By Neal Flesner
Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. We all witnessed this firsthand during the pandemic when old innovations were reimagined and new ones were created so essential businesses, like construction, could continue to operate. Many of these innovative ideas have improved the AEC industry for the better and will remain part of our normal course of business once the pandemic subsides.
One of the biggest hurdles Construction Partnering companies overcame during the pandemic was finding a way to conduct Partnering sessions with project teams when it wasn’t safe to meet in person. Cloud-based video communication technology and computer equipment effectively mitigated this challenge, and a new era of Virtual Partnering was born.
Sure, we miss seeing each other in person, as well as the coffee, baked goods, and bountiful lunch buffets we enjoyed during an in-person meeting, but have we been able to move the needle? Absolutely! Using Virtual Partnering delivery, projects were kicked off, completed, and turned around with velocity and more economically than before.
Not only has meeting remotely solved this immediate challenge, the “Virtual Partnering” model has proven incredibly efficient. Here’s why:
- Virtual Partnering saves time and money. Due to a variety of reasons, it’s not unusual to have people from more than four different time zones in one Partnering session. It’s much easier and more efficient to meet virtually with these distant team members than having them book hotels and fly around the globe multiple times throughout the course of the project. Not having to plan or pay for the venue, refreshments and other accou