Ode to the demand for help: this is precisely where craftsmanship arises

When was the last time you genuinely asked for help, asks Pim van Meer in this Digital Maze. We pretend to know, while the most beautiful things begin when you express: I can't figure it out.

There is a lot of talk in our world about vision. About innovation. About leadership. About transitions, strategies and breakthroughs. All fine words. Fine words, too. But if I'm completely honest, real progress usually starts somewhere else. Not with the vision. Not with the pitch. Not with the man or woman with the best story.

It starts with the request for help.

With someone who says: this is not going well.
With someone who dares to admit it: I don't get this yet.
When someone speaks out loud: this is where we lose money, quality, time or focus - and I don't know exactly how to fix it.

That is the most beautiful moment in our entire chain.

Because asking for help is rare. Not because there are few problems, but because there are few people who really dare to name them. In our sector, asking for explanations is still too often exciting. As if your business card wrinkles when you admit that something is not going well. While the reverse is true: craftsmanship usually starts right there.

Contractors didn't ever start using 3D models en masse because they woke up with a romantic desire for BIM. The real reason was much more prosaic: Failure costs were too brutal. Having the building fail first in the computer turned out to be cheaper than on site. That's not a love story. That's a very clear request for help.

Developers didn't get hooked on MiniBIM either because they suddenly got a soft spot for data structures. The immediate cause was the disappearance of square footage for sale in the design process. And when millions leak out of a project somewhere without anyone seeing it coming right, suddenly a model becomes very attractive. Not out of hobby, not our beautiful story either, but out of pure necessity. That too is a real demand for help.

Sustainability consultants did not link their analyses to models because it looked so nice in an innovation program. That happened because projects stopped coming out. Because sustainability requirements were getting tougher, and the traditional way of working provided insights too late. So there was a need for help.

Prefab suppliers and subcontractors didn't slide into the model early because the industry was finally becoming so mature and cozy. They joined because elements didn't fit, connections went wrong and warranties came under pressure. There was yet another demand for help.

Housing associations are massively adopting 3D digitization. Because it looks so nice and the rest of the chain is doing it too? No, the challenges are so great and staffing is no longer adequate, so anything you can semi-automate you have to tackle. A pure request for help!

And that is precisely why I believe in the request for help.
Because he is humble.
Because he is concrete.
Because he doesn't start with ego, but with reality.

Perhaps that is also why I like him so much in the Netherlands. We are a country that has become great by taking fiddling together seriously. The dike leaks. The country is sinking. The sum doesn't add up. Nobody says: what an opportunity for disruption. We say: Guys, this has to change, otherwise we'll drown.. (read the previous column) That, if you look closely, is simply a national ode to the request for help.

And yet we still find it exciting. Especially in the real estate chain. Developers, architects, corporations, consultants, builders - all smart people, all busy, all professional. But also all raised in a culture where you'd rather pretend to know than say quietly: I cannot get out of here.

While that is precisely where the most beautiful things arise.

MiniGIM for area development is such a wonderful example, as far as I'm concerned. This did not arise from chest-beating, but from a simple, honest question from one large party to another: That project level is nice, but can this also be done for area development? Because that's where pieces of land, parking lots and housing disappear from view, and that's where serious money is involved.

That is not weakness. That's civilization. I thought that was really great @BPD!

This is about competitors not making each other smaller, but together recognizing that a problem is bigger than their own pride.

Maybe that's why I love collecting requests for help.
Because that's where the real knowledge is.
Not in the people who shout the loudest that they already know, but in the people who can point out exactly where there are problems.

So bring on your request for help.
Chances are that others are walking around with it.
We are even more likely to be able to help each other when someone finally says it out loud.

And let me just be honest myself: I very regularly have a request for help. Perhaps that is exactly why I trust people who dare to ask. They are usually already further along than those who just send.

So this is a call, look me up on linkedin and ask your question or come up with your solution direction. There are certainly like-minded people in our network.

Filing moment

The sector is not short of ideas.
The sector has too few people who dare to say without drama where it hurts.

So no, this is not an ode to innovation.
This is an ode to the request for help.

About Pim's digital maze

In this column, Pim takes you into the sometimes wonderful, tangled but rapidly changing world of digitization. He draws on his experiences as director of digitalization at VORM. Pim is outspoken, critical, but above all wants to help you. Are you stuck in the digital maze? Pim helps you find the way out.... Do you have a question for Pim or are you looking to get in touch with him? Follow Pim on LinkedIN.