Topic: Transition, transformation & business change

By Jonathan Norman
September 16th 2019

Annual Conference: Embedding Sustainability and the Circular Economy in Major Projects – Opportunity and Challenge Full Report

The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development goals have created a clear agenda for change. Governments, investors, owners and the public are now all demanding evidence that major projects are making a positive contribution to the goals. Over the last 5 years the European Investment Bank has committed over 2.1Bn EURO to projects supporting a circular economy. The World Economic Forum estimates this concept will add over $1Tn to the global economy by 2025. Legal & General, the UK’s largest manager of pension fund investment has warned of a climate catastrophe and has vowed to crank up the pressure on the businesses that it backs to drastically improve their performance. Sustainability is no longer a cost for business. It is a driver of profitable growth. The Circular Economy is key to this transition as it provides businesses with a method to embrace sustainability proactively and gain real competitive advantage.

This year’s conference will focus on what we need to do as a major project community to ensure our industry realises the triple bottom line of social, economic and environmental success. We will apply the lens of the circular economy to the lifecycle of major projects, learn from emerging practice and hear about innovative products and services. More importantly we will identify how we can work collaboratively to deliver a step change in the sustainability performance of our organisations and our projects.

By Jonathan Norman
September 16th 2019

Annual Conference: Embedding Sustainability and the Circular Economy in Major Projects – Opportunity and Challenge Highlight Report

The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development goals have created a clear agenda for change. Governments, investors, owners and the public are now all demanding evidence that major projects are making a positive contribution to the goals. Over the last 5 years the European Investment Bank has committed over 2.1Bn EURO to projects supporting a circular economy. The World Economic Forum estimates this concept will add over $1Tn to the global economy by 2025. Legal & General, the UK’s largest manager of pension fund investment has warned of a climate catastrophe and has vowed to crank up the pressure on the businesses that it backs to drastically improve their performance. Sustainability is no longer a cost for business. It is a driver of profitable growth. The Circular Economy is key to this transition as it provides businesses with a method to embrace sustainability proactively and gain real competitive advantage.

This year’s conference will focus on what we need to do as a major project community to ensure our industry realises the triple bottom line of social, economic and environmental success. We will apply the lens of the circular economy to the lifecycle of major projects, learn from emerging practice and hear about innovative products and services. More importantly we will identify how we can work collaboratively to deliver a step change in the sustainability performance of our organisations and our projects.

By Jonathan Norman
April 19th 2018

Unlocking high performing potential in major projects Highlight Report

The Industrial Strategy heralds a new industrial revolution, powered by new technologies transforming the way we work, live and consume. UK productivity rates are seen as a key area of focus and a £31bn Productivity Investment Fund has been set up to drive this. But what can we do now within major projects to unlock high performing potential of people to improve project productivity? A projects biggest asset is its people. How do we harness the productivity potential of people at all levels of the organisational flow from leadership, middle management, supply chain managers, workforce, fabricators? How do we get the right blend of vision and leadership, behaviours and culture, and tools, data and processes to address the productivity dilemma?

Millennials are changing the working landscape with a sense of belonging and of values being represented in the firm being given higher priority over financial reward and flexible working is highly valued. But how do we get best value from what is a largely transient workforce on major projects?

At this event we will be exploring how major project organisations are unlocking high performing potential in projects through empowerment of people, use of cultural programmes to drive continuous improvement across projects and how smart technology is providing the frameworks and tools to support high performance, ultimately leading to improved productivity in major projects.

By Jonathan Norman
April 19th 2018

Workforce transformation – how should the industry respond to changing attitudes and expectations of the workforce? Highlight Report

We are all living longer. In 1980 the average life expectancy in the UK was around 74, by 2000 it was 78, and in 2015 it had reached 81. And the trend is continuing so that by 2030, people will live to be well into their 80s. This will have a profound impact upon the workplace – pensions (at their current rate) will not support pensioners through an extended retirement. It will become necessary for people to remain in work for far longer than they currently do. Retirement ages will extend into the 70s. This will change the way that people wish to work.

Already we have seen the disappearance of “jobs for life” and with this inevitable extension to the working life it is possible that we will no longer even see “careers for life”. Those entering the workforce in their 20s now have the prospect of working for 50+ years. It is unlikely that they will chose to stay for all those years in the same profession – a trend we have begun to see in the working patterns preferred by Millennials.

This evening discussion will explore what this will mean for major projects? We will explore how we might need to invest even more in organisational learning to deal with a regularly changing workforce; how leadership skills might need to shift from process to people; how technology can help to fill some of the gaps and the expectations around its use; as well as whether significant social shifts over the next generation will require us to adopt flexible working patterns and different ways of measuring project value.

This evening seminar is free to attend for all member organisations and will appeal to everyone in the major projects community. Commencing at 18.30 concluding at 20.30.

By Jonathan Norman
April 19th 2018

Unlocking high performing potential in major projects Full Report

The Industrial Strategy heralds a new industrial revolution, powered by new technologies transforming the way we work, live and consume. UK productivity rates are seen as a key area of focus and a £31bn Productivity Investment Fund has been set up to drive this. But what can we do now within major projects to unlock high performing potential of people to improve project productivity? A projects biggest asset is its people. How do we harness the productivity potential of people at all levels of the organisational flow from leadership, middle management, supply chain managers, workforce, fabricators? How do we get the right blend of vision and leadership, behaviours and culture, and tools, data and processes to address the productivity dilemma?

Millennials are changing the working landscape with a sense of belonging and of values being represented in the firm being given higher priority over financial reward and flexible working is highly valued. But how do we get best value from what is a largely transient workforce on major projects?

At this event we will be exploring how major project organisations are unlocking high performing potential in projects through empowerment of people, use of cultural programmes to drive continuous improvement across projects and how smart technology is providing the frameworks and tools to support high performance, ultimately leading to improved productivity in major projects.

By Jonathan Norman
February 8th 2018

The changing digital world – how is this going to change the way we deliver major projects? Highlight Report

The pace of change in the digital world is unrelenting, technologies that were once seen as new and innovative are rapidly maturing, transforming business models, supply chains and the way we work. New technologies continue to disrupt our established industries and organisations are rushing to assess how ‘digital’ can be harnessed for competitive advantage – improving efficiency, enhancing user experience, or improving the insights provided to clients and customers.

This seminar provides an update on both the emergence and the application of new digital technologies – surfacing, across multiple industries, where there is success and where there is challenge. The seminar will discuss how advances in digital technology – including the Internet of Things, Digital Twin, AI, curated data sources, and automation – are changing business models, the way we work, and the way infrastructure programmes are being delivered. It will consider whether these new technologies are truly delivering the benefits they promise, and what more can be done to exploit the benefit offered by such technologies?

The seminar will be chaired by Andy Stanford-Clark, CTO for IBM UK and Ireland, IBM Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor. Andy will be joined by a team of leading industry experts to explore how industry is responding to advances in emerging technologies and consider the opportunity and challenge presented in the recently published National Infrastructure Commission report on ‘Data for the Common Good’.

This seminar is targeted at anyone seeking to improve their understanding of emerging digital technologies, the evolution of new and innovative new ways of working, and the benefit offered for all involved in the delivery of major projects and programmes.

By Jonathan Norman
February 8th 2018

The changing digital world – how is this going to change the way we deliver major projects? Short Report

The pace of change in the digital world is unrelenting, technologies that were once seen as new and innovative are rapidly maturing, transforming business models, supply chains and the way we work. New technologies continue to disrupt our established industries and organisations are rushing to assess how ‘digital’ can be harnessed for competitive advantage – improving efficiency, enhancing user experience, or improving the insights provided to clients and customers.

This seminar provides an update on both the emergence and the application of new digital technologies – surfacing, across multiple industries, where there is success and where there is challenge. The seminar will discuss how advances in digital technology – including the Internet of Things, Digital Twin, AI, curated data sources, and automation – are changing business models, the way we work, and the way infrastructure programmes are being delivered. It will consider whether these new technologies are truly delivering the benefits they promise, and what more can be done to exploit the benefit offered by such technologies?

The seminar will be chaired by Andy Stanford-Clark, CTO for IBM UK and Ireland, IBM Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor. Andy will be joined by a team of leading industry experts to explore how industry is responding to advances in emerging technologies and consider the opportunity and challenge presented in the recently published National Infrastructure Commission report on ‘Data for the Common Good’.

This seminar is targeted at anyone seeking to improve their understanding of emerging digital technologies, the evolution of new and innovative new ways of working, and the benefit offered for all involved in the delivery of major projects and programmes.