The Five Hows
Corey Overton, AIA
Architect, Problem solver | International Restaurant Design Leader
In the past I have posted about the industry waking up to the idea of technology, process and the dealing with our new currency - data. I want to follow up on that and zoom in a little closer on the How.
Those who heard the alarm and woke up, understand that the thing you produce, purchase or sell only represents part of its value.
In our data-driven world, the process is now as valuable as the product.
How do you do what you do?
What is your process? Do you define it? Do you ask someone else to develop it and just deliver you a product? Do you know how that product is produced? Do you own or direct the process or where the resulting data goes?
Are you still outsourcing "because it is cheaper and easier”?
We need to stop talking in terms of bringing back manufacturing and start talking in terms of bringing back understanding. Understand how, understand the data, understand that the process is where much of the value is embedded.
Prefabrication in construction is not just about providing a better quality product faster. It is about understanding design and fabrication, actual material costs, predictable labor, repeatability, logistics, lifecycle design and using all that to determine how to adapt and get better. All this is only possible if you understand the actual data behind objective decision making. Understand how.
Do you deal with data directly? How do you yourself access that data? How do you find the answers you need? How do you make informed decisions? Could you do it again? Are you working based on what someone else told you? How did that someone get their information?
If you asked “how do you know that” five times in your organization, would that lead you to a reliable data source or an anecdote?
You have heard of the five whys. In this new world where data-informed decision making is where the real value is, we need to start asking
The Five Hows.
Start by asking how do you plan to move at the increasing speed of business without properly investing in consistent data-driven processes?
How?