The Translation Gap Between AEC and Technology
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
Introduction
Tech innovation in construction rarely fails due to a lack of ideas. Failure most often occurs when ideas do not reach the right people in a form that can be understood and acted upon. Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) organizations benefit most when genuine project needs are translated into solutions that work in practice, at all stages of project delivery .
A key missing ingredient in most innovation efforts is translation—the act of bridging disciplines and integrating insights. In this context, effective translation requires deep experience in both construction, design, and technology. The translator's role is to unite technical, operational, and strategic domains, ensuring newly developed digital or modular innovations deliver measurable impact on live projects.
Every discipline in the built environment holds domain expertise, but communication barriers persist: engineers focus on logic and risk, architects are driven by form and function, technologists optimize data and automation, and executives seek commercial certainty. Our experience across digital implementation and digital transformation underscores how these disconnects generate partial alignment, repeated work, and missed opportunities unless active translation occurs between layers.
Translation as a Tech Problem
Translation is central across every effort to modernize construction.
Many “disruptors” in technology enter the AEC sector with robust technical capabilities, yet overlook the need to translate project realities into product design and delivery.
For example, many overlook the complex commercial incentives and priorities of industry stakeholders. Persistent misalignment often arises because construction software is not designed to embed the best practices of contractors or align with the actual business processes that drive project value and profitability (Stevens et al. 2025). This results in tools that fail to address critical needs, decrease perceived value for practitioners, and reinforce gaps between industry practice and product development. Software vendors also frequently design solutions around generic project needs or commercial interests, rather than the day-to-day realities and incentives shaping contractor decision-making (Stevens et al. 2025).
Therefore, new software and platforms may never scale, or may add to coordination overhead instead of reducing it, simply because project realities are not reconciled with technological ambition.
Modern projects now stretch across architecture, engineering, digital systems, modular fabrication, procurement and supply chain traceability, logistics, and tighter regulatory constraints. Furthermore, the AEC industry is rapidly adopting AI, digital twins, and cloud collaboration tools, multiplying the number of data environments and interfaces that teams must navigate (Deloitte 2025, PlanRadar 2023). However, the pivotal conversations governing these systems continue to take place in silos. The impact of breaking down these silos is evident through approaches that map project handovers, surface hidden risks, and structure cross-disciplinary collaboration around delivery imperatives.
Insight 1: Meaning Over Detail
The proliferation of dashboards and digital models does not ensure progress. Project teams frequently find that the flood of data can obscure critical constraints or issues. In practice, the most effective technique is to ask each discipline:
“What is the one thing you need everyone else to understand before we proceed?”
This approach surfaces foundational issues rather than allowing them to be buried under information.
Insight 2: Start at the Boundaries
Digital transformation strategies are often derailed by attempts to standardize everything all at once. Substantial change comes by focusing on the boundaries: transitions from design to fabrication, office to site, or procurement to logistics. True progress is achieved by mapping these points, clarifying requirements and responsibilities, and closing any gaps and risks that occur at the handovers—the critical interfaces that MMC and digital delivery experts consistently target.
Insight 3: Translate for the Receiver
Executives require confidence and options, not technical minutiae. Field leaders need actionable clarity and well-defined escalation paths, not general strategy presentations. The most effective consulting and product strategies reframe information to match the needs of decision makers by quantifying risk for leadership and translating strategic objectives into actionable data flows for tech and project teams.
Equally important is the user perspective. Even if a decision is made at the top, adoption falters when those at the coalface—the end users—are not on board or do not see clear value. Solutions gain traction when users are engaged early, their on-the-ground knowledge informs design, and recommendations emerge organically from practical experience. Without meaningful user buy-in, even well-intentioned innovations struggle to take hold.
Why it Matters
Misinterpretation drives cost, delay, and low adoption of technology. Whether approval for a modular system stalls due to planning misunderstanding or a new platform is abandoned after rollout because site teams were not engaged, translation gaps are the core issue. Research and practical lessons show that integrating translation systematically into construction projects yields substantial commercial advantage (Alshboul et al. 2023, McKinsey 2024)
The Opportunity Ahead
Future gains in construction hinge on integration, not isolated innovation. Organizations that embed translation capability, by connecting engineering, design, digital intelligence, and strategy, will achieve the clarity and alignment needed for sustained project success. This approach shifts teams from fragmented systems to industry-leading coherence and performance.
Exelsiv Insight
Exelsiv helps organizations bridge the gap between site realities and technology-driven opportunity, with translation treated as a built-in capability rather than an afterthought. Our methodology connects strategic vision and technical innovation directly to real-world project delivery, ensuring integration does not stop at “implementation.” We partner with leaders ready to modernize ways of working and achieve outcomes that are more precise, productive, and future-ready.
Curious how digital integration and technology translation could strengthen your business? Get in touch with Exelsiv and let’s talk about building smarter, together.
References
Alshboul, M., Al Adwan, O., & Al-Kilidar, H. (2023). Barriers to the Adoption of Digitalization in the Construction Industry: Perspectives of Owners, Consultants, and Contractors. Construction Economics and Building, 23(2), 41-62. https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/AJCEB/article/view/8636/8330
Deloitte (2025). State of Digital Adoption in the Construction Industry 2025. Industry report commissioned by Autodesk. Retrieved from https://www.deloitte.com/au/en/services/economics/analysis/state-digital-adoption-construction-industry.html.
McKinsey (2024). Delivering on construction productivity is no longer optional. McKinsey & Company, Industry report. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/delivering-on-construction-productivity-is-no-longer-optional
PlanRadar, (2023). Digitalisation in the Construction and Real Estate Sector. PlanRadar, Industry Report. Retrieved from https://info.planradar.com/hubfs/Whitepapers/UK%20Ebooks/Ebook_ConstructionDigitalisationSurvey_Nov23.pdf
Stevens, A., Smith, B., & Chang, C. (2025). The Great Misalignment in Construction Contracting: Best Practices and Software. Proceedings of The Sixth International Conference on Civil and Building Engineering Informatics, Volume 22, 2025, Pages 979–989. Retrieved from https://easychair.org/publications/paper/bj72/open
