Digitalization stress

• Digitizing: the transition from storing information in a digital form rather than in the physical form.
• Digitization: the process of moving to a digital business.

The business model is changing through the use of digitization. We in the construction industry have been digitizing for ages by creating 3D models to which information is linked. By applying BIM in its broadest form, you also start working with digitization within a company. This is done by improving the processes and setting up information management for the entire life cycle.  

Change management

To apply digitalization within your company, it is imperative to change. However, this turns out to be more difficult than expected because, to change a company, several people within it have to start doing things differently.

What happens frequently within construction companies is that management decides to apply BIM and thus starts making changes. The employees must then carry this out within the company, but the question remains: Do these employees want this themselves? Do all these different employees see the urgency to change? Perhaps one employee thinks everything is fine the way it is now, so why should things be done differently? Another employee thinks, I'd like to change, but I don't know if I can, because I'm not very good with computers. What if I do it wrong and get fired? The third employee has doubts – his colleagues are not doing it, so why should he go along with the changes?

When a person really has to change, then they have to support this change. The employee must feel that they can change, that they have the choice and that they have control over this change.

Tips from Anouk on how to best handle change:

• Show how things can be done better. Give examples so the person in question sees the implications of the change and thus understands the need.
• Instead of giving someone the ideal answer, ask them questions in a different way. Don't say, “If you had made a BIM model now, everything would be better.” Ask what and/or how a BIM model could have helped in this situation. 
• Offer help. Ensure someone doesn't have to change by throwing him or her in the deep end without a life jacket.

Construction vs. IT

If you have a construction background, you have not always learned to work well with digital programs. Many people in the construction industry often react with the question, Should I do something with BIM? Isn't that what the BIM director, BIM coordinator or BIM manager is for? They lose their grip on their work because they no longer know where to get the necessary information from, if it is now contained in a model instead of a drawing. Yet we have seen in all industries, including construction, that more and more is done digitally. Companies will therefore have to invest in training people to let them become more familiar with the digital world in the coming period.

In addition, in the coming years a new generation will graduate who are already much more familiar with the computer programs you can work with. With this group, the digital part is delicate. However, they will still have to learn a lot about building itself, so it remains a puzzle. The ideal employee in construction is a mix between someone who has a lot of experience in building and is also skilled in the new tools and techniques. Are they already out there? Certainly, but it is a matter of searching carefully.

Significant challenges also lie ahead for construction in the area of digitization. A lot of documents are still being produced that cannot be read well by machines. Also, many files, for example, are still stored in extensive folder structures on a shared environment, and they are often in a lot of different file formats. It will take some time before this becomes unambiguous.

Data driven future

To tackle these problems, we need to grow into an industry where data becomes central, which will require several different data streams. But if we ensure these data streams and the various systems are properly connected, there is plenty to be gained.

First, there is a challenge to make all data in construction available digitally in a suitable format. When this is available, the next challenge is the quality of that data. Currently, a Dutch initiative has been launched that focuses on improving data quality, called GO-FAIR2. GO-FAIR is based on the 4 'FAIR' principles. In other words: data must be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable. When these principles are met, the data is much more available and reliable. 

Both, of course, are very important in construction. So, to be able to use the data through the different phases and get the benefit from capturing the data around a project, GO-FAIR can be a godsend. The new techniques in construction, such as BIM and open standards, are reasonable first steps towards meeting these principles in the future. Many more contemporary methods and tools will have to be developed to deal with this better, but the first steps have certainly been made.   

Conclusion

I think in the area of digitalization, much is going to change soon. Should we wait for this? Certainly not. In this highly competitive market, it is vital to stay ahead, and it remains essential to connect with all parties in the construction industry and keep working with everyone. 

From my role at BASED, I am working hard to capture data structures using open standards, to improve them and validate the data quality. Are you already working on this yourself, or would you like to discuss this to see if this is possible in your company? Please contact me at anouk@based.co.nl. 

Sources:

(1)Proptech. Artikel: Wat is het verschil tussen digitalisering, digitalisatie en digitale transformatie en waarom is het belangrijk voor proptech? https://www.proptech.nl/blog/d...

(2)= FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship’, Scientific Data, 2016.