“I’m going to come right out and ask you.  Is it [shiny new-ish /complex solution] worth it?” asked a Senior Asset Management leader.  And then my lawyer’s answer.  “Well, it depends.  What exactly are you trying to achieve?  What is your attitude to risk?  To what extent can you collaborate for innovation?”   The next question (paraphrased) frames this presentation.  It followed on from the same conversation repeated with a construction program management consultant.   

“What communication and prediction technique would best help infrastructure owners and their agents justifiably invest in and realize the benefits of significant construction process innovation – specifically the transformation of project and asset information management – as a foundation for better decision making and sustainability throughout the project and remaining asset lifecycle?”

Although some large public and private infrastructure owners have already invested in related strategies, the answer to the question of value assurance is not immediately obvious and any potential framework doubtless has its limitations.  Due to the systemic nature of the problem and the emerging solutions, we utilized systems thinking methods including configuration of a non-linear programming capability.  The result was a conceptual scenario and sensitivity analysis simulation platform that approximately predicts a wide range of potential value outcomes at the outset and as the project progresses.  The essential functionality and pros and cons of the methodology and its suitability for other problems will be discussed.