Human x machine = enhanced outcomes

Richard Shennan, Group Digital Delivery Director, Mott MacDonald

Engineers love solving problems, as do machines. As the power of technology, increases with automation and machine learning now widely adopted and AI emerging, the relationship between humans and machines is one that all organisations must now consider in a fast-changing commercial environment. At Mott MacDonald we have developed an approach for new buildings and infrastructure projects that we call augmented delivery.

Humans are unique in their creativity, judgement, empathy, intuition, and quest for innovation. Their knowledge based on domain experience is irreplaceable. Machines are excellent at iteration, prediction, pattern recognition, and rules-based activities at high volume, as well as physically demanding tasks. Together they have the potential to generate optimised solutions, but the starting point is to define the problem. Humans must set the direction that we must take if investments in buildings and infrastructure are to move us towards enhanced social outcomes and carbon reduction.

 Machines can support decision making in pursuit of those goals in a way that would have been impossible only a few years ago. Augmented delivery sets out the three simple steps to achieve the required synergy,

Integrate – Enhance – Liberate

Integrate A digital backbone connecting people across organisations to enable an enterprise approach to project delivery.

Since the early days of BIM many of us have focused on collaboration as central to the fulfilment of its

promise, and as leaders of the digital stream of the UK Project 13: ‘From Transaction to Enterprises’ and the ongoing annual progress report for the UK Infrastructure Client Group Mott MacDonald are at the centre of advanced client thinking. BIM placed information at the heart of project delivery and the next generation of data-centric common data environments will see another step forward. The increasing adoption of ISO 19650 will further support the over towards integration. A data-centric approach generates a digital asset as a project progresses, ready for hand-over into an operational digital twin.

Enhance Continuous process optimisation, combining the best of human and machine to amplify efficiency and realise compound value for all.

From strategic planning through designing and executing works to incorporating them into existing systems, digital technologies can enhance human capability.

 However, the step change in efficiency that is needed in project delivery requires more than digitisation of existing processes. The end-to-end process must be remodelled as a series of information exchanges with automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence harnessed to drive optimum decision making at every point. Each project participant will add information according to their expertise, at a level of detail defined by the decision-points along the project timeline.

Liberate Releasing space and time for people to do what they do best; bringing insights, ideas and

innovations that lead to better outcomes.

Machines are good at executing certain digital or physical tasks, often on a repetitive basis. They can increase our capacity to achieve a desired outcome, but they must be built to do that, led by humans that understand the direction in which we need to travel to progress, using skills that machines cannot replace.

By making the most of automation, engineers will be freed-up to undertake higher-value activities in helping investors, owners and policymakers to set out the challenges and define the problems that we need to solve. Augmented delivery harnesses the power of the machine to maximise the impact of human endeavour.

Through the application of these three components across the definition, planning, design and execution of new buildings and infrastructure, and the handover and ongoing integration of both physical and digital assets into existing systems and digital twins, we can move step by step to address the challenges that we all face.