Capital projects are time consuming, labor intensive and expensive. New technologies can a lot to simplify or eliminate many tasks—from redundant paperwork to manual processes in all stages (including initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and control, closing and operating). The most valuable emerging technologies are those that help address the basic need to balance the project triangle of scope, schedule and cost.

AI, blockchain, robotics and drones, to name a few, are all becoming more valuable in construction. These technologies should be leveraged as early as possible to better ensure a positive impact. Delaying until later in the project cycle will not only make the new technology less effective but it may also end up being more of a distraction than a benefit.

Emerging technologies: where to start

For an organization just beginning down this road, the real challenge is often which of the numerous available solutions to select. Is it better to embrace emerging technologies in-house or to outsource them? While there is no one size fits all in this area, many are looking for tried and tested innovations. It may sound like a bit of a paradox, but there is truth to the request. Look for solutions/service providers that include the following.

Past the Incubation Stage

The technology should have at least some track record—even if it’s not in the business’ specific industry vertical. It’s entirely possible, for example, to have a very successful deployment from oil and gas to the construction of hi-tech semi-conductor capital projects.

A “Best Fit” for Your Organization

This isn’t necessarily the same as the best bang for your buck. It’s hard enough to cope with new technology. If a company’s way of doing business is also greatly impacted, that can be a stretch too far. For example, spending $1 million on an AI component in a $4 billion project will probably yield a positive ROI given the project size. A midsize EPCM, however, may wish to differentiate themselves in the market by offering more effective change management to prospective clients, such an investment would be more significant in this case.

Defined in Scope

Any technology selected should have a defined scope that delivers early, iterative of tangible results and can be clearly delineated. Those that are more open-ended in terms of the schedule and cost associated with its introduction are harder to control.

Once the technology has been selected, it’s important to get buy-in from all key players. Here are the three main roles that need to be fully on board to maximize the value of emerging tech.

1. Highest Level Sponsor
When it comes to deploying new technology, there must be clear sponsorship from the highest level in the project (not necessarily the project team). This sponsorship must be a ringing endorsement of the specific technology.

2. Management
The project team itself must have functional champions for the new technology. A project team may be excited to try out a new approach, only to have the procurement manager, for example, say the supply chains won’t be able to cope with the requirements.

3. End User
Day-to-day users of the new technology need to be kept informed at every stage—not merely trained “just in time”—to maximize the successful deployment and adoption of the new tech.

Realizing benefits across the project team

The value of emerging technologies can be seen at every level—from corporate sponsors who are short on time to site operatives equally fed-up with repetitive form filling bureaucracy. More accurate, real-time data comes with many benefits: work can be accomplished faster, cheaper and better than ever before.

For those in design, BIM not only improves the speed at which designs are created, but also how the team collaborates, as well as the depth of collaboration, with all stakeholders from the client to lowest level of the supply chain. For example, thousands of iterations of fenestration can be produced and, by using filters, optimized for what is the best fit for the particular project.

Teams responsible for the schedule and cost can leverage emerging technologies to get the best possible forecast of project outcome costs (not just the initial construction, but rather the whole lifecycle). Armed with the knowledge of when and how it can be delivered, more informed decisions can be made that take into account real-time updates of progress and current risk.

With the tsunami of data that capital projects are beginning to throw, project teams must learn to either take advantage of the wave—or risk drowning under the volume of data.

Looking ahead

Gone are the days of a project team being removed from site for a two-day project review once a month using six-week old data. The project is in Panama City, the client in Toronto and the constructors’ management teams are in Miami and Seoul. Everyone meets online and reviews using AR/VR the same data at the same time from the current BIM and the various project dashboards.

Today’s technologies are emerging so fast that a different approach is required. It’s important to know actual and real deliverables even better than processes. Any new technology incorporated should enhance the execution of these deliverables, not just speed up existing processes.

Unprecedented tools are being placed in the hands of operatives in other parts of the general economy. Capital project teams should be on the lookout to lead this disruption in the construction industry.