Digital Soft Landings: Architecting Seamless Handover

6 June 2025

The digital transformation of the built environment has accelerated the need for seamless information transfer between construction and operations. However, a pervasive “project-operations gap” often hinders this process, leading to inefficiencies and lost potential. As a market engagement specialist, I believe that facilitating essential, strategic dialogue is crucial to bridging this divide.

I recently co-curated and facilitated a pivotal panel session on “Digital Soft Landings” at Digital Construction Week (DCW), as part of the Digital Buildings Council’s partnership with the event. This collaboration, sponsored by Glider Technology and moderated by Lucas Cusack, delved into how to ensure that valuable data generated during design and construction is effectively utilized throughout a building’s lifecycle.

The Information Paradox: A Failure of Handover

A central theme of the discussion was the “information paradox”—the vast amount of data created during design and construction that is often lost or not effectively transferred to operations. Ed Riby (JLL), drawing on 20 years of soft landings experience, pointed to a critical lack of alignment between the “actual physical asset and the documentation and data” at handover.

While existing “soft landings” frameworks provide a structure for smoother transitions, the panel argued that they “lack a digital, like a robust digital layer” to truly capture and verify information in a usable format. This underscores the imperative for Digital Soft Landings, which advocates for proactive information management from the point of creation, rather than a reactive handover. This approach aims to “blur the line of CAPEX OPEX” by emphasizing the long-term value of operational expenditure.

Navigating Key Barriers to Smooth Transition

The panel, which included DBC founding member Alan Williamson (Multiplex), along with Andrew Victory (Arcadis), and Steven Boyd MBE, discussed several critical challenges:

  • Vague Contractual Requirements: Standard industry references often fall short of specifying the consistent, end-to-end structured data standards needed for digital operations.
  • Insufficient Commissioning Periods: Alan Williamson stressed the need for adequate and respected commissioning periods, which are often compressed at the project’s end.
  • The CAPEX vs. OPEX Mindset: A significant financial barrier is the prevalent mindset that views capital expenditure (CAPEX) as “good spend” and operational expenditure (OPEX) as an “overhead,” hindering a whole-life perspective.

The Critical Role of Knowledge Transfer

A powerful and recurring theme was the importance of knowledge transfer over mere data transfer. As Ed Riby eloquently stated, “It’s not about transferring documentation, data, all this stuff. It’s about transferring knowledge to the team. You can have all the data in the world. If you don’t understand it’s pointless.”

Ribey estimated that in most new builds, “80% of the information that’s given to an end user is useless, about 20% of actual value.” To address this, he advocated for “live documentation transfer from day one,” allowing operational teams to build crucial knowledge progressively.

A Path Forward: Solutions and Strategic Shifts

The discussions illuminated several pathways for overcoming these challenges. The panel agreed that while the client is ultimately responsible for ensuring usable operational information, they often lack the specific expertise. Stephen Boyd suggested targeting the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) to highlight the long-term savings from a whole-life perspective, encouraging a shift away from short-sighted CAPEX-focused thinking.

Alan Williamson emphasized the client’s responsibility to establish a consistent digital culture from the very beginning of the project, ensuring all teams use consistent naming conventions. Ed Riby advocated for integrating operational and maintenance teams into the delivery team from day one, focusing on delivering “capability, not just an asset.”

Stephen Boyd also saw a “real opportunity” for Tier One contractors to offer “additional value” by providing “good-to-go” asset registers and staying involved for the first two years of operation.

The panel universally agreed that a cultural shift is paramount for successful digital soft landings. This requires clients to set a clear vision and demand specific data standards, while contractors and designers must provide added value by focusing on asset-centric information and post-completion support.

Ultimately, the goal of Digital Soft Landings is not just to hand over data, but to transfer crucial knowledge, ensuring that the true operational potential and value of smart buildings can be unlocked.

Panel Participants

  • Lucas Cusack: Moderated, Glider Technology (sponsored the Digital Operations Stage)
  • Alan Williamson: Senior Services Manager, Multiplex (DBC Founding Member)
  • Edward Riby: Real Estate Director, JLL
  • Andrew Victory: Global Digital Transformation Leader, Arcadis
  • Steven Boyd MBE: Strategic Advisor (substituting for Natalie Green at Sodexo)

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About Me

Justin is an author and market engagement specialist, adept at connecting research, innovation, go-to-market activation, and business transformation through strategic content, connections, and conversations. For over two decades, he has conceived and led large-scale stakeholder engagement programmes across diverse sectors.

In his recent capacity, he applied his entrepreneurial drive and strategic leadership as Executive Director for the Digital Buildings Council (DBC), a dynamic not-for-profit industry group he helped to catalyse into existence. His work there mirrored the high-impact consultancy services he provides, involving helping the organisation break through a crowded and often confusing sector, establishing the DBC as a source of clarity and strategic guidance. A significant achievement included helping establish and facilitating the collaboration between DBC on the crucial Review of The RIBA Smart Buildings Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work, with its original co-authors, underscoring its rapid impact in the built environment.

Further extending his leadership in the field, Justin has recently been appointed to the Editorial Guidance Panel for Build in Digital magazine, where he will help guide editorial strategy and highlight emerging trends in smart and digital buildings. He was also nominated in the Digital Construction Power Players 2025 list by Digital Construction Plus.

Connect with me on LinkedIn or get in touch there.