Changing to a system-based approach means government clients will need to critically understand the inputs and constraints that inform infrastructure deliverability, such as materials, skills, plant and equipment.
This critical understanding is required on multiple levels: policy, portfolio planning and on individual projects. Earlier is better, as it allows governments and industry to react with sufficient time.
Adopting a systems-based approach to planning infrastructure will require process change, with a minimal investment in skills and systems delivering large rewards. Such approaches have been successfully implemented and achieved by other sectors, including automotive and manufacturing.11
Through a systems-based mindset, these sectors have already captured benefits associated with 'industrialisation' - the move to systematized production and manufacturing, including a greater use of modern methods of construction, bulk purchasing arrangements, and more integrated supply-chain involvement.
Infrastructure, including construction, needs to shift towards industrialisation to reverse the stagnating productivity trend of the past three decades. This will lead to a more efficient workforce and higher productivity, delivering better quality infrastructure with reduced waste at lower cost.