A core aim of the Digital Buildings Council (DBC) is to enhance professional understanding through collaborative knowledge sharing. It’s a mission I actively championed by instigating and orchestrating our “Lessons Learned” series—an initiative designed to turn disparate insights into cohesive industry guidance.

The latest contribution to this series comes from DBC member John Clarke, Operations Director at One Sightsolutions. His article, “Lessons learned: 6 common mistakes MSI contractors see in smart building projects,“ published recently in Smart Buildings Magazine, is a testament to the power of shared experience.

This article, which emerged from a virtual roundtable I facilitated, is a prime example of the common good principle in action: leading competitors in the MSI space – Daniel Watson (Hereworks), Sam Norledge (LMG), John Clarke (Onesight Solutions), and James Thomas (SES Engineering Services) – candidly sharing their real-world pain points and solutions. This willingness to expose challenges publicly, despite competitive landscapes, is invaluable for collective advancement.

The insights from John’s article delve into critical areas like project planning, stakeholder engagement, technical expertise, budget constraints, commissioning, and ownership. By highlighting these recurring mistakes, it offers a pragmatic roadmap for navigating the complexities of smart building implementation.

This article forms a vital piece of a much larger tapestry of knowledge I’ve helped weave together. The “Lessons Learned” series was launched with a panel I moderated at the Realcomm Events London CIO Summit, featuring leaders like Fiona Sawkill (British Land) and Kathy Farrington (Google). We also have a follow-up panel, ‘How to Operationalise Smart Buildings: Lessons Learned & Best Practices,’ scheduled for the ISE Smart Buildings Summit early next year.

My approach ensures that rather than being isolated contributions, these panels and articles become part of a larger, coherent narrative focused on improving best practice. They are key elements in a continuous dialogue aimed at making the “Whole” of industry insight greater than the sum of its individual parts.