Digital Transformation – implementing the next steps

Birgitta Schock is a long-term member and supporter of acumen7. We were lucky to hear from her at our November Monthly Meeting. 
 
Birgitta is currently leading on a digital transformation process for the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich that encompasses and promotes a human centric approach as a crucial element to ensure digital transformation success.

She is a Partner of the new BildDich.ch network – a network of professionals for professionals providing trainee and support to the construction and real estate industry.
 
Birgitta gave us an engaging and interactive talk, and acumen7 members responded well to her request for feedback on implementing the next steps.
 
It was great to see how much discussion the presentation generated. Members are encouraged to contact Birgitta directly to continue discussions.

Measuring the sustainability of project outcomes

acumen7 member Warren Beardall shared the background to the PhD he is about to start at Leeds University during which he will explore whether sustainability can sit as a central project objective and benefit from united influence of project actors through the appropriate choices of project control. Approaching a PhD mid-way through his career, Warren is well placed to undertake this research, as he has 25 years of industry experience within the PFI sample space, a career focused on project risk and control, a recent MSc distinction in Project Management and is currently embarking on a second MSc in Psychology.

To see more from Warren, visit: Warren Beardall – projects | within projects (projectswithinprojects.blog)

 

An update on Opiner

acumen7 were delighted to welcome back Steve Molesworth of Opiner, who gave an update on developments over the last two years. Opiner is a novel video insight platform, that puts people front and centre in creative endeavours. It challenges the status quo and inspires others to think big by seeing things through other’s eyes. Opiner offers engagement with bespoke communities for every project and can evidence a strategy for continuous learning.

For more information on Opiner, visit: https://opiner.app/

 

Member feedback

April’s second presentation was from acumen7 member Andrew Cobden, who was seeking feedback from the network on some potential next steps in his career. Andrew has worked in the property industry for over 25 years and is currently MD of Vastint UK. Andrew’s experience has afforded him exposure to a broad range of property sectors and for the past 10+ years he has overseen three large-scale mixed-use city centre projects. He is as comfortable in setting the vision for a place as he is with defining the needs of the buildings and spaces that populate it. Andrew leaves Vastint in June and is exploring a number of options. He shared a few ideas, with the members then offering feedback and alternative views.

An overview of the Croatia project

acumen7’s March meeting had a true member focus. First up were Robert Williams, Robert Osborne, John Pilkington and Andrew Joss (and in spirit Donnie MacNicol). They showcased their teamwork from the last few years while they have been supporting the government of a developing EU country with its strategic investment planning. They shared their experience of working together as members of the acumen7 network, and highlighted reflections and things to think about when considering future assignments. They also sought input on ways the work might be utilised and leveraged for the benefit of the whole network.

 

Moving from the Productivity Puzzle to the Productivity Conversation

Long-standing acumen7 member Peter Dixon was February’s second presenter. Peter explained that a ‘productivity puzzle’ has arisen from the way issues have been formulated for decades. The economists say productivity drives growth, whereas the strategists say growth drives productivity. Reformulating the issue opens up opportunities for valuable discussions and enables a productivity conversation to replace the productivity puzzle. Peter also illustrated why manufacturing really matters and how manufacturing sectors form the physical linkages between economies. The informative session included an overview of experience curves and how long term competitor performance is driven by comparative performance relative to economy averages.