News
INDIVIDUAL TOOLSETS HINDER
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Asia Chang | Unsplash
Digital transformation of the built industry in South Africa is slow with the sector ranked 18 out of 19 , beating only agriculture as the least transformed industry . Margins in the industry are between 1 % and 5 %, lagging behind the rest of the economy . Surely , this represents a case for change ?
There is no shortage of technology used in the environment . While there are plenty of software programmes and technology used to support projects , this does not mean the industry is digitally transformed .
“ A shortcoming in the sector , particularly in South Africa , is its ‘ tools-for-trades ’ approach where all players within a project ’ s lifecycle are served by particular tools in support of the roles they fulfil . In other words , project managers , architects , estimators and other roleplayers each have their own tools that don ’ t necessarily talk to each other ,” says RIB CCS enterprise sales manager , Quimby Bunce .
Bunce says the real essence of digital transformation rests on three factors – people , processes and data – and how they operate together . The use of technology in a ‘ tools-for-trades ’ fashion leads to failure in all three areas , because data ends up in silos associated with each of those applications , ultimately leading to a breakdown in project processes .
This breakdown is evidenced by industry ’ s productivity challenges , including its inevitable time and budget overruns , rework and materials wastage . “ A McKinsey survey found that 80 % of projects are over budget and most take 20 % longer to be completed than initially anticipated , with 30 % of work performed being rework . In fact , the industry has almost flatlined in
Consistency using digital workflows capture best practices , provide better management and reduce waste . productivity terms for about a quarter of a century , with growth of a mere 1 %. This is a third of what the total economy has achieved and , even more damning , scarcely more than a quarter of where a sister industry , manufacturing , sits as a leader in transformation ,” adds Bunce .
The missing piece is integration . What is important is how all players on a project interact . For example , once the architects have completed the design phase , how are those outputs passed on to the next people in line ?
Every time outputs – in the form of data – move across systems , there is the risk of a loss of fidelity . Data normally loses its richness when it exits one system and enters another . It also loses its fidelity at every point of human intervention , which becomes problematic for the overall project process .
Digital transformation in the built environment is about how all players integrate their roles across the construction process and preserve data , so that when people have a job to do , the data they require to do the job arrives on time , can be trusted and can live on beyond the project to support what comes next – the maintenance of the asset . The end-user then has access to information about how the infrastructure was built , the materials used , the names of sub-contractors and the warrantees that apply .
So , how can everyone working on construction projects sing from the same hymn sheet and , importantly , how can all of the data come together in one common environment in support of all roles ?
Instead of site managers working from a 2D drawings taped to their site office walls , they should be able to access digital versions ( and their updates ) in real-time in a common data environment , dramatically reducing the 30 % rework that occurs in the industry .
Bunce says while time and cost are easy metrics to sink one ’ s teeth into , creating a common data environment requires investment . “ In South Africa , not many people are willing to stick their heads above the parapet . In Europe , on the other hand , the end customers – especially large , public-sector customers – have begun to drive change in this area . They are looking for better information and more predictability around timelines and cost when it comes to their projects .”
This , in turn , has driven the adoption of the emerging ISO standard , ISO 19650 , which provides an industry standard around the adoption of building information modelling ( BIM ), the most
6
RACA Journal I November 2022 www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za