Quarterbacking the Dolphin's IT Team
Alex Grosholz
Employer: The Miami Dolphins
Job: Lead application developer
DDJ: Alex, what do you do as lead application developer for an NFL team?
AG: I kind of oversee all our internal applications. Like we have a scouting system, so we investigate players on the field, but we also need to know all their statistical backgroundspretty much anything you can think of [about] a player to try and give us a competitive advantage.
DDJ: How many developers work for the Dolphins?
AG: We have a small development teamthree to four onsite developers.
DDJ: What kind of tools do you use? Are you Windows-based?
AG: Yeah, we are a Microsoft shop, so we have Visual Studio and all that. Everybody seems to have their prejudices when it comes to development tools and environments, but I think [you should use] the tool that you feel comfortable with to get the job done. I personally actually really like ColdFusion. It's easy to program. If you need to bring somebody in, they can pick it up right away.
DDJ: What's hard about your job?
AG: I always hear developers say that they're under tight deadlines, but most developers have deadlines that, you know, you can always kind of push them off. But we have a draft day. I have to make sure those systems are up ready and make us able to make our decisions on point, right at a certain time, right at a certain date. It makes our jobs a little more difficult.