into my home. Had I not had the careful eye of an expert, there would have been an inevitable leak in my wall. Had I tried to tackle all of this myself, I would not have known what I was in for. Two days (for them) would have been two weeks (for me) and even after all that may have ended up as a paid services engagement.

But Blake, you work in technology. Why are you talking about plumbing? What does this have to do with Microsoft Dynamics?

The answer is simple. Whether we're talking about plumbing or technical work, it is easy to overestimate your skills or underestimate the complexity of a job. While my personal story very much is about plumbing, it could just as easily have been about providing technical services to a client. It can be easy to try and take on a project only to uncover the multitude of challenges hidden behind the primary ask. If you're not absolutely confident that you can provide outstanding results, don't try and take on the project alone. It could cost you your reputation or your client relationship.

Businesses, if you have a managed service provider who thinks they can "figure out" a project, demand better. Ask for examples of similar work they've performed before, credentials, experience, etc. If they can't provide examples then you're the experiment.

Professional services exist for a reason. Knowing when to hire a pro is key.

If you'd like to learn more about Dynamics 365 or our professional services offerings that can help you get your D365 projects off the ground, I'd love to hear from you.