Our AutomatedBuildings.com November theme is "Creating Clarity.” Our success depends on bringing Clarity to the Complex.
It turns out that is easier to say than to do. To create clarity we need to understand, document, discuss the need for clarity in the face of change.
We had a Great Monday Live! Zoom discussion from Realcomm/IBcon21 in Scottsdale Arizona addressing the need for clarity.
To bring clarity to all we do is hard because radical change is part of everything we do. Not just doing things slightly different, but completely different. Some of us are struggling to adapt to online life, other folks were born online and know no other way. Suddenly, we're in a conversation talking about how we are going to do something and find we don’t understand how things have changed, how things get done now. We are trying to create clarity to foster understanding.
We need to go back to basics. Our definition and framing of the change that we are now living in is a big part of creating clarity. Everything we touch is changing. Are the people coming back to the buildings? Will the building be more of a hotel than an office? What format will the data have, and where will that data “live”? Will the data be gathered by systems or robots? Will the energy for the building be carbon-free? Will electrical energy be stored on-site? It's very difficult to comprehend all the changes upon us. We need to spend more time defining what it is we're trying to do before we even begin to clarify the situation.
The globalization of everything is just one of those changes affecting us. So a big issue when trying to clarify is the common model we agree upon. It's going to be a hybrid model, but whether that's a European hybrid model or an American, whether it's owner-driven, or whether it's a lease—or maybe a whole-new model we have not seen before. Does it use cyber currency? Are the actual devices going to start doing the negotiations?
Everything that we can imagine is changing. It's difficult to frame a conversation. We need to keep going right back to basic elements, because you have no idea what the other person knows or what they're assuming as their parameters. A better understanding of what has changed is the root of all clarity.
It is impossible to create an environment of clarity and alignment when transparency is missing from leadership. This is why leaders must have clarity of purpose and focus and align their strategic philosophy with their ultimate objectives.
The process making of something that's easy to use can actually be very complex.
Our generation created everything from small pieces which we well understood. The connected generation inherited complex working technologies with clarity at the touch of a screen icon. They have very little idea of the complex systems that had to come together to achieve the end result. They are better prepared to move quickly in this space. Bringing clarity for all will be a challenge. The open discussions—a meeting of the minds—are of great help, and we all can learn from them.
In one of our Zoom meetings, the need for Clarity of all we do was being discussed. It was quipped that Ken Sinclair needs to morph to be Sinclarity.
I agree we all need to add clarity to all we do, but clarity depends greatly on the framing and the definition of the subject (whatever it is), with mutual agreements on purpose and reasons for acting. Wayfinding, then, is part of the process of achieving clarity.
Wayfinding refers to information systems that guide us through an environment and enhance our understanding and experience. Wayfinding becomes more crucial the more complex the environments are.
I am finding it is easier to say, "clarity" than to provide it, as everything we based clarity on is changing rapidly. To achieve clarity we must understand and define change.
Over the 18 months of Monday Live! conversations, the group felt that some framework is necessary to organize all of the components, technologies, products, and companies that now proliferate in the industry. The Smarter Stack is that tool. (You can find an introduction to the Smarter Stack at https://automatedbuildings.com/news/aug21/reviews/monday/210817124401mondaystack.html.)
By clarifying the reach/purpose of our products and services by using this open-source stack tool the complex can be simplified for presentation.
Notice that the first line of the Tool is Purpose—Why is this being done? The outcomes desired by owners, managers and occupants. This is the place to define what has changed.
In this interview, A Smarter Stack for Smarter Buildings , Contributing Editor Anto Budiardjo and I discuss using the smarter stack tool to create a library that would assist us to better understand the complexity of new and existing products and services by presenting them on a common functional frame presentation graphic.
As we all start to use the tool its value will begin to increase as the library shows how each user evolves the tool.
Often the position of our products and services is defined by use case and client purpose, so the stack changes and the answer becomes, "it depends," requiring further clarification as to our approach for each project. As our collaborators change for each project to match purposes, using the open-source stack tool as a wayfinding tool becomes of great importance.
Our industry needs clarification and definition to attract new talent. Here are a few insightful articles and interviews on the topic.
Fill Vacant Positions Using A New Apprenticeship Model by Melissa Boutwell Chairman, Emerging Technology Apprenticeship Program. Key passage:
Before COVID, 86% of CEOs stated that skilled labor shortages were a C-Suite concern. Then, COVID changed everything and added more heat to our industry in the form of increased demand simultaneously to increased competition for people. Over 12 articles have been published recently in the Wall Street journal alone that detail how serious this problem is today and that it is forecasted to get worse before it gets better. If you are ready to eliminate the painful opportunity costs of labor shortages experienced in your business, read on…
Scott Cochrane, President & CEO, Cochrane Supply & Engineering talks about the BAS staffing situation in this article, BAS Zombie Apocalypse:
Supply & Engineering ZOMBIES! They are invading our lives and taking away our workforce I feel like I am on the run these days... and all around me... ZOMBIES! Running to find the uninfected, people who want to work and earn a living, I keep running, if you stop running, they might bite you too and ‘so long’ productivity and success, just a slow business death from there....
I admit that might be a tad theatrical, but there is no question we are in a BAS staffing emergency. Not just for the current workload, but for the future of smart buildings and obtaining the mindshare from the next generation of talent entering the workforce, being rocketed into real jobs deciding the course of their future careers.
In this interview, What is BIG ? I talk with Ben Wallace, the co-founder of Minify Energy about the Building Intelligence Group. BIG is a nationally incorporated, non-profit association dedicated to promoting intelligent buildings' advancement. BIG is a cross-disciplinary networking and educational support organization dedicated to delivering high-tech intelligent commercial building solutions that maximize value for everyone who interacts with the built environment.
Here’s a survey from Automation.com, Frontline Manufacturing Workers May Leave Current Company for a More Digitally Enabled Workplace, with some interesting results:
Of note, 45% of frontline manufacturing workers surveyed across five countries say that the opportunity to work in a more modern, digital environment would be part of their decision to leave their current employer. This includes providing mobile technologies, such as a smartphone or tablet, to help them do their jobs better. Currently, less than half (41%) of respondents say their companies have provided such digital tools; 81% rely on paper-based processes to follow instructions and/or keep track of their work.
I’m extremely pleased with the industry's collaboration to put together our education sessions for AHRExpo 2020 Vegas. We have 12 free education sessions proposed. Our theme is navigating the adoption of smarter buildings with sustainable BAS. This will be our 22nd year presenting at AHRExpo.com! From the show's site:
The AHR Expo (International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition) will return to Las Vegas Jan. 31 - Feb. 2, 2022, after a forced cancellation in 2021 planned for Chicago. The highly anticipated 2022 Show will be the industry’s first major in-person gathering following pandemic shutdowns. Registration is free and attendees are encouraged to register early on ahrexpo.com. Show management is elated to sound the horn, “We’re back!”
Another change to make note of, our contributing editor Marc Petock has been named a 2021 DigieAward winner—congratulations, Marc! From his latest article, IP Edge Horizontal Building Platform Architecture:
The built environment continues to be transformed by the adoption of modern operating platforms for smart building management. Exciting advancements in connectivity technologies, advancing protocols, and the proliferation of data, help provide tangible outcomes to building owners and operators. But it is IP devices, distributed architectures, integration, and interoperability that are the real transformers and are becoming the backbones for building operating and management platforms.
The number of connected devices in operation in the commercial smart building will grow from 1.7 billion in 2020 to just under 3 billion by 2025 representing a CAGR of 10.8% (Memoori, August 2021).
Our efforts to Create Clarity are embodied in THE COALITION FOR SMARTER BUILDINGS. From their mission statement:
We envision a world where people live, learn, work, and play in healthy, comfortable, and productive built spaces, enabled by smart digital technologies that ensure sustainable and economically responsible development and operation.
My collection of connections, observations, thoughts and interactions evolve daily with posts on social media:
My LinkedIn Shares
My Twitter Tweets
Interact with our magazine in real-time with over 4400 others.