The development team provides a range of professional services essential to the development process. The development team should be structured so that it provides the skills, experience and relationships to support the developer. A development team provides the developer/project manager with areas of skill and experience that may not be present on the CDC board and staff. Development team professionals also provide additional experience, levels of accountability and more relationships. In addition they may add another level of credibility with funders or other parties whose support is necessary for the success of the project.
First meet with board and staff to determine what services can be provided "in-house" and where there is a need for a professional to join the development team. The order and timing in which professionals are hired will vary depending on what types of team members are required.
How do you assemble your team?
After determining what types of development team members are needed research which of these services are required to comply with Local, Federal or other funding source procurement procedures. Requirements for procurement procedures are often tied to the funding and/or scale of the project.
Consult with colleagues in your professional network, including the following people and resources:
 Housing
ProfessionalsLendersFundersBoard MembersTrade
Associations and PublicationsCity,
State and HUD Approved ListsInternet
Searches |
Who do team members work for?
It is the project manager's responsibility to ensure that work is being completed by all development team members as needed on time and within budget. A detailed scope of services is the project manager's best tool to clarify "who does what". Make sure to include in the scopes of services:
| A detailed performance work plan in layman terms that you understandEstimated deadline for all major stages of work to be completedA pay schedule that compensates as work is completedA
list of what items are reimbursable |
The project manager should also review all funding sources in the project in case there are limitations on the percentage of development costs allocated for specific services. The project manager may decide to disclose this percentage in the scope of services as an "amount not to exceed" clause.
Don't be afraid of what you don't know!
IYou should rely on your development team for assistance in providing more information or clarification so that you can find intelligent solutions and have intelligent answers. Be persistent in getting clear information from team members verbally or in writing, and don't hesitate to request that members rephrase themselves. Professionals often forget that certain concepts or language within their specialization is not common knowledge.
Every project has a unique set of circumstances and your development team provides an excellent resource for building organizational capacity.
OHIO CAPITAL CORPORATION FOR HOUSING