INFRASTRUCTURE, CONSTRUCTION & Design

ROSEMARIE LIPMAN CIO & SVP, Digital & Data Engineering, EllisDon

One of the most significant impediments to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry’s evolution is fragmentation. Projects are broken up into phases with numerous stakeholders contributing to the project’s development during a given phase, and each of these stakeholders have their own, often disconnected processes. The traditional project delivery model (design-bid-build) only adds to this fragmentation: The design and construction scopes are separated and the stakeholders are not incentivized to collaborate; instead contractors are incentivized to submit the lowest bid, and are often disconnected from the design development and an understanding of the client’s requirements during the operations phase of their asset.

Construction technology products have, not surprisingly, followed a similar path. There are a multitude of niche products created for specific stakeholders, to digitize one or several of their processes, that are not connected in a meaningful way. There is an intense focus on adopting technology to improve productivity, however, the lack of product integration has the opposite effect. Logging into multiple platforms to create or view project data creates more work for end-users and does not support the creation of a seamless, collaborative experience for project stakeholders. While there is no shortage of innovative technology solutions in our industry, the key is figuring out how to integrate these solutions to create a seamless workflow that ultimately connects project stakeholders and project phases.

With our Cradle to Grave services, EllisDon has been focused on vertical integration for over a decade. These services include client solutions offered throughout the conceptual, pre-construction, construction, and post-construction phases of a project. Today this vertical integration is driven by technology innovation. When we develop software internally or implement solutions with our technology partners, the key requirements include improving collaboration across project stakeholders and breaking down silos across processes. We also strive to leverage technology to enhance the relationships of trust that we build with our clients by offering solutions that will help our clients manage each project and their portfolio of projects over the entire project lifecycle. The goal is to reach beyond measures of productivity and use technology to transform project delivery.