Poor data is a finding
Waiting for the data to be ready sounds prudent. The state of the data is often the first answer worth having.
Notes
These are short working notes on digital, data and AI in infrastructure, mostly about how large owners decide and what one development commits another to.
The dull checks
Most of the effort on AI in capital delivery goes into producing documents. The better return is in checking the ones that already arrive.
What makes a digital twin worth relying on
What it takes for an owner to rely on a digital twin for a decision, and why procurement sets the conditions for reliance rather than guaranteeing it.
Headroom
Most long-life assets hold something that ages far faster than they do. What you are really buying is the room to change what is inside.
The reliance question
Working once is a low bar. Whether an organisation can rely on a capability is settled upstream, in procurement and ownership, before go-live.
Published elsewhere
These are my most recent articles and talks for other publications and institutions. The full list goes back to 2022.
- From pilot to enterprise: Scaling AI across construction organizationsBig 5 Global, panel moderator, November 2026
- The long-term consequences of a really good ideaInstitution of Civil Engineers, Inside Infrastructure, October 2026
- When every consultancy looks the same, where does innovation go?Institution of Civil Engineers, Inside Infrastructure, September 2026
- Engineers, if it's not in the contract, it's unlikely to happenInstitution of Civil Engineers, Inside Infrastructure, September 2026
- Digital delivery depends on engineering judgementNew Civil Engineer, Spotlight opinion, August 2026
- Meet the engineers: Steven YuleInstitution of Civil Engineers, profile, August 2026
- The limits of efficiency: not every slow step in engineering is wasteInstitution of Civil Engineers, Inside Infrastructure, July 2026