Hitting a goal is important, but the key issue that gives a real advantage is to go to the goal that they do not see yet. Remigiusz Pyszka, Country Leader MTWO and Mateusz Buczkowski, Consultant Team Lead MTWO, SoftwareONE

SoftwareOne is a well-known software and cloud solutions provider. Can you tell us more about SoftwareOne and your offering for the construction industry?

SoftwareOne is a leading global provider of end-to-end software and cloud technology solutions. With more than 8,200 employees and sales and service delivery capabilities in 90 countries, we deliver on a global scale with a local touch. SoftwareOne provides more than 65,000 customers with software and cloud solutions from over 7,500 publishers. Our offer for the construction industry is MTWO Construction Cloud, an end-to-end integrated enterprise cloud platform that connects all project stakeholders, processes, and data, providing unparalleled collaboration and efficiency. SoftwareOne entered into a unique partnership with industry powerhouse Schneider Electric to become the global distribution and service provider of MTWO, with the primary objective of helping the AEC industry digitally transform their business for maximum efficiency and productivity. The robust solution is highly configurable with modules that address every phase of the building lifecycle and an open API that seamlessly integrates with other business critical solutions. It delivers full project control, cost transparency, and real-time intelligent data. MTWO helps businesses lay a sustainable, long-term digital foundation, while winning work, increasing efficiencies, mitigating risk, and reducing their environmental impact.

That’s an impressive partnership approach! Does the platform address any specific industry needs?

MTWO helps solve for stagnated productivity in the construction industry that historically slower adopt new technologies. Explosion of point solutions that aim to address short-term business needs, does not provide a sustainable, long-term solution, often with lack integration, leaving construction businesses with disparate systems. This leads to multiply data entry and create data silos, opening businesses up to more costly errors and increased risk. When data is siloed in separate systems, a lot of time is wasted transferring this data between the different systems. This lack of digitalization hinders not only the efficiency of individual team members, but it can slow down an entire project. MTWO aims to change that. It delivers productivity gains by offering a sustainable long-term solution to address construction technology needs. Connecting all stakeholders, processes, and data throughout the entire project lifecycle in one integrated platform not only increases efficiency and productivity, but it helps construction firms and owners to plan more effectively by connecting their 3D BIM design to project time and cost to facilitate an integrated 5D optimized plan. It has the potential to be a game-changer in the market.

Why is MTWO a game-changer in the market?

MTWO’s connected data can deliver time and cost savings at every stage of the project lifecycle, while its commitment to sustainability helps reduce waste and rework, transforming the way projects are delivered. Currently, there is no other similar solution which would be able to connect without “gaps” all people and data in one database. By saying this, I mean the real interactive connections, which create a real-time reflection of reality (digital twin). In MTWO we can connect everything: 2D drawings, 3D models, schedules, costs, resources and many other, in order to gain maximum situational awareness and possibility to forecast accurately. Previous technologies have provided incremental gains, but MTWO can significantly improve digitalization across the industry. Most competitors offer a tool that addresses only a portion of the project lifecycle, but with end-to-end capabilities, MTWO is the most complete construction enterprise cloud platform on the market today.

Technology is constantly developing. How do you ensure you offer competitive products and what makes MTWO stand out from competitors?

MTWO is at the forefront of green building practices, constantly exploring new ways to reduce the environmental impact of construction, including its integration with Building Transparency’s Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) which empowers stakeholders to evaluate a project’s overall carbon emissions and utilize that information to procure low carbon material alternatives. MTWO also enables a smart digital material passport, which can be linked to a 3D model of a building, enabling circular construction. The connected data allows teams to evaluate the effectiveness of previous sustainability efforts and make necessary changes to help improve future results. When all people do they everyday work in the same platform, they contribute to the same database. We can automatize a lot of processes then. The reporting can be done automatically. Such automatic reports are linked to the real working environment, they reflect always real and actual data. There is no better reporting system, which can be also a great base for forecasting and prediction models. Additionally, SoftwareOne has a unique approach to platform delivery by utilizing industry consultants instead of a traditional sales team. Our consultants have deep construction backgrounds and understand the ins and outs of efficiently managing construction projects and how technology can play a pivotal role. At SoftwareOne our people are driven to deliver for our clients.

What is a key capability in construction operations able to get more out from the investment?

Construction market is not easy nowadays. Many companies need to optimize how they work to keep the profitability. A key element of today’s construction environment is data literacy and understanding how to interpret data and use it to make decisions. Having access to accurate data that is presented in an understandable way is a common factor for many successful organizations. However, in order to achieve this, it is necessary to equip your teams with appropriate knowledge, competences and integrated tools. Showing your team that technology and data can positively impact their decision-making ability, meaning it saves time, improves efficiency, reduces waste, and prevents reprocessing. Having a data management and digital transformation strategy is not only essential but also useful for organizations of any size of revenue, whether large or small. We can recalculate the costs associated with the implementation of the project, but what is the cost of not making better decisions or not making work easier, lack of productivity, lack of efficiency? Knowing exact data allows to reduce contingencies, which results in better margin optimization. That simply means that you can bid lower in tenders, win more contracts and keep the same margin at a time.

Is data driven decision making the way to construction business success?

The data management journey should be intentional and answer the question of what would look different if we were able to use our data and generate qualitative conclusions based on it that can be used in the decision-making process. An important step here is the adoption of a common, standardized data environment, i.e. defining a single source of information used to collect, manage and share documentation, graphical model and non-graphical data with the entire project team. There is truly tremendous value in how we can use data to make better decisions and achieve better results. This requires to change the way of thinking, coordination and commitment across the entire organization in order to use the power of data. Successful data driven transformation strategies follow only at holistic approach. Harnessing the power of data is one of the best ways to improve margins and can not only make you better at hitting a target, but it can also make you better at hitting a target others can’t see yet. The question is are we ready to use them to help our businesses be more profitable, which means to confirm our management competencies, efficiency and productive? The overriding issue is not where the data comes from and how we collect it, but whether it is the right data and whether we analyze it in the right way, in the right moment within the correct and integrated platform. This is where the MTWO platform driven decision making the way to construction business success.

Why is quality data so important and how to use them to gain a competitive advantage?

There is widespread talk in the industry about data management issues and the ever-increasing need to make quick decisions in the field and focus on project generated data. Unfortunately, despite recognizing the above challenges, many people still make decisions without using data. The basic advantage that allows you to permanently build and maintain competitiveness is the ability to thoroughly use the data you have. The world is developing more dynamically than years ago, and those who acquire the ability to properly use data in a way that improves the performance of their organizations will achieve a greater competitive advantage in the development of their organizations and their ability to compete in the market.

Only in the last three years there has been a sharp increase in the amount of generated data by over 50%. The key is to understand that the amount of data is not the same as its quality. A study by McKinsey showed that approximately 43% of organizations do not make high-quality decisions. About one in three bad decisions was the result of bad data. Such bad data, while still relevant, is often inaccurate or incomplete and cannot be properly used to gain new insights. Most managers know the power of good or useful data. This is where the need for a formal data management strategy based on single source platform like MTWO becomes really apparent, as collecting good or useful data is part of it. The data strategy must include information on how the organization plans not only to manage this information once it is collected, but how to use it and how to share it with others internally and externally. When we talk about using information, we mean using it to make better decisions and avoid avoidable mistakes. Business performance can be improved by having better and more accurate data to evaluate. Such improvements can be seen in quality assurance when data is centralized rather than lost in disconnected silos. Reporting capabilities can also be improved, making data even easier to interpret for all stakeholders at both project and organizational levels. Finally, data is something you can control. This is part of your business where making improvements can potentially improve margins and profitability.

Is that possible to tailor the solution to customer current needs? What will happen if the challenges would require solution expansion/other modules?

MTWO is a vertical ERP solution that means we are specialized and focused on the construction market only. Our platform understands the industry and usually there is not much need for optimization, as in case of general, all purpose platforms. This is good news, especially for the clients who already went long and often costly path of “overcustomization”. Our solution is tailored for the industry, so usually only minor adjustments need to be implemented.

What is the key factor determining the success of the implementation of the new technology?

The technology needs to bring innovation and market leverage, but on the other hand needs to be easy to apply and use on everyday basis. Every team member needs to understand how to operate it effectively. We must bear in mind that technology can greatly contribute to the success of an organization when properly used and implemented by the right teams, as it can also pose a risk if a problem is misdiagnosed or only the symptoms are treated. Acquiring technology alone does not make an innovative company. While technology is an aspect of innovative organizations, real innovation requires much more than that. It boils down to the proper use of resources: people, processes, technology and data. With MTWO we try not to change the current environment, but to migrate it to another place. The changes happens in the background, where other processes are being automatized. Another important factor of successful implementation is well prepared consulting team. All our consultants are experienced civil engineers, so they can fully understand clients’ employees and answer their needs.

You recently went through a global rebrand – could you tell us more about what this means for your business?

Our new brand identity and market positioning reflect our transformation over the last five years. During this time, SoftwareOne has evolved from a licensing reseller to a global software and cloud solutions provider. We have expanded our professional and managed services portfolio organically and via acquisitions, adding over 5,500 new employees and tripling in size since 2018. We have also developed vertical expertise in the construction, finance, government, and nonprofit sectors.

The new brand identity reflects the all-in-one value we bring to the market, as we help to redefine how the world buys, builds, and manages everything cloud. We have built a holistic offering and an exceptional team of experts to serve our clients along their entire cloud journeys.

What are your plans for the near future? What should Polish market expect soon?

The circumstances of market changes in recent years has made us convinced that those who use and will continue to use the quality data to make informed decisions and gain insight into the results of their activities will eventually emerge as unquestionable leaders in construction for next decades. The MTWO solution in line with the market changes is also subject to dynamic development every year bringing new functionalities, including those related to AI, sustainable development and other megatrends. For us the future is now!

Remigiusz Pyszka – Country Leader MTWO

Graduate of MBA, CIM, Project Management and Automation and Control and Measurement Equipment. Enthusiast and promoter of new technologies, including digital transformation, with over twenty (20) years of experience in managing the development of the specialist products market. Currently, he supports companies in the field of digital transformation, cloud solutions, data management and change management. 

Mateusz Buczkowski – Consultant Team Lead MTWO

Experience in managing portfolios of construction projects in the office, retail and industrial sectors. Expert in the area of Technical Due Diligence. He uses his professional experience in the construction industry to seek optimization and implement modern solutions in the area of digital transformation in construction companies.

Last Updated on March 29, 2023 by Valeriia Honcharuk