What industrial construction learned this year
This year has taught us many things and some we’re still navigating and figuring out. But the biggest impact 2020 has had on industrial construction is the need to go digital now. The pandemic forced companies to make instant decisions on how they would conduct business while working from home, remote or decreased time in the field. It was tough task and one that couldn’t necessarily be made overnight in our industry. With all of the intricacies and niches inside of construction it was hard to find a singular solution that fit all.
Here’s some of the most important things that impacted industrial construction from a project management standpoint this year.
- Agile Construction
While not necessarily a new concept, it is a methodology that had to quickly be implemented for many companies and organizations from Owner Operators to Contractors. Teams had to find solutions for working together while working apart. This meant introducing technologies to support the construction process from concept through commissioning while allowing teams to collaborate in an effective and productive manner. Agile management takes large projects and breaks them into smaller pieces of work so that you can effectively work toward the bigger goal.
- Advanced Work Packaging
AWP is also still fairly new for industrial construction and has been gaining traction over the past couple of years. But the concept gained some rapid adoption this year as it helps teams to work more efficiently on projects. AWP is essentially agile project management for industrial construction as the methodology is based on beginning with the end in mind and breaks large work up into more manageable work packages.
- Technology Transformation Tools
Adopting more efficient methods for managing projects was one thing, but we also learned that many companies struggled to find the right tools to implement them. Finding a solution that can create, track and manage work packages was one of the key elements to successfully implementing the agile and AWP methods. O3 focused on launching ONBuild, a solution built just for that. It’s a singular solution that can be accessed from anywhere (in the cloud) and supports AWP for construction execution and WorkFace Planning. The big difference in this solution is that it allows users to create all work packages across all disciplines, functions and package phases – meaning nearly zero limitations.
This year was crazy and we’re all looking forward to hopefully getting back to normal in 2021. But there were several good things that came out of this year. It forced companies and organizations to solve some long overdue problems and introduce new and better ways to effectively manage projects. One thing we learned is that there’s no easy way to change but change is inevitable. That’s why we’re here to help in the implementation and change management process. Our solutions are designed to make work easier and more efficient which makes everyone happier.
For more information check out our ONBuild solution and all of our AWP resources.
