While executing an eight-building, $157 million construction and renovation project in 2014, officials at Del Mar College in Texas forgot one critical player: the tech expert. Information technology administrators weren’t brought on board until just before the design was finalized.

At that point, they had to scramble to integrate technology into a range of facilities—from installing advanced lighting controls in a new fine arts center to adding applications that respond to mobile devices in buildings throughout campus. Because most of the project funding had already been allocated, the technology budget fell short and the team had to dig into other sources to cover the costs.