beyond projects

No people. No projects. It’s that simple. Contracts, deadlines, productivity - none of it matters if we don’t value the people making it happen. Without people, there are no projects.🚧

Does the volume of information bring clarity, or does it just add to the cognitive load? We now spend 20% of our working week just finding the information we need, before actually using it to do our job. Surely that tells us something?

1/2 Construction professionals now produce more information to build a project than any previous generation before them. The industry also has some of the worst statistics for mental health and wellbeing of any industry. I don't think that's a coincidence.

Your non-linear career isn't a weakness, it's your greatest strength. It's what makes you unique and gives you perspective that nobody else has. Start embracing it.

Can AI write a conservation specification? Check out my substack post and let me know what you think. open.substack.com/pub/beyondproj…

Construction doesn't have an information creation problem - we've an information retrieval problem. Read about it on substack 👇🏼 open.substack.com/pub/beyondproj…

Clarity in construction comes from understanding the information you have. Not producing more... just because you can

This is where AI can act as our thoughts partner. Providing the right info. at the right time. Allowing us to make informed decisions for the benefit of the project. AI can automate tasks but the outputs generated have to be for the right reasons, not because we can.

We don't need AI to produce more information in construction. Construction has an information overload problem. Hundreds of drawings, reports, communications, schedules, registers... What we need is clarity of information and insights delivered at the right time.

@readswithravi Mindset by Carol Dweck.

What's a book you'll never stop recommending?

Prioritise it and everything stabilises. The Iron Triangle isn't wrong. It's just incomplete.

This is what happens when you ignore the people delivering construction projects. We obsess over Time, Cost and Quality but often overlook People (Capacity). Not headcount. The mental bandwidth and wellbeing of your team. Ignore it and everything will eventually fall apart.

@Raye_Hg Minset by Carol Dweck

I’ve decided to start reading at least 1 book every month. Last month: The Psychology of Money. This month: Think and Grow Rich. Book lovers, Please Drop your book recommendations.

Construction projects try to optimise Time, Cost and Quality. But the optimisation is usually absorbed by people. That part rarely gets visualised. Without people, there are no projects!

2/2 That’s the gap AI-native CDEs 'might' help close, if we design them around how people actually work. I've experimented with this idea In SBX 001. Read here: open.substack.com/pub/beyondproj…

1/2 Your CDE doesn’t lack information. It lacks insight. Project teams aren’t struggling because data is missing. They’re struggling because answers are buried across documents, drawings, and disconnected registers. We’ve built filing cabinets, not thinking systems.

"Leave the documentation better than you found it." I came across this today - OpenAI’s ‘campsite principle’. Not a productivity hack. It’s a mindset shift. Leave the site better than you found it. Leave the industry better than you found it. Small acts. Big impact.

BACKUP YOUR AI CHATS I just realised all my interactions with AI are stored within each tool. I'm starting to backup my chats on a monthly basis. YOU SHOULD TOO! This is unique information between you and AI and you need to take control of it.

What if project managers had 10 hours back every week? I've written a piece on substack if interested - open.substack.com/pub/beyondproj… #Construction #projectmanagement #skillsshortage

@faelpontopt Prefer the original

Yes or No?

@rdash_io I agree AI isn't a magic fix but it can be used as a thought partner to help overcome the challenges. It may provide us with options for addressing these issues that we never thought possible and can help productivity through optimisation as you have noted.

@beyond_proj ai isn't a magic fix, but wow, the automation possibilities are huge. seeing construction tech startups nail workflow optimization gives me real hope for tackling these challenges.

UK CONSTRUCTION’S TOP 3 CHALLENGES - ACCORDING TO AI DEEP RESEARCH 1. Labour shortage and skills gap 2. Decarbonisation/ net zero 3. Digital transformation/ productivity AI can help us solve these challenges as an industry but it won't be easy. Agree? Or do you see different?