I mean, you could argue you build a house by first studying material science, pricing out materials, factoring in labour costs, space, etc.
Sometimes you do just need to go to see the job site - figure out the square footage, the layout, what you have to play with, what quality of lumber you've been given, etc. But sometimes you just get the measurements and materials list, talk to others who have done similar builds, and follow the blueprints based on your experience and the research people have done before you.
That's all your scouting.
The development of the actual player is the house building.
And that build is going to take longer depending on what you started with at the job site, and how much you want to invest into it.
Of course, it's nice to check out the player in person (a combination of stats, research, and first-hand observation will ALWAYS be best), but sometimes you can check the lumber prices at Home Depot and it gives you a pretty good idea on if it's worth investing in the job or not.
The real trick is digging through the spreadsheets of labour costs, project timelines, available materials, similar builds, etc. and then deciding which job sites are worth your time to check out before you start building!
