Are you excited about the new technology? Are you brimming with ideas for improving your organization? Are you thrilled at the prospect of getting your work done more efficiently? Do you believe that technology could enable the business to improve its profits – make more money? Can you see your career growing from strength to strength? Yes, where do you think you could be in five or ten years from now?

There certainly is very good reason for you to feel positive about the impact that technology has on the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) business. We have come a long way from the ‘electronic drawing board’. A BIM model is packed with intelligence which, in the past, would have required numerous Drawings, Schedules and Reports to maintain – not to mention the high level of duplication that so commonly occurs when people are afraid of overlooking detail. Besides the CAD and BIM technologies which we have, we also have a wide assortment of computer applications and technologies which can also be introduced to improve our business.

Nevertheless, in spite of this, do you find yourself frustrated at the slow pace with which your organization is adapting to new opportunities? Do you often feel that management pays only ‘lip service’ to ideas? Do they appear to have a different agenda when it comes to following through on meaningful change?

Nine years ago Andresen et al (2000) wrote that the AEC sector was “lagging behind other industries”. Four years later AEC experts repeated this claim, referring the industry as “technology laggards”. (Love P, 2004(2))

Some observers might consider the description ‘laggard’ as somewhat extreme. However, you will surely agree that, before simply dismissing these experts, it would be worthwhile considering what other industries have achieved ahead of our industry. The next posting will address this topic.