Articles:

This addresses one of the concerns that is often raised about Platforms and modern methods of construction more generally – the spectre of ‘cookie cutter’ buildings and identical assets.

We then review the data, organise, consolidate and present it back to the client, to check our understanding and its validity and accuracy.. Then we identify and agree a number of potential scenarios with the client, which describe a hypothetical future – for example, a change in market direction – from a number of different perspectives; commercial, operational etc.We then look to identify potential solutions or options and evaluate how these perform against the problem statement and value drivers in the agreed scenarios.. We combine a number of clear strategic directions with a systematic exploration of potential improvements at different levels of detail, using the ‘5S method’ as guidance.

This is an established methodology for handling workplace organisation, which breaks the master planning process down into five steps: sort, set in order, shine, standardise and sustain.. At each stage we determine the appropriate level of detail (resolution) at which to visualise and model, depending on whether we are looking at the whole site or a single unit or process, for example.. We present the options or solutions and our evaluation back to the client and agree whether there are further options to be considered or whether the existing options need to be adjusted.Once an agreed set of options has been identified and developed, we finalise our evaluation, develop recommendations and an output which is a clear and compelling presentation of the findings, and possible next steps.We focus on ensuring that the output: meets the business’s needs; is cost effective and robust, but also flexible and adaptable, and; is practical to implement (for example: along with the usual constraints of time and budget, we may well need to work around keeping current processes fully operational while we effect any changes).. It’s important to state that this is not Bryden Wood dictating the master planning solution to the client.

This remains a collaborative process.What we are doing at this stage is offering a range of best possible options, to allow the client to decide for themselves the approach they want to follow.

This decision is rightly theirs – based as it may be on future flexibility, their assessment of market direction or, not unusually, on commercial considerations that they may not want to share with us.

But it is important that we can demonstrate that the analysis leading to this point is robust and that we have properly considered every angle.Action research is needed to be able to study and do at the same time.

Testing out some different business models on live construction projects would be risky, she says, but also a magnificent opportunity.. Bryden Wood has previously discussed the fact that the issues currently holding back the construction industry aren’t the technical aspects, but rather the cultural issues, insurances, warranties etc.In essence, we need someone to take the brakes off, overcoming the friction and constraints.

COVID-19 facilitated that to a certain extent, with companies forced to transition to digital very quickly and managing to do so successfully.However, while every other sector has experienced disruption to their business model creating major changes, construction is very risk averse and the implications are long-term.