Tech Renaissance in the Construction Industry

In an interview with Construction Tech Review, Mr. José Chahuan Fernandez, Construction Director at Total Energies, shares his insights on the significance of keeping pace with emerging technologies in the construction industry.

Equipped with 17 years of professional experience in industrial installation and management of real estate, industrial projects, and coal-fired power plants, Mr. Fernandez currently holds the seat of construction director for Total Energies, a leading name in the global energy market. He has accumulated extensive knowledge from his time in companies including Atlas Renewable Energy, ET Solar, ENGIE and Mytilineos Energy & Metals before joining Total Energies a little over three years ago.

What are traditional services' limitations in addressing the diverse challenges encountered in construction management, preventing the delivery of optimal solutions?

Construction management is a multifaceted field that requires addressing diverse challenges and coordinating various stakeholders, resources and processes to deliver successful projects.

Construction projects typically involve numerous parties, such as architects, engineers, contractors, suppliers, and subcontractors, who must work together to achieve project goals. However, the existing services and business models have inherent limitations that hinder their ability to tackle these challenges effectively. One major limitation is the lack of diversity and inclusion in the workforce, leading to narrow perspectives and limited problem-solving capabilities. The lack of integration and collaboration among different project teams is another roadblock that impedes project completion.

Over the years, I have noticed that the construction industry's biggest challenge is stagnation. Legacy systems of the construction industry are not equipped to handle the dynamic technological landscape, resulting in inefficiencies and delays in project delivery.

Every project is different in scope, scale, budget, timeline and other factors that can impact its success. Resorting to generic or one-size-fits-all solutions will only suit some projects, resulting in suboptimal outcomes. Project managers should, therefore, handle each business unit as a unique and individual construction site to maximize effectiveness.

By implementing more inclusive practices and staying abreast of technological advancements, construction management services, construction companies, and working systems can overcome existing limitations and deliver optimal solutions for clients.

Noticeably, some construction management services excel in areas such as project planning and budgeting, which can help mitigate some of the challenges faced in the industry. Existence of such localized strengths and weaknesses elucidates the opportunity for improvement in addressing the diverse challenges confronting construction management.

How do emerging project management technologies for construction projects help address challenges and meet business requirements?

The construction industry is experiencing a paradigm shift from traditional systems comprising manual processes and outdated tools to novel technologies based on data-driven insights, automation and predictive analytics. Businesses are increasingly embracing the latest technologies like Building Information Modeling (BIM) and project management software to improve their services.

These latest tools offer advanced functionalities such as real-time progress tracking, better communication and collaboration among stakeholders and early detection of potential issues. Project managers can now capitalize on these capabilities to make informed decisions, increase process efficiency and enhance quality, helping projects stay on schedule and under budget.

Based on your expertise in the construction sector, what critical advice would you give to professionals in comparable roles within other companies, emphasizing what to do and what to avoid?

Professionals in the field have to consider many factors to streamline the entire project lifecycle. Site safety takes a front-row seat among them; after all, construction sites are dangerous environments. Workers put their lives on the line daily to build our projects, entrusting the onus of their safety to us. Project managers should follow safety protocols and ensure proper training and equipment for all workers to guarantee a safer, accident-free workplace.

“By implementing more inclusive practices and staying abreast of technological advancements, construction management services, construction companies and working systems can overcome existing limitations and deliver optimal solutions for clients."

Construction projects are team efforts. Leaders should keep an open mind and avoid micromanaging their team members, which can hinder their productivity and morale. They should also strive for continuous improvement by staying current on industry trends and technologies.

The most important lesson I learned in my career is to maintain discipline throughout the lifetime of a project. Discipline should involve every single person, company, and service that will collaborate in the project and requires them to follow proper procedures and protocols to ensure quality workmanship and safety. It also extends to communication and empathy among team members, which is crucial for coordinating efforts and resolving issues promptly. Without discipline, projects can spiral out of control, leading to a domino effect of critical safety incidents, delays, cost overruns and project failure.

On a personal note, integrity is one aspect no professional should compromise on. Cutting corners and disregarding quality to meet deadlines or increase profits will result in serious accidents, costly mistakes and damage to the company's reputation.