S7E1682 October 2023

S7E168: Barriers to Tech adoption in construction with Sarah Crawley

📈 Data Analytics 🤖 AI & Technology 👔 Leadership & Management 💬 Communication 🔄 Change Management

S7E168

S7E168: Barriers to Tech adoption in construction with Sarah Crawley

0:000:00

100%

Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts

In this episode the boys talk to Sarah Crawley about the barriers to technology adoption on construction projects. Organisations play a really big part in the sense of they need to recognise that they need multiple stakeholders to input their knowledge and there needs to be a movement in capturing data that really matters not to keep other people in jobs or it's a tick box exercise according to Sarah. A senior project manager with varied construction management experience. Sarah specialised in mechanical and electrical healthcare projects, most recently at Mace.Sarah began developing software in 2019, working to build a tool that eliminated WhatsApp, email and paper. Initially working with Google for StartUps, she raised funding in 2022 with some of the largest investors in the built environment including Pi Labs, Nemetshcek, Samaipata and Accel. SymTerra launched in 2022 and is currently operational across over 300 Europe-wide construction, utilities and infrastructure projects for over 125 companies including Thames Water, MTREL, Kier, and Transport for London – from major platform extensions for Crossrail, to maintenance Rail Lines across the country, from a refurbishment of a caravan park in North Wales to a castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Sarah was recognised by Construction News in 2023 as one of the top leading women in construction technical excellence. Proudly Sponsored By: InEight.com

Guest

Sarah Crawley

Co-Founder / Director at SymTerra

A senior project manager with varied construction management experience. Sarah specialised in mechanical and electrical healthcare projects, most recently at Mace. Sarah began developing software in 2019, working to build a tool that eliminated WhatsApp, email and paper. Initially working with Google for StartUps, she raised funding in 2022 with some of the largest investors in the built environment including Pi Labs, Nemetshcek, Samaipata and Accel. SymTerra launched in 2022 and is currently operational across over 300 Europe-wide construction, utilities and infrastructure projects for over 125 companies including Thames Water, MTREL, Kier, and Transport for London – from major platform extensions for Crossrail, to maintenance Rail Lines across the country, from a refurbishment of a caravan park in North Wales to a castle in the Scottish Highlands. Sarah was recognised by Construction News in 2023 as one of the top leading women in construction technical excellence.

Connect

Share This Episode

Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn

Related Episodes

S8E199: AI Implications in Construction with Doug Vincent

Proudly sponsored by Deltek. In this episode of the Project Chatter podcast, hosts discuss the implications of AI in project management and construction. Doug Vincent shares insights on how AI can be demystified for clients, its potential in industry innovation, and the challenges faced in education regarding AI integration. The conversation explores practical applications of AI, the importance of trust in AI systems, and the future of work as AI continues to evolve. Doug emphasises the need for creativity and human input in leveraging AI effectively, while also addressing concerns about job displacement and the role of AI in personal growth and education. Takeaways AI is often misunderstood; it's just advanced software. Education systems are lagging in embracing AI. AI can enhance productivity in construction. Trust in AI is built through reliability and security. AI can automate mundane tasks, freeing up human creativity. The construction industry needs to adapt to AI innovations. AI can help cover blind spots in decision-making. Awareness of AI's capabilities is crucial for its adoption. AI can serve as a tool for personal growth and reflection. The future of work will involve collaboration between humans and AI To reach out to our guest check out the following: https://www.mastt.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@DougVincentCPM https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentdoug

Listen Now

S4E8612 Sept 2021

S4E86: Making law work for the construction & engineering industry with Sarah Schutte

In this week’s pod we welcomed Sarah Schutte to discuss how to make law work for the construction and engineering industry. Sarah is an independent UK-qualified solicitor-advocate and runs her own legal and training consultancy. She has 19 years' experience as a specialist infrastructure lawyer, including 12 years working directly for industry. She has developed a niche practice in project management, project controls and the law (PPM and P3M and PMO). She collaborates closely with global Chapters of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the UK Association of Project Managers (APM). The main topics we discussed on the podcast were as follows: • The contract is the framework, means and vehicle for delivering and managing projects • Freedom of contract allows companies to agree anything within their contracts provided it is legal. They are then bound by these agreements • No project manager is taught contract law in PMBOK or APM frameworks. This should change given the importance to project delivery • The role of project managers has evolved to include leadership and motivation. The next evolution should be commercial know-how • NEC Contracts are written in the “simple, present, active voice”! • There is a difference between Commercial teams and Legal teams. Legal are generally consulted whereas commercial generally manage contracts. Legal can often be overly academic • Standard contract templates can be a useful starting point for projects in countries where contracts are not overly prescriptive e.g. Spain • Learning about the technical aspect of the project allows commercial teams to be value adding to the delivery teams • There isn’t a best time to speak to the in house legal counsel though most people leave it too late! • As a legal counsel, it is your duty to give advice and inform clients of potential consequences to their commercial position. • The transparency element of NEC Option C/D is overly weighted towards cost rather than time and quality • It is important to provide accurate reporting even if the contractor or internal team do not like the answers Here are links to some of the topics that were discussed: Schutte Consulting Peridot Consulting International LLP Project Business Foundation: not-for-profit education and accreditation for PMs dealing with outsourced projects. Basic knowledge of contract law for Project Managers: https://www.apm.org.uk/blog/basic-knowledge-of-contract-law-is-essential-for-an-effective-project-manager/ Basic Contract Law for Project Managers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKhhSNxgqVs ----------------------------------------- Join us next week where we’re joined by Lorraine Humphrey to talk about Project Assurance and Risk Management. Val and Dale are discussing the future of Project Controls at the Virtual Project Controls Expo next week. Be sure to tune in! For more information, blogs or to support our charities visit www.projectchatterpodcast.com If you'd like to sponsor the podcast get in touch via our website. You can also leave us a voice message via our anchor page and let us know if there's something or someone specific that you would like on the podcast. Stay safe, be disruptive and have fun doing it! Dale and Val

Listen Now

S10E22412 Sept 2026

S10E224: Why We Forgive Bad Behaviour At Work with Lisa Martello

We spend a fortune on governance, tooling and RACIs, then lose our best people to one person who nobody will have a difficult conversation with. Lisa Martello has spent her career in rail, from a Transport for London graduate scheme to programme and director roles at HS2 and beyond, with detours into utilities and construction. By night she runs Catching Bees, a 20,000 strong following built on holding a sarcastic mirror up to workplace behaviour: the exec petting zoo, the strategic seagull, talent stretching, the one way flex. In this episode she makes an argument most organisations quietly avoid. We are far too forgiving to the people behaving badly, and far too demanding of the people on the receiving end. The victim gets a list of actions: gather examples, prepare, call it out in the moment, call it out afterwards, book the meeting. The culprit gets the benefit of the doubt. We also get into: Writing bids and then wishing you could deliver them, and what changes when you become the client Why the fun is seeping out of projects at exactly the point teams need it most The five step slide from benefit of the doubt to resignation, and where leaders usually intervene too late How "below the line behaviour" gets weaponised to shut down anyone who says the project is in trouble Code switching, unprofessional hair, and the role model who arrived at exactly the right moment Skanska's two word intervention, "not cool", and why sitting in the discomfort works better than a meeting Three steps out of dickhead territory, including the "is it me" moment that stopped Lisa from performance managing someone out of a job she has since excelled in Imposter syndrome as a preparation engine, and a healthy disregard for authority A serious conversation with a lot of laughing in it. FIND LISA AND CATCHING BEESCatching Bees on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catching_bees/Catching Bees on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/catching-bees/Lisa Martello on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-martello-2b65463b/ FIND USWebsite: https://projectchatter.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/projectchatterpodcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectChatterPodcast The Project Chatter Podcast has been running since 2018 and is free to access, always. If this episode was useful, share it with one person who needs to hear it.

Listen Now

Enjoyed this episode?

Subscribe to never miss a conversation with project experts

Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Apple Podcasts