Few challenges in the digital built environment are as fundamental, or as frustrating, as the persistent ‘project-operations gap.’ This crucial disconnect, where the ambition of digital construction meets the realities of building operation, hinders the true potential of smart buildings. For me, articulating this core problem down to those two words—the project-operations gap—represents a proud achievement in clarity, and a driving force behind my work as a market engagement specialist.
This overarching problem was the central theme of the ‘Digital Construction is from Mars and Digital Operations is from Venus’ panel I moderated last week at London Build Expo. As part of our event partnership, this discussion brought together experts from both sides of this divide, and crucially, a platform provider who straddles it, fostering the essential dialogue needed to bridge these worlds.
The Fundamental Disconnect
The panel, featuring Marlies Hoogeboom (CoreNet Global, BAM UK & Ireland FM), Alan Williamson (Multiplex), Natalie Green (Sodexo), and Ben Jowett (Wates Group), provided candid insights. Lucas Cusack (Glider Technology) also kindly stepped in at the last moment.
The experts highlighted how a fundamental disconnect leads to frustrated building users and facilities staff. As Marlies Hoogeboom pointed out, despite technological advancements, “The biggest problem … is that when you get a building that is all singing and dancing and can do all of those wonderful data elements, people don’t have to use it.” This underscores the critical issue of technology implementation without proper user training and integration into operational workflows.
Lucas Cusack further emphasized this frustration, stating, “My biggest challenge … is that … beautiful investment of asset information at the end of the project [is] just wasted.” This highlights the pervasive problem of comprehensive asset information being unused due to misalignment between construction deliverables and operational needs.
Unpacking the Challenges: Data, Skills, and Engagement
The discussion meticulously unpacked the key challenges contributing to this gap:
- Early Engagement: A major contributor to the disconnect is the lack of early and consistent engagement between stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle. Alan Williamson stressed this: “The gap for us is day one … We really need to be talking to the end-user right at the beginning,” to establish naming conventions, data structures, and functionalities that meet operational requirements.
- Data Challenges: Participants cited issues with data transfer, management, and utilization. This includes inconsistent naming conventions, lack of data structure, and difficulties in integrating data from various systems. Ben Jowett pointed out the lack of system thinking in connecting data requirements across different systems and project stages: “We continuously receive requirements from customers … All of that detailed thinking goes into connecting those things together … but they’re not logically matched with each other.”
- Skill Gaps: The industry faces a shortage of skilled resources who understand both construction and operational aspects of digital buildings, particularly in managing and interpreting data.
- Evolving Technology: The rapid advancement of technologies like AI and robotics will reshape the industry, demanding new approaches to data management and building operations.
Insights from the Trenches: Plugging the Gap
The panel provided tangible examples and ideas for plugging this gap:
- Early Operational Involvement: Lucas Cusack cited a project where early involvement of the operations team ensured smooth data handover and ongoing management.
- Proactive Client Engagement: Alan Williamson described a positive experience with a client who engaged a year before project completion, enabling alignment on data structures and functionality.
- Performance-based Contracts: A shift towards performance-based contracts is predicted, driving a greater focus on long-term building performance and accountability throughout the lifecycle.
- Digital Commissioning: Claire Callan (from another panel) has previously highlighted how digital commissioning offers powerful verification capabilities during handover, allowing immediate identification of issues like missing metering data.
- Lifecycle-Focused Approach: An increasing reliance on AI and robotics will necessitate a more holistic, lifecycle-focused approach to building design and management.
Navigating the Horizon: Future Trends & Recommendations
The discussion converged on a set of critical recommendations:
- Foster early and continuous collaboration: Between all stakeholders, from construction teams to FM providers and end-users.
- Establish clear data standards: Including naming conventions and information exchange protocols from the project outset.
- Invest in training and upskilling: To bridge the knowledge gap.
- Embrace emerging technologies: To optimize building performance and automate tasks.
- Advocate for performance-based contracts: That incentivise long-term building efficiency and user satisfaction.
This panel truly reflected my drive to bring together diverse perspectives to clarify the industry’s most pressing issues. By facilitating a discussion that brought together both construction and operations, we highlighted the urgent need to bridge this fundamental divide. Prioritising early engagement, data integrity, and skilled resources is crucial to ensure that smart buildings deliver on their promise of efficiency, sustainability, and user satisfaction throughout their lifecycle.
Podcast Summary:
You can listen to AI-generated podcast summaries of this insightful discussion, which I have published on LinkedIn:
