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LABOUR
manager... and give that to the operations team and to the
昀椀eld,” he explained. “Our ROI study shows about 60 per
cent of respondents agree that the hando昀昀 between the preconstruction and operations teams can signi昀椀cantly improve
when adopting project management platforms.”
Arti昀椀cial intelligence is fast becoming a core accelerator
in this domain. Milner highlighted AI’s ability to
digest massive volumes of historical project data
during the bidding phase. “Having AI in terms
of the RFP phase... is going to be a gamechanger
on the pre-con side,” Milner said. “Having that
at your 昀椀ngertips through a prompt of, ‘Tell me
the last twenty successful projects that we’ve run
of this size and nature,’ and within half an hour
you have that.”
According to Lengieza data-driven bidding
changes executive decision-making. “About
80 per cent of executives said that if they had
better access to historical data, they could
better manage 昀椀nancial risk,” he noted. “It’s
like, ‘Is this the right job to bid? Is this the right
owner to work for? Is this the right team to run this project
e昀昀ectively?’ That is a di昀昀erent conversation.”
“Bridging the historic divide between pre-construction
and site execution represents another major opportunity
for gains. Too often, valuable insights gathered during
early estimating phases fail to reach field operations.”
Scaling operations without ballooning overhead
A primary promise of digital transformation is enabling
project teams to scale volume without proportionally
expanding overhead costs or overworking sta昀昀. On-site
burnout remains a pervasive issue, often driven by long
hours spent completing manual paperwork after a physical
shift ends.
“We’re asking people to work 60, 70, 80 hours a week sometimes to be able to meet the demand,” Lengieza cautioned.
He urged the industry to focus technology 昀椀rst on reducing
overtime strain before attempting to absorb more volume.
“Let’s take care of the people in this industry 昀椀rst and get it
to the point where we’re not asking too much... Then let’s get
better at what we’re delivering. Let’s reduce the risk.”
Milner agreed, adding that digital work昀氀ows allow teams
to work smarter rather than longer. “It’s really about just
being more e昀케cient in the work that site teams are actually
working on,” Milner said. “Less time in the trailer, more time
on site doing the things that they love to do... doing things
smarter rather than longer and harder is what digitization
will help this industry do.”
Breaking silos
Bridging the historic divide between pre-construction and
site execution represents another major opportunity for
gains. Too often, valuable insights gathered during early
estimating phases fail to reach 昀椀eld operations.
Lengieza described this hando昀昀 as a crucial knowledge
transfer. “What we’re really talking about is how do we take
the knowledge that was learned by the pre-construction
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Empowering frontline workers
To achieve lasting digital transformation, tools must
deliver tangible value directly to frontline site labour. Field
resistance usually abates once workers experience tools that
make their daily duties easier.
“There are two ways to do it: either you have to force
people, or you have to make people see the value,” said
Leon. “Once people realize how much time... is saved by
using technology, that’s where the trick will be... automation
before augmentation.”
Milner noted that EllisDon prioritizes operational
feedback when developing or testing tools. “We bring them
into a room and do discovery sessions... ‘What do they
need to help make their jobs easier?’... We try not to force
technology onto project teams.”
Lengieza predicted that the future of 昀椀eld technology will
rely heavily on intuitive interfaces like voice, video, and
image recognition. “You sit down with a superintendent and
ask them to do a daily log... you’re going to get a minimal
amount of information,” he said. “You sit down with them
for 昀椀ve minutes and ask them for a download... you’re going
to get more information than you could ever imagine... We
have to make it easy for them to use tools in the way that
they like to communicate.”
As Canada ramps up infrastructure delivery amid severe
labour constraints, adopting integrated, user-friendly digital
tools is no longer optional. By breaking down operational
silos, eliminating redundant administrative tasks, and
putting user-focused technology into the hands of 昀椀eld
crews, the construction industry can safeguard its workforce
while building the resilient infrastructure Canada needs.
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Leon pointed to the digitizing of standard industry
contracts, such as Canadian Construction Documents
Committee (CCDC) forms, as a practical example of risk
reduction. Moving away from physical paper trails and
tra昀케c-bound trips for validation stamps ensures seamless,
tamper-proof audit trails. “Digitization actually leads to
changing the risk pro昀椀le of projects to the betterment—
working rather than on assumptions, but on better data and
information,” Leon emphasized.
To watch a replay of the entire discussion, visit:
https://www.crowdcast.io/c/the-digital-mandate
RENEWCANADA.NET
