The race towards connectivity is on. As we emerge from a year characterized by unprecedented downtime, we now have a unique opportunity to strike a new path towards digital transformation in construction.

It takes a pinch of courage to join forces when it comes to data sharing. This is why I want to say thank you to all those who contributed to this Blueprint for stepping up, sharing insights and for putting this into the public domain for the benefit of the entire industry.

Back in 2019, we conducted a survey and found that 55% of construction companies we asked do not exploit the full potential of data they gather. A staggering 83% admitted that they simply lack the knowledge as to how to use the data. On the upside, there is huge awareness and a general understanding that data is and will be important to business success in the future of construction. To not miss out on opportunities, data is collected and stored in vast amounts – though often without a clear purpose or strategy. The result: up to 90% of data gathered in construction is unstructured and stored away in silos. The typically project-based nature of construction adds to the problem of siloed knowledge. Information is kept for the duration of a project but when the project ends, data and insights are rarely saved in a manner that is beneficial to future projects with different partners and customers.

We have learned from other industries further ahead of the curve that meaningful collection, analysis and management of data are the backbone of digital transformation.

A Blueprint for Sharing Data in Construction

Over the past few months we have worked closely together with the Eliminate Downtime Committee and the extended network in various hackathons. We have explored pain points, highlights and use cases and we will present the synthesis of our findings in this Blueprint.

Data sharing in construction certainly is a complex topic and the conversations and discussions that have led to the publication of this Blueprint have made it abundantly clear that there are people with an incredible motivation to drive change in this industry. To support our collaborative effort to overcome barriers to sharing this paper presents a framework suggesting what it takes to be successful by sharing data in construction.

My hope is that this Blueprint will help you understand the value we can reap from choosing to cooperate and to share. To be inspired to find ways to establish trust within your organization and with partners in the industry. It takes courage to make the first step. I clearly see the potential of data to eliminate downtime in construction. The question is: Are you in?