Construction Trends to Prepare for in 2018 - Part 2

David de Yarza described how the context behind a submittal, RFI, or change-order decision can disappear across email and separate channels.

In the January 2018 recap, David de Yarza, Jordan Williams, and Bill Debevc approached that problem from different parts of project technology. The clearest connection among their comments was context and owner visibility.

David de Yarza wanted the conversation beside the decision

David de Yarza described capturing the context behind a submittal, change order, or RFI in one place. He also described the leadership condition that made the approach work: the team had to know where the project conversation belonged.

When leaders allowed email, chat, and other tools to carry separate versions of the discussion, he said the platform became another silo. The software could hold a decision trail, but leadership still had to keep that trail from splitting.

I used collaboration as the technology filter

In the recap, I said, “I didn't endeavor to talk about technology simply for technology's sake.” I was trying to identify tools that promoted collaboration and better decision making.

That framing does not select a product. It sets a reason for using one. The tool should help the team preserve a decision, understand project status, or give the owner information needed for the next choice.

Jordan Williams described visibility as a transaction record

Jordan Williams said an owner could use timely, accurate transaction information to make decisions about project cost, resources, and status. In his 2018 blockchain example, the record could show what happened and when rather than relying only on a vendor's reassurance.

Jordan's blockchain example was specific to 2018, but the owner need was plain: a reliable view of the project without having to reconstruct the story later.

Bill Debevc returned the software choice to the owner's vision

Bill Debevc asked whether a piece of software helped the building owner achieve the vision for the building. David de Yarza later argued for useful default guidance without letting a software developer dictate a fixed project workflow.

Those positions create a practical boundary. Give the team enough structure to preserve context, but leave room for the project team to shape the workflow around the real decision.

Try the record with one recently closed RFI. From the approved item alone, reconstruct what was decided, why it was decided, which source changed the choice, and what the owner needed to know next. Any missing answer identifies a gap in the decision trail. Repair that gap before adding another channel.

The technology is supporting the work when the reasoning can travel with the decision and the owner does not have to guess what happened.