Construction is a massive industry and has promoted innovations in tools, equipment, products, and of course the structures that are built. With all of that said it is not hard to state that Construction is a science. Of course to those of us in the industry we would argue that it is also an art form. What I would really like to focus on the is the science part of construction and see if we really treat it like a science.
The dictionary defines science as "skill, esp. reflecting a precise application of facts or principles; proficiency." That sounds a lot like the construction of building, bridge or road to me. But is everyone in your organization treating it like a science? The key words in the definition are facts and proficiency.
Facts
To treat construction as a science you must precisely apply facts or principles. This requires knowledge and training of the current best practices to implement it. Look around your organization and figure out if every department and person is operating with the most current best practices. If you are utilizing 1980's technology, you are not treating Construction as the science it is. If you are not ensuring that the techniques are applied precisely then you are not treating it as a science.
Proficiency
To make it a science it is clear that you must be proficient in the skills and techniques. I have stated previously in other articles that being the expert is critical, well that is what this means. How do you know you are proficient? Track data! Compiling data for each of the known facts or principles and then testing that data against the best possible data point. You cannot test proficiency by subjective means, you must test real data points. Getting real data for all of the principles will lead to mastery and will start the process of innovation.
From the beginning of time, construction has created so many innovations and has been a leading science. Think of all of the engineering personnel, tradesmen, and businessmen it takes to build something (that is a lot of brain power). If you treat Construction like a science you can advance the business with innovation, lower costs, and even more artistic installations.
The dictionary defines science as "skill, esp. reflecting a precise application of facts or principles; proficiency." That sounds a lot like the construction of building, bridge or road to me. But is everyone in your organization treating it like a science? The key words in the definition are facts and proficiency.
Facts
To treat construction as a science you must precisely apply facts or principles. This requires knowledge and training of the current best practices to implement it. Look around your organization and figure out if every department and person is operating with the most current best practices. If you are utilizing 1980's technology, you are not treating Construction as the science it is. If you are not ensuring that the techniques are applied precisely then you are not treating it as a science.
Proficiency
To make it a science it is clear that you must be proficient in the skills and techniques. I have stated previously in other articles that being the expert is critical, well that is what this means. How do you know you are proficient? Track data! Compiling data for each of the known facts or principles and then testing that data against the best possible data point. You cannot test proficiency by subjective means, you must test real data points. Getting real data for all of the principles will lead to mastery and will start the process of innovation.
From the beginning of time, construction has created so many innovations and has been a leading science. Think of all of the engineering personnel, tradesmen, and businessmen it takes to build something (that is a lot of brain power). If you treat Construction like a science you can advance the business with innovation, lower costs, and even more artistic installations.