10 DIGITALIZATION IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT T


he built environment is massively important to the UK economy and the wider public good, encompassing as it does all major infrastructure such as


road and rail and buildings in which we live, work and are educated. However, the sector suffers from low


productivity compared to sectors like fi nance, insurance and manufacturing. Research and development spend in the built environment also runs well behind that of other sectors at less than 1% of revenues, compared to 3.5% and 4.5% of auto and aerospace sector. Large projects are typically taking 20% longer to fi nish than scheduled and end up around 80% over budget.


With challenges of that scale facing it,


you might expect the built environment to embrace the transformative effect of digitalization, but it remains inherently conservative when it comes to taking advantage of this new technology. “There are technical challenges specifi c to the built environment that hamper the pace of digitalization, such as scattered geography and a lot of smaller companies acting as subcontractors,” said Dan Rossiter, BSI’s Sector-Lead (Digital Transformation) for Built Environment. “That makes it diffi cult to establish a consistent approach.” However, Dan thinks a fundamental shift to a process-driven approach


Dan Rossiter


could pave the way for digitalization within the built environment. “Building anything is a complex process involving many processes and people. We have tended to concentrate on the technology instead of the processes and therefore standard processes have not been recorded in a systematic way.” Dan’s fi rst recommendation is


for businesses to understand and systematically record (and follow) their own businesses processes. “As a fi rst step in digitalizing your processes it helps to start with BS EN ISO 9001, quality management systems. This specifi cation details the requirements of an organizational quality management system.”


With the foundations in place, Dan’s


next suggestion is to turn to BS ISO 19510, Business Process Model Notation (BPMN). It provides a system of notation that is readily understandable by all business users, including the business analysts that create the initial drafts of the processes, the technical developers responsible for implementing the technology and the business people who will manage and monitor those processes. “It creates a standardized bridge for the gap between a business’s process design and process implementation” said Dan. “You can articulate any process using this method through a series of standardized symbols and notations. Different symbols denote different activities and it can be applied to any process, from ordering a pizza to building a bridge.”


“a fundamental shift to a process-driven approach could pave the way for digitalization within the built environment”


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