The Changing Construction Podcast

Michelle Ensuque, Director at Meliusse Ltd joins us to discuss coaching for change management in construction, covering: what is neuro linguistic programming (NLP), how attitudes to change differ across industries, typical reasons for clients to work with a change management coach, barriers to change, how to address negative behaviours, and top tips for creating a successful change management.

We chat to Stefan Prins, Partner Architect at Powerhouse Company about: the expanding role of the architect, the need to move away from providing niche services and provide a full base product service, the benefits of a complete in-house service team, why the industry is lagging in adapting to change, what digitisation means for the expanding role of the architect how it will shape the industry.

In the second episode of season 2 on the Changing Construction podcast, we chat to James Carew, Digital Communications Manager at Tideway, about what storytelling is, its added value, ways to create content, working within a budget, getting people from all levels of the organisation to tell their stories, knowing your audience, attracting new people to the industry and best practices.

In season 2 of the Changing Construction podcast, we kick off the year by chatting to Lauren Graden, Document Control Specialist and Found of the LGC Academy, about the role of document controller, the need for quality training, why training is often overlooked, signs of good and poor document management, the operating reactively rather than a proactive approach to things, and top tips to better document management.

Mail Manager's very own Liam Jones, Senior Client Manager, chats with Amy Hatton, Associate Editor at PM Today about rework and the cost of ineffective communication, covering: the current email landscape, challenges facing project teams, avoiding rework through complete email management, improving key stakeholder engagement and decision making, and the project management communication chasm.

Bryce Batts, Career Coach, Recruiter at Bryce Batts Coaching, joins us on the 'Changing Construction' podcast to discuss recruiting in Construction, covering: why we're seeing a skill shortage, how we can make the industry more attractive to new talent, what employers can do to retain employees, what to be aware of during the recruitment process, the need to recognise the need the importance of total compensation work pages, top tips to getting a career started within Construction.

Jon Loveday, Director, Infrastructure, Enterprise & Growth at Infrastructure Projects Authority, joins us on the 'Changing Construction' podcast to discuss achieving ‘world class’ delivery on projects, covering: what do when a company is going into administration, understanding the difference of how contractors and clients think, the role of the Infrastructure Project Authority, Challenges to the industry, how government mandates can provide new opportunities, and what we can expect to see next from the industry.

Louise Hoskings, Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner, Owner of Hosking Associates joins us on the 'Changing Construction' podcast to discuss workplace stress within construction, covering: the importance of treating mental health the same way we treat physical health and safety, the influence of having women on construction sites, new ways to approach management other than commanding employees, new ways to approach leadership, part-time roles within in construction, and having a similar approach of CDM to eliminate risk around mental health.

Félicie Krikler, Director at Assael, joins us on the 'Changing Construction' podcast to discuss how to boost wellbeing through good design, covering: how can we maintain positive feelings within our surroundings, changes since homeworking, the effects of elements on wellbeing, myths around density and wellbeing, and the need for post-occupancy evaluation.

Dr Torill Bigg, Chief Carbon Reduction Engineer at Tunley Engineering joins us on the 'Changing Construction' podcast to discuss the difference between carbon net-zero and carbon-neutral, covering: how this difference currently impacting the climate, what we can expect to see after the Paris agreement, misconceptions of net-zero, how the built environment needs to adapt, and the need to be proactive rather than reactive.

Peter Hodgson, the UK Engineering Director at Viewpoint, joins us on the 'Changing Construction' podcast to discuss starting your cybersecurity journey, covering: The types of cyber-attacks on corporations, different types of certifications to provide peace of mind, how to get the best value from certifications, the importance of being confident with the basic's of cybersecurity, and the key cybersecurity evaluation points to consider.

Rob Garvey, Senior Lecturer at the University of East London, chats with Mail Manager's Joseph Soper about changing mindsets in Construction. In this episode, we cover the disconnect between industry and academic, the impact for future generations, the lag in innovating the industry, making the industry seem more attractive, and seeing the full lifespan of a building rather than short term projects.

Nick Francis, Director at GIRI Training and Consultancy, joins us to discuss surviving as an engineering consultancy. During the episode, we cover: being flexible, being useful in terms of type A, B, and C work, the need to evolve quickly, and surviving as an engineering consultancy.

Jerry Tate, Partner at Tate + Co, chats with Mail Manager's Joseph Soper all about the golden thread, covering why it needs to be a legal part of an architects role, the benefits and implications, questioning when it will become a legal requirement, has there been enough change since Grenfell, the new perceived risks for architect resulting in rising insurance costs, and the need for newly qualified roles in dealing with the golden thread to reduce the risk.

Mail Manager's Head of APAC, Henry Yortt talks to industry experts about what a digital post-pandemic climate might look like, how important is it for the AEC industry move to embrace new technology, the pandemic being a catalyst for change, hybrid working and associated challenges, how companies can look to rebuild or restructure their BIM teams post-pandemic, and where we should store our sources of truth.

In this episode of 'Changing Construction', Mail Manager's Chris Smith talks to industry experts about what a post-pandemic world might look like, the absolute importance of proper contract management, an overview of how the 3 main threads of construction (time, quality and cost) will be impacted by the pandemic and add new dimensions to risks and disputes, and why preparation is more important than ever before.

We're joined by Rob Horne, Partner at Head of Construction and Engineering Disputes & Risk, UK at Osborne Clarke, James Morris, Partner in the Construction & Engineering and International Arbitration practices at Mayer Brown, and Ellie Greatholder, Head of Commercial and Legal - Buildings and Disputes at Buro Happold.

James Morris, Partner at Mayer Brown, chats with Mail Manager's Joseph Soper about how to make joint ventures work. We cover the reasons for joint ventures, how joint ventures should be structured, what happens before a dispute, dispute resolutions, and the role of accessible information.

Claire Donnelly, Shift Engineer at Tideway London, joins us to discuss life on-site during the pandemic. We chat about her experiences during the first 6 months of the pandemic, the impact on productivity and processes, the role technology plays in modernising site work and increasing collaboration, an overreliance on paper trails, and what the future of site work looks like.

We are joined by Brian Ringley, Construction Technology Manager at Boston Dynamics, to chat about the history of Boston Dynamics, why companies are automating and the impact of doing so, the role of 'Spot' in data capture, how the pandemic has acted as an accelerator, problems with BIM, and advice for adopting the use of robotics within Construction.

Michaela Wain, Founder and Managing Director at Framework Marketing, joins us to discuss marketing for non-marketing people in the Construction industry. We chat about why marketing is necessary for Construction firms, the industry's general appreciation of marketing and the common challenges, how firms can improve their outreach, real-life examples of marketing done well, advice for in-house marketers and leaders to scale the business, and more.

Richard Davis, Director at Kier, and Richard Dickins, Managing Director at Social Value Business, join us to discuss achieving Social Value Quality Mark Level 2. We chat about Kier’s journey, how you can measure Social Value Quality, and the benefits companies can see if they choose to make it a business priority. Topics include pledges during the bidding process, examples of what Kier does in achieving Social Value Quality Mark Level 2, standard measurements required for the future, how the audit works, and more.

Jim Heverin, Director at Zaha Hadid Architects, joins Stuart Rowe, CEO at Mail Manager, to chat about the remarkable world's first all-timber football stadium for Forest Green Rovers, as well as the use of timber as a sustainable resource. We cover why it's happening and why we're seeing the first timber stadium now, the importance of using timber as a low carbon building material, the challenges involved, the impact of Grenfell Tower on timber as a viable building material, and sourcing timber from Europe.

Graham Brown, Partner at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, joins us to chat about the importance of documents in disputes - Good record and document management wins disputes. We cover what sort of information could be important, what sort of problems can businesses run into if they don’t have these documents readily available, and why businesses typically aren't prepared with good record keeping for disputes.

Tom Arbuthnot, Microsoft MVP and Principal Solutions Architect at Microsoft Collaboration specialists Modality Systems, joins us to discuss the common user challenges associated with Microsoft Teams and the strategies to help your users avoid them. We cover when to use chat and when to use a team, how to manage team creation and lifecycle, when to use a team and when to use SharePoint, how to manage your data in Teams, how to find information faster within Teams, and actionable steps you can take right now to make the most of your Microsoft 365 investment.

We are joined by Grace Marshall, Head coach, Chief Encourager, Productivity Ninja, and Author to chat about people's addiction to 'busyness', measuring productivity by activity rather than result, managing attention, prioritising recharge, adopting new ways of working, and replacing stress, overwhelm and frustration with success, sanity and satisfaction.

Roger Platt, Senior Vice President at U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), joins us to discuss the role of  USGBC, what the future looks like for Commercial Real Estate and office employees, the creation of greener and healthier workspaces, security in the workplace, the relationship between landlords and tenants, and the use of technology to improve efficiency.

Anthony Fasano, Trainer, Author, Speaker at Engineering Management Institute, join us to chat about the most important skills an engineer needs to succeed. We cover the importance of good communication skills when working in project teams, and how to improve those communication skills, being able to present non-technically and speak with the public, and the three core skills needed to succeed - technical skills, project management and people management.

Salla Eckhardt, Director of Transformation Services at Microsoft, joins us to chat about rebranding traditional Construction processes and the digital building lifecycle framework. We discuss the disconnect between AEC & O, the top innovations happening in the built environment right now, such as open innovation, how the digital building lifecycle framework improves the profitability of projects and helps decide what needs to be delivered, when, and the biggest obstacles in adopting the digital building lifecycle.

Maura Nevel Thomas, Trainer, Author, Speaker at Regain Your Time, joins us to chat about the challenges associated with information overload and productivity. We discuss how she's helping civil engineering clients with Workflow Management Systems, empowered productivity and the six components, as well as attention and action management.

David Frise, Group Chief Executive Officer at Building Engineering Services Association, joins us to chat about competencies and initiatives within Construction to create a better and safer industry post-Grenfell. We discuss the balancing act of safety and value, the core principles of the British Standard competence framework, what needs to change from a training point of view, how can we better manage the culture change needed to create a more competent industry, the importance of documents when things go wrong, and more.

Nigel Ostime, Partner at Hawkins/Brown Architects, joins us to chat about bridging the skills gap in order to futureproof Construction. We discuss the growing need for better knowledge of modern methods and processes, such as computational design and using digital technology, the impact of the Hackitt review, an over-reliance on sub-contractors to do design work, and RIBA's 'Building in Quality' initiative.

Ian Small, Innovation Champion at AECOM, joins us to chat about the future of civil engineering and infrastructure. We discuss the role of AI and automation, the challenges in using massive amounts of data, what is driving innovation, what are the main barriers to innovation, and what civil engineering and infrastructure looks like in 2030.

Nissa Dann, Principal Digital Operations Coordinator at Hoare Lea, joins us to chat about what innovation actually means, the business need for change, generating additional value, top tips on how to implement new technologies and change, and the future of Construction.

Jacqueline Rohrmann, BIM Manager at Tesla and Founder of the 'That BIM Girl' YouTube channel joins Mail Manager's Michele Rodrigues to discuss how the industry has adopted BIM. Recorded while Jacqueline worked at Ramboll, we chat about the main challenges working with BIM, using Revit and the best tools available today, top tips for starting out in the industry in the data-driven age, and how relevant BIM remains today.

We are joined by Jaimie Johnston, Board Director, Head of Global Systems at Bryden Wood, to chat about the current state of play in digital and data capabilities, as well as the benefits of platform programmes, especially with a need to do more for less, improve productivity across the board, reduce risk, and improve the value offering. We cover the importance of standardisation in improving processes at scale, where the opportunities for acceleration are, joined-up platforms in a post-BIM world, the link between the digital and physical worlds, what potential automation has for the industry, and how organisations can cultivate a forward-thinking culture to embrace new technologies and make more informed decisions.

Simon Evans, Delivery Team Lead, National Digital Twin Programme and Associate Director at Arup, joins us to chat about the rise of the Digital Twin. We cover what's exciting the industry about the prospect of Digital Twins, what it really means, examples of it poorly defined and examples of it well implemented, and breaking down the common objections.

Sharon Slinger, Director at Constructing Rainbows, joins us to chat about the current state of diversity within the industry, the barriers to entry in construction, how businesses can implement diversity initiatives, and why being more inclusive is vital to the future of the industry.

We are joined by Suibhne (Siv) Cullen, Director of Digital Delivery at Mott MacDonald in the Asia Pacific Region, to chat about the Digital Fluency in AEC. We cover digital deniers and whether they are willing to adapt, no shortcuts to change, assessing digital fluency, and what is it that is driving digital adoption.

We are joined by Michael McGuire, Computer Aided Architectural Design and Technology Worldskills UK Training Manager, to chat about introducing people to Revit, people considering a career in Construction, advice for anyone not realising the full potential of Revit, and overall industry engagement.

We are joined by Amanda McKay, Quality Director for the Major Projects business within Balfour Beatty, to chat about the diversity challenge and the current state of the industry. We cover the current agenda around gender and equality, dealing with corporate rhetoric, attracting all talent to the industry, best practice tips for implementing diversity initiatives, such as reverse mentoring, overlooking diversity when times are hard, and the overarching impact of COVID-19.

Martin Geach and Shahida Rajabdeen share their thoughts with Mail Manager's Jacob Wardrop and Guy Seaward about the different perspectives on Information Management Delivery. We cover the different phases of a building’s lifecycle including things you already have, data disciplines, broadening beyond traditional BIM, and building value bringing the client along for the journey.

Shelley Lawrence leads the Cambridgeshire 'Women into Construction' programme in partnership with award-winning housebuilder, Hill. She joins us to share her thoughts with Mail Manager's Jacob Wardrop and Olivia Rowe about why more women should get involved in Construction, the barriers to entry, the benefits of a diverse workforce, the importance of role models, how has the network changed since the pandemic.

We are joined by Fred Mills, Co-Founder and Managing Director at The B1M, to chat about his mission to change the perception of the industry. We cover The B1M's use of engaging video content, contrasted with other industry approaches and an established status quo around how the sector communicates, how we should communicate more outwardly with different generations, and when people first think of the value of Construction, what are they missing?

We are joined by Coenie Nel, CEO of Creative Project Management Solutions, to chat about personal development as a Project Manager, the role of a Project Manager at the moment, challenges a Project Manager faces, what separates the great from the good Project Managers, and what are we going to keep when the industry returns to a new normal. 

Elinor Moshe, Founder of The Construction Coach, Podcast Host of Constructing You, Author of Constructing Your Career and Contract Administrator at Icon, joins us to chat about how you can survive and thrive when the going gets tough. We cover coaching vs mentoring, approaches to personal development in the industry as it is today, what you should be doing right now to construct your career, what a mentoring process should look like, how to stand out in a crisis and how businesses can enable this, how life has changed now more people are working remotely, thriving in the social age, and how to remain future focused.

Saul Humphrey, Partner at Saul D Humphrey LLP and Chair of New Anglia LEP’s Building Growth, shares his thoughts with Mail Manager's Jacob Wardrop and Guy Seaward about what joins projects together, the role of confidence in a crisis, the different types of recovery and what’s important, the key items on the sustainability agenda, lessons to learn from past recessions, and what things shouldn’t go back to normal?

Gavin Crump, Owner & BIM Consultant, BIM Guru, joins us to discuss his industry experiences covering: No time for strategy, only for billable projects; Justifying return on investment for change to occur; Resistance to change, old dogs/new tricks; organisational change and the need for retainable specialists; The I in BIM often hiding behind the B and the M. We also cover addressing challenges around Information Management, automating the mundane, silo mentality in the industry, the tutorials and resources that have the biggest response, and Gavin's view on the roadmap ahead.

Adrian Hill, Director of Operations at Scape Group, joins us in part 4 of our Road to Recovery series to talk about what construction firms need to be doing when tendering. We cover Scape’s approach to procurement, what shouldn't go back to normal post-COVID, discouraging procurement behaviours of the last recession, and their learning in lockdown initiative. 

Casey Rutland, UK Director of Digital at Royal HaskoningDHV, joins us for part three of our 'Road to Recovery' podcast series. We chat about what the Construction industry is trying to embrace now, the common objections with client demands, what's being accelerated, building an Information Model, advice for firms who are trying to take their first steps on a digital journey, and what it’s been like for firms who were already trying to embrace the benefits of a more digital way of working.

In part two of our 'Road to Recovery' podcast series, Ann Bentley, Global Board Director at Rider Levett Bucknall and member of the UK Government’s Construction Leadership Council, joins us to share her take on surviving and thriving out of the current crisis. Topics include coming out of a recession and learning's from previous recessions, value creation in the construction industry, what the industry can do to ensure this isn't an entirely negative chapter, where firms should look for pipeline in the future, and has everyone forgotten about Brexit?

In part one of our 'Road to Recovery' podcast series, Matt Bennion, Chairman at Reds10, joins us to discuss thriving through the pandemic and the tipping point for acceleration for the construction industry. We cover Matt's personal experiences with Reds10, as well as topics such as modular construction, how well the industry was equipped to deal with the current situation, the inevitability of disputes and more.

Syndey-based Jeames Hanley, a Digital Business Strategist & Technologist, joins us to chat about the importance of a strategy in a pandemic. Jeames goes through his experience of the pandemic and how moving his whole team to work remotely enabled them to still accelerate and bid for projects. We also chat about how the pandemic was accelerating the speed of change, rather than being a barrier, and how this can be underpinned by having a digital strategy, which helps businesses prepare for when something like this happens.  

Najma Dunnet, Senior Associate Legal Counsel at Hoare Lea, joins us to discuss best practice tips on managing contracts and disputes throughout this uncertain time. We cover the changing workforce and the impact on sites, what happens when terms on the contract are made impossible to meet by the current global situation, how understanding clients are being, the role of email in contracts and projects, what PI insurers want to see, and who the biggest offenders are when it comes to contracts. 

Paul Johnstone, the founder of 4S Bid Limited, a full-service tender bid consultancy headquartered in Glasgow, joins us to chat about the steps you can take to build a pipeline and a repeatable system so you can successfully bid for contracts again and again. In order to grow, businesses need to win new clients and contracts. We cover the key challenges and frustrations around bidding today, as well as the top tips for ensuring bidding success.

Oslo-based senior lawyer Kjersti Lerkerod joins Mario Christophides to discuss the challenges with handling disputes in these uncertain times, as well as her best tips for managing contract disputes in general and the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on the industry.

Here are Kjersti's five top tips for handling dispute challenges relating to coronavirus in a construction project:

Make sure to notify claims according to the contract

Take reasonable efforts to try to overcome the obstacles

Produce and transmit documentation identifying the negative impact of the coronavirus, for example, daily or weekly reports

Initiate a constructive dialogue with your contract parties

Be careful to distinguish between corona related challenges and other obstacles in a project. The latter should be notified and documented separately

Employee engagement and personal productivity consultant Jo Dodds joins us for episode 10. We discuss how businesses can better engage a dispersed workforce and how an employee can work more productively remotely - both particularly relevant topics considering the current rise in remote working.

Dame Judith Hackitt chats with Jacob about all things building safety, including managing and maintaining building safety, moving the focus from making buildings for the least amount of money to creating buildings that have safety at its core, regulatory changes, and the need for the 'Golden Thread of Information' throughout a buildings lifecycle and what it means in pragmatic terms.

Paul Shillcock, MD at Operam and the co-author of ISO standards, joins us to discuss ISO 19650 and the enablers and barriers for adopting good information management.

Podcast co-hosts Jacob and Chris discuss the death of document management, covering topics on how to get rid of a legacy system, why document management systems have low user adoption, the challenges associated with where data resides, and the barriers to change.

Ben Channon joins Jacob and Chris to discuss the serious topic of mental health and wellbeing in the industry. We cover Ben's personal journey, the perceptions of mental health, tips for businesses to implement change and individuals to handle the pressures of the industry, and what 'wellbeing by design' is all about.

Dan Rossiter, the sector lead for digital transformation at the British Standards Institution, joins Chris to discuss the topic of 'Digital Fluency' in Construction. Hear about the challenges associated with the digital skills shortage, how businesses can implement change, what skills are important today, and more.

Paul joins Jacob and Chris to provide his thoughts on how the Construction industry can digitise better. We cover the challenges with digital initiatives, the business case, examples of digital transformation done well, change management tips, and more.

Rob Charlton, CEO of Space Group, joins us to talk about the business case for Digital Twins in the built environment. We chat about the benefits and the challenges, and discuss practical advice for adoption.

For episode 2, Jacob and Chris are joined by Contract Strategist, Sarah Fox. We discuss the problems faced by companies in Construction administering contracts, getting paid on time, best practice examples, and a simplified approach to the traditional Construction contract.

We are delighted to have Vicki Reynolds as our first guest. Vicki is part of the Women in BIM core team and a Digital Manager at Multiplex. Jacob Wardrop and Chris Smith chat with Vicki about Women in BIM, making the construction industry appealing for all, BIM strategies and selling the benefits of BIM.