What If We Reclaimed "Innovation" in Construction?

Innovation.

In recent years, the word - and the mandate - has become tarnished in the industry.

Innovation has been mistakenly equated with technology, leading many in construction to invest in tools and systems that fail to deliver results. These efforts often create new frustrations: more silos, increased inefficiencies, and a continued lack of visibility into critical business decisions.

This is the essence of the ConTech dilemma.

Let’s move past the obsession with "shiny objects" and the buzzwords like "disrupting the industry" – after all, who really wants to be disrupted??

"Take your innovation theatre and get out of here!"

What if we reframed - and reclaimed - innovation?

Innovation isn’t a grand gesture—it’s the deliberate steps you take today to create measurable positive change.

The creation of value is the defining characteristic of innovation.

Next week, we’ll join leaders at the MEP Innovation event in Los Angeles, where we’ll undoubtedly hear about game-changing technologies and bold visions. What I'm eager to get a pulse on is how much of the conversation is anchored in real bottom-line business improvement.

That might sound hypocritical coming from someone who works in the "data" world - a former innovation theatre performer - but let me explain.

Innovation isn’t a shiny gadget or a big, bold idea that grabs headlines. True innovation—the kind that changes businesses—is a deliberate process anchored in creating measurable value.

It begins not with leaps, but with small, purposeful steps to make something better and create value.

Let me tell you a story. We've been working with a company that has a vision to implement a critical information asset they use to monitor every active project.

They have a great vision supported by the right technology and compelling project-critical information asset developed.

The only problem?

It doesn’t work. It takes too long to run and fails about half the time.

Late last year, we got our chance at fixing the performance issue. Long story short, we reduced the refresh run time by over 90% - from hours to single-digit minutes, pretty much real time information.

Big win!

The point of this (self-serving) story is that we had an idea an how to make the project monitor better - in this case timely and trusted. When the new project monitor is rolled out - timely, trusted progress information will improve project outcome.

It will expand profit margins.

By how much? That is the business science and art of "data alchemy" - a game-changing tool in innovation management.

If Trailblazers were to reclaim "innovation" in the pursuit of profit expansion, what would that look like?

• Prioritizing business outcomes over "silver bullet" technologies and "innovation theatre".

• Assessing the potential business benefit of the business improvement initiative - measured in dollars.

• Starting now - rather than waiting for the "ducks to align" (hint: they never do)

A Trailblazer recently told us they wanted to "hold off" until they had a new executive in the seat.

"Bad idea," I let them know. "Newton's First Law, an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stay in motion".

This is a common challenge: waiting for the "perfect moment" often stalls progress. Momentum drives innovation, and even small steps forward can create that momentum while aligning with long-term goals.

You can change the size of the step - the pace of innovation - but why would you ever stop improving the business?

Reclaiming innovation - real innovation - is about making the business better—improving processes, reducing inefficiencies, and expanding profit margins. If you can’t measure it on your income statement, is it really innovation? I don’t think so.

Here’s the hard truth: waiting for the perfect time or the perfect tool doesn’t work. You have to create innovation. You have to manufacture measurable business improvements.

It’s work - important and game-changing work.

When is “now” the right time to start?

Here are a few questions to kickstart your thinking:

• Where is value trapped in your business?

• Is manual data entry eating up your team’s time?

• Are you struggling to make decisions because your data lives in silos?

Pick one area. Just one. And take the first step.

Small steps create big impact.

They’re not flashy, but they’re meaningful. They’re not loud, but they’re powerful. One step forward today sets you up for better decisions, stronger margins, and a more resilient business tomorrow.

Trailblazers like you know this. That’s why you’re here, reading this, thinking about what comes next. The future of innovation isn’t a grand leap—it’s built step by step.

So, what’s your first step going to be?

Make it now. And don’t look back.

If you're a Trailblazer and would like to riff, call me. No charge.

Chris

Founder & CEO, Aedo

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