Must Reads | Additional Articles | Intro to ExO | ExO Tech | ExO Co’s
Welcome
This Inspiration File has been prepared to help all of you become more familiar with connected jobsite challenges and opportunities.
The File has been organized to set the context as you prepare to blitz the following new venture challenge with us:
How might we simplify the formal and informal exchange and processing of information...
Among the highly diverse workforces on large-scale construction sites—and the extended web of stakeholders responsible for those projects...
In ways that radically improve ease of adoption, comprehension, and the quality of responses (i.e, speed, efficiency, and accuracy)...
So that the many high costs of poor communications are eliminated?
Please, spend 30 minutes doing this:
- Review the Must Read/Must Watch selections below
- Watch Salim Ismail’s talk on exponential growth in Intro to ExO
To become more informed about connected jobsite challenges and opportunities, spend another 60 minutes reading the Additional connected jobsite articles and watching the FleldLens demo video (below).
NOTE: To view the Inspiration File, you must be online.
We hope that you find this useful in preparation for our upcoming Blitz.
Must Read
Messaging is the New Platform
Without a doubt, messaging is the most popular activity on mobile devices. More than voice calling. More than gaming. More than weather. Messaging apps are used more often and for longer periods than any existing segment of apps. The messaging user experience is simple and intuitive and is well suited to the small mobile screens.
Messaging apps enable you to do more than mere messaging: You can send smiley emojis, stickers, greeting cards (Whatsapp); do live audio and video (Viber, Tango); expire photos (Snapchat and Wickr); geo-fence conversations (YikYak); hide identity (Whisper); and so on. What’s more, you can play games (Kakao); book taxis (GetTaxi); buy products and send payments (Wechat, FB Messenger); integrate enterprise apps (Slack); and even control your refrigerator (Line).
These examples point to the major new emerging trend: Messaging is the new Platform.
Messaging is the platform on which possibly the largest number of new apps and services are being built. Why? Messaging has been found to be a simple and powerful way to connect people, web services, enterprise workflows and IOT devices in interesting and heretofore unknown ways.
Construction Trends 2017
With 2016 in the rearview mirror, construction professionals are turning their attention to the year ahead. While construction spending failed to meet analyst expectations last year, economists predict 5% growth in the value of starts in 2017, according to Dodge Data & Analytics.
Despite that positive forecast, a feeling of uncertainty continues to loom over the industry. We spoke with experts from various sectors of the construction sector to find out their predictions for 2017. While questions regarding what the incoming Trump administration means for construction dominated the conversation, they also described the new technologies, project delivery methods and workforce management trends they expect to shape the industry this year.
Here are the top 10 trends to watch in 2017...
Open Integration Summit: Solving the RFI Dilemma
Even when project stakeholders are incentivized to freely share in the same “digital collaboration utopia,” the challenge presented by digital collaboration is establishing data standards which can meet the needs of both the internal customer (i.e. corporate integration) and the external customer (i.e. project exchange). Despite the existence of standards for a project Common Data Environment (CDE), its adoption is built upon the (flawed) theory that a central Building Information Modeling (BIM) would become a single source of truth for all project participants to access freely.
To the surprise of many industry professionals in the room, we learned about the shared pains from the technology perspective. Software developers looking for end user feedback have been scratching their heads trying to understand why two projects from the same customer would provide conflicting feature requests. By the end of the day, people viewing from each perspective left with a better understanding of how contract incentives impact the opportunities for efficient digital collaboration.
Disruptive impact of building information modelling
Despite the construction industry's slow adoption of digital technologies, especially in comparison with other markets, Building Information Modelling (BIM) represents a turning point when it comes to digitization. BIM holds the potential to transform the construction industry in the same way that Amazon has revolutionized retail. Those who come out on top will be companies willing to look outside the box.
At the beginning of 2017, Roland Berger interviewed 20 hand-chosen BIM stakeholders across Europe. This report takes a closer look at BIM technology and offers an in-depth analysis, as well as recommendations based on our research.
BIM is now recognized as the go-to platform and process for facilitating collaboration, raising efficiency and cutting costs. Its disruptive force is the power shift it creates among the parties that design, engineer, build and operate a building.
Despite BIM's significant capabilities and potential, hurdles remain, including a lack of standards, questions of governance, and a high need for BIM user training. This means BIM adoption varies widely across regions.
After thoroughly examining the future of BIM, we are clear about the way forward. Roland Berger recommends developing new business models within the BIM ecosystem. In many markets, BIM territory remains unclaimed and opportunities abound. Waiting for developments in standards and software means the market will leave you behind. BIM is here to stay – go ahead and make it yours.
Must Watch
FieldLens is a mobile-first communication and project management platform designed by professional construction builders in the industry. The software allows companies to share information, assign tasks, post media, and track progress on jobs. These videos reveal some of the challenges and emerging solutions for jobsite communications.
FieldLens Intro (02:30)
FieldLens Demo (36:30)
Additional connected jobsite articles
Read these articles for a more indepth understanding of the connected jobsite opportunities and challenges.
Introduction to Exponential Growth
Watch this seven-minute video for an introduction to the concept of exponentials organizations.
Exponential
technology trends
Review this sample of exponential technologies to inspire your thinking about how they might apply to the conncetd jobsite and our Blitz challenge.
Exponential companies
Review this sample of exponential organization to inspire your thinking about how their business models and approaches might apply to the connected jobsite and our Blitz challenge.