Q&A with Clay Smith, BuildOps’ New VP of Implementation

Rolling out new software can be a challenge—but it doesn’t have to be.

That’s where Clay Smith comes in. He’s helped contractors scale, led high-growth companies, and driven major acquisitions. Now, as VP of Implementation at BuildOps, his focus is making sure contractors get up and running smoothly—without the usual headaches.

We sat down with Clay to talk about software adoption, rollout mistakes, and what a successful implementation really looks like.

5 Questions with Clay Smith

Q: What excites you most about this role at BuildOps?

A: I’ve spent a large part of my career focused on MEP, and I know what the challenges are. BuildOps is a purpose built ERP solution. Once deployed, it delivers massive productivity gains. 

Q: What’s the biggest mistake companies make when rolling out new tech?

A: When organizational leaders pass off or disengage from implementations, the entire organization feels it. Successful implementations require leadership buy-in

Q: What’s something software companies often misunderstand about contractors?

A: Many software companies start with a solution and look for a problem to apply it to. They also don’t appreciate the complexities of the workflows nor the dynamic nature of their operating environments

Q: You’ve led companies through serious growth. What’s the key to making software adoption smooth?

A: I don’t think adoption is ever truly smooth. As a customer, it’s important to remember why you started the process. There’s usually a very compelling reason why they needed to change how they were conducting business. As a solution provider, it’s important to deliver the biggest value as early as possible

Q: If a contractor wants to get the most out of their software, where should they focus first?

A: Leadership buy-in — change management only occurs when leaders decide.

Enough about our questions—what about yours?

We asked contractors in our network: “If you had a few minutes with our VP of Implementation, what would you ask him?” These two came up the most:

Q: Our workflows aren’t perfect. How do you help teams set up for success?

A: We deal with thousands of contractors. The truth is your workflows will never be perfect, but putting them together on one system gives you a chance to collaborate, measure, and move forward with a single source of truth. 

Q: What defines a successful implementation? Is it different from what we’d expect?

A: Define early where the biggest value is. Why did you look for a solution? Don’t forget that as you go through the details of setting up a new system that will work across many different areas of the business. 

Want to hear more about how Clay is shaping implementation at BuildOps?

Read the full announcement here.