As you approach the preconstruction phase of a project, you may not be thinking about the 2004 science-fiction film "The Butterfly Effect," in which a man travels back in time to change the future. But you should at least be cognizant of the concept, says Preston Robinson, Director of Pre-construction at The Haskell Company.

The butterfly effect, according to Merriam-Webster, is "A property of chaotic systems (such as the atmosphere) by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system."

Speaking on a panel at the July 17 "AI + Digital Excellence in Construction Virtual Summit" that examined how artificial intelligence and other digital tools can contribute to optimizing build performance, particularly during the integrated design-build phase, Robinson noted that decisions made early in the preconstruction phase can "cascade into very large decisions in the future." In other words, if you make a bad decision at the beginning, it's likely to expand into a bigger problem down the line, Robinson and other panelists stressed.

In the days before the widespread use of AI to better leverage data during the preconstruction phase, panelists noted that many decisions were based on gut instinct and limited experience. However, properly leveraged AI has the potential to be a true and positive game changer, says Robinson.
"What if instead of 100 items to evaluate a project, [you could base your decision] on 10,000 items based on past projects?" Robinson asked. Or, if AI allowed you to base a decision on data derived from hundreds instead of relying on two or three layouts? "It's an exciting time [allowing us] to deliver better projects to clients," he added.

Nathan Lingard, Director of Design Phase, Mortenson, says, "If this optimistic future is going to happen, the industry has to roll up its sleeves today and get some work done." Noting that the design side of the industry is far outpacing the construction side in this area, Lingard told attendees, "We need to spend a significant amount of time [figuring out] how to align with the design side.” It begins with breaking down data silos and making out “estimating and planning data more accessible to us” as an industry, he added.

Lingard says the gap must be addressed to maximize the value of AI in preconstruction. "If a designer can generate 1000 ways to design a kitchen, are we ready to price 1000 ways to build it?"

John Mack, Systems and BIM Department Manager, Dome Construction, agreed that it's time to break down the barriers and time to be more transparent with data. "I think this will naturally break down the silos as things become more out in the open and more available," he said. According to Mack, information will be available to everyone, and that fact will take away the ability to not share or an individual employee to hoard information.

“It’s time to democratize data,” summed up Robinson.