Constructability: the key to transforming global construction
The global construction industry holds vast unrealized value. The key to unlocking it? Transforming towards creating and using constructible 3D data models.
In 2017, the McKinsey Global Institute published a report showing the global construction industry how it could improve productivity by up to 60% and drive an additional USD 1.6 trillion in annual value.
In a 2020 follow-up report – “The next normal in construction” – McKinsey went on to say that senior executives in the construction industry increasingly recognize that digital technologies and data-driven decision-making are the way to transform operations and increase value.
For McKinsey’s vision to become a reality, the global construction industry needs to undergo a complete digital transformation. This means fully embracing the benefits of 100% constructible 3D models and the data used to create them.
True constructability simplifies complexity
Construction is a complex business with many participants. Expectations and expenses are high, but budgets are tight, and schedules shift (even though they should not…). These difficulties and surprises are an everyday part of industry life, requiring decision-makers to constantly respond and adjust to changing circumstances.
The challenge is that decision-makers often lack comprehensive visibility into the construction project on which they work. Information may be dispersed, inaccurate and obsolete or even absent, so it’s difficult to understand all the implications of a given decision. Different stakeholders often work in silos too, making alignment a struggle. Mistakes may only be discovered when it’s too late, causing project delays and additional expenses.
The construction industry understands that digital technologies enable better collaboration, greater control of the value chain, and a shift toward more data-driven decision-making. These innovations will change the way the construction industry approaches projects, and require project owners to re-engineer how they operate, design and build.
Executives tell McKinsey they are thinking about how to prepare – and they increasingly recognize that it’s no longer a matter of if or when. Change is already here, and now is the time to re-engineer their business, to be proactive, and transform how they operate in order to reach their full potential.
Discover The value of collaboration in your construction project
Re-engineer your business via truly constructible BIM
Embracing BIM requires some fundamental operational process changes beyond simply switching software. This starts during the structural design phase. By embracing Building Information Modeling (BIM) from the beginning of a project, companies can realize the benefits of the transformation all the way along the production chain.
It all starts with a truly constructible 3D model – a true ‘digital twin’ of the final physical outcome. With this model as the basis for your project, you can continue to add layers of information – related to schedules, materials, and costs, for example – to improve the quality of decision-making and eliminate a lot of the usual project risk.
Beyond BIM, truly constructible data will play an essential role in improving the processes and business performance of the construction industry. By having a digital representation of the final physical outcome, companies using BIM can plan more efficiently and reduce or eliminate slow deliveries, rework, and more. The visual capabilities of BIM software allow you to see the big picture of the project. This is true constructability.
Discover: How truly constructible data puts you in control of your business
Re-engineering around constructability
BIM software ensures information is easy to understand and share with everyone in the project. This connectivity happens when technology – software, services, IoT, and machines – are integrated into 3D models to replace disconnected data silos.
Data drives repeatable processes and effectively transforms the supply chain. This is because manufacturer- and factory-certified models contain the constructible data – such as cost, weight, and expected performance – required to execute a project. When everyone is working from the same data, optimal results are easier to achieve. Constructible models enable better results both on- and off-site.
By embracing this constructible process, you have the right conditions for re-engineering your business. Better quality data also means better communication with your stakeholders, so you can help them to understand the big picture and achieve your common goals.
In summary, constructability is about ensuring every person, process, and tool is connected and working together. With each project you do in this way, the data you gather becomes richer – leading to greater predictability, repeatability, and efficiency in the office, in the factory, and on-site.
Discover why progress is a truly constructible process.