The latest Downtime event has been a success! The Berlin x Downtime event was the fifth event that we held this year, where industry leaders could come together to discuss the latest trend in construction and transformation. You can check out the highlights from the event here. Discussions were held about communication, organizational structure and the shift in mindset of organizations. Robin Kasper from Z LAB said that a “shift in minds from being competitors to being corporation partners” is crucial in our journey towards eliminating downtime. I couldn't agree more, collaboration is the key to eliminating downtime.



This month we will be taking a look at a review published by McKinsey back in 2017. It is interesting to see how far we have come in that time, but also to see what challenges are still hindering us from achieving our goals. We’ll also take a look at organizational culture and the importance of small data. 

This month’s key questions to consider are: 
  • How do you see a shift in minds happening, where we go from a traditional business mindset of seeing others in the industry as competitors to seeing them as partners on our journey of eliminating downtime?
  • How will businesses be able to become more efficient when a greater number of employees are more familiar with handling data? 
  • In an ever changing business landscape, how do you ensure that your company’s internal communication is relevant and consistent? 
 
 

7 STEPS OF INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY: A CHECK-IN


McKinsey: "Reinventing Construction: A Route To Higher Productivity"


I wanted to share this executive summary from McKinsey Global Institute about reinventing the construction industry, to take a look at how far we have come in the journey of increasing productivity in the industry, but also to see what challenges we still face. On page 7 in the report McKinsey points out seven areas in which the construction industry could improve:
  • Regulation
  • Collaboration and contracting
  • Design and Engineering
  • Procurement and supply-chain management
  • On-site execution
  • Technology
  • Capability building
External forces, industry dynamics, and firm-level operational factors are all part of the seven areas in which we could progress. These changes can be domino-like with the first changes taking place at the top with the introduction of new regulation. However, we as an industry, have experienced that changing industry dynamics will be the leading factors in implementing change. Although our technology is rapidly changing, we need to be more willing to create an ecosystem across industries and companies. To do this we need to work together, eliminating the not invented here syndrome and create partnerships that will change the fate of the construction industry. 
 
 
USING SMALL DATA TO CREATE COMPANY WIDE DATA FLUENCY

Harvard Business Review: "Most Analytics Projects Don't Require Much Data"


While focusing on large data projects, in which companies are hoping to develop their businesses, they are often forgetting to implement small data projects. Ignoring these smaller data projects is a mistake as they are often much more inclusive and easier to handle. Projects can be handled by a few part-time employees and can be completed in just a few months, yielding between $10,000-$250,000 a year. Smaller data projects, like the elimination of unneeded data, is a great way to get your employees engaged with data projects. As businesses develop, data will become a more important part of day-to-day processes. To succeed with these projects it is important that we don’t jump to conclusions. Using a disciplined approach and solving a real business approach will influence how influential the result will be on your business. Through small data projects, you could greatly influence the future of your organization and create and equal working field where data becomes more familiar. 
 
 
COMMUNICATING CHANGE TO CHANGE WORKPLACE CULTURE

Forbes: "Why Getting Your Digital Transformation Story Right Is Key To Changing Workplace Culture"


Effective communication in times of change is crucial to the success of a transformation. Every stakeholder should be aware of changes that are being made, while also feeling that they play a role in that transformation. This is the difficult part. To effectively communicate change and influence workplace organization, creating a story will ease communication. It is important that through this story you are able to; unite people, be consistent and provide direction. By creating a story that speaks to your employees you will be able to ensure that you have some of the greatest brand ambassadors on your team. The stories you tell do not have to be complicated, in fact it is important to keep it real and show that you as an organization also face challenges. Although the story is important, the way you communicate your story will secure you workforce and ensure that your employees remain your best brand ambassadors. 
 
 
The downtime committee has been announced. The committee will serve as a group of leaders of the industry, that will drive the eliminate downtime story. They will meet in November for an online co-creation session.  In January we will be hosting our Predict Summit together with McKinsey where the committee will also convene. The focus of the Predict Summit will be AI, and how it can be used to eliminate downtime. You can get early bird tickets here, until the end of November.
 
 
Through collaboration and partnerships we can get closer to our goal of eliminating downtime by 2025. 

If you have any great reads, please share them with me at: sbj@trackunit.com

- Søren Brogaard Jensen, CCO Trackunit
 

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