Team Tales – April 2025
This month we are excited to introduce Batuhan Balaban (or Batu for short) Senior Full Stack Developer and motorcycle enthusiast based in London. From building scalable solutions to exploring the latest tech trends, Batuhan brings passion and creativity to everything he does. Curious about his biggest achievements, what drives him, and the advice he has for anyone in tech? Find out in our latest Team Tales feature.
Can you describe yourself in 10 words?
Curious, detail-oriented, team player, adaptable, reliable, motivated, logical, calm, creative, supportive.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work background?
I’m a Senior Full Stack Developer with over 13 years of experience building scalable software solutions across a variety of industries, mainly using .NET technologies and modern JavaScript frameworks like React and Next.js. I’ve worked in several companies both onsite and remotely, and I’m passionate about designing clean architectures, building great user experiences, and helping teams grow stronger technically. I hold bachelor’s degrees from SUNY Binghamton and Istanbul Technical University, as well as a master’s in Data Analytics from Sabancı University.
How long have you been with Built Intelligence?
I’ve been with Built Intelligence for 5 years, working remotely from London.
So, can you tell us what your role entails at BI and what a ‘day in the life of’ looks like!
My role involves both hands-on development and team collaboration. Each day starts with our sprint daily meeting where we align on priorities. I manage and update our DevOps board, work on coding tasks from the sprint backlog, and help the team by discussing technical approaches and solutions. I also monitor Zendesk for bug reports and act on them when necessary. My day often includes consulting with teammates on technical challenges and contributing to ongoing improvements in our architecture and workflows.
What’s the best thing about your role?
The best thing about my role is the opportunity to constantly learn and discover new approaches to solving problems. Every day brings a new technical challenge that helps me grow as a developer.
What has been your finest moment at BI – what achievement have you been most proud of?
There have been several, but a few stand out: helping to build fully automated DevOps pipelines for smoother releases; completing complex data migrations for major customers within very tight deadlines; and introducing architectural improvements that strengthened transactional integrity and business logic execution. Implementing a configurable workflow architecture was also a significant achievement that added great flexibility to the product.
Tell us a little something about the person behind the role?!
Outside of work, I’m a huge motorcycle enthusiast — though these days, my wife prefers that I keep that passion on hold! I also enjoy exploring new technologies, keeping up with trends in cloud computing and AI, and spending time outdoors whenever I can.
Final thoughts or tips?
Always stay curious and open to learning. Collaboration and open communication within a team can achieve amazing things — and at BI, that’s something I’m grateful to experience every day.
Why I Joined Built Intelligence and What I’ll Be Writing About
Genna Rourke joined Built Intelligence as Industry Engagement Director in January 2026. With nearly twenty years’ experience across quantity surveying and commercial leadership, Genna brings first-hand industry perspective to our work across FastDraft, Academy and wider thought leadership. In this new series, she will share practical views on the challenges construction teams face in contract management, capability development and commercial control. Hello. Here’s who I am and why I’m writing. I joined Built Intelligence in January 2026 as Industry Engagement Director. Before that, I spent nearly twenty years working as a quantity surveyor and commercial leader across infrastructure, civil engineering and contractor environments. I am a Chartered QS, MRICS and FCInstCES,...
FastDraft: Setting up NEC contracts for success
The early days of an NEC contract set the tone for everything that follows. Yet, on many projects, the first 90 days are where discipline slips, processes drift, and risk quietly builds. Teams attend training. They understand the contract. They start with good intentions. But as delivery pressures increase, the gap between what people know and what they actually do begins to widen. That gap is where projects lose control. FastDraft closes it. By embedding structure, prompts and accountability directly into the workflow, it turns NEC knowledge into consistent, repeatable behaviour from day one. Behaviour vs documentation NEC contracts are designed around proactive management, clear communication and strict timescales. Success depends less on what is written and more on how...
5 things you need to do in the first 90 days of your NEC Contract
When it comes to NEC contracts, the first few weeks of a project set the tone for the entire delivery. Many disputes, delays, and unnecessary costs originate not from technical complexity but from overlooked processes, unclear roles, and poor documentation right at the start. NEC4 is designed for proactive management. If you treat it like a traditional contract and “sort it out later”, you risk compounding small issues into major problems.Small Mistakes, Big Consequences Early inconsistencies in NEC4 contracts can escalate quickly. Common examples include: Incomplete Contract Data – Missing dates, unclear roles, or unvalidated options can cause confusion when a time-critical decision arises. Uncoordinated Scope / Works Information – Ambiguities in what needs delivering often surface as...