Using geotechnical innovation to reduce project riskKeynote Address

Project risk is commonly defined as an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on a project’s objectives. As the construction industry continues to deliver larger and more complex projects, improving how we manage project risk is a key priority for clients, contractors and designers. Within this digital age, innovation and change in our industry will play a key part in how we manage risks and deliver projects. This paper considers how we can define ‘innovation’ and how innovation can be promoted within organisations and on projects. The classification of something as innovative can vary widely depending on its novelty and context. The journey from creativity (an idea) to a productive solution (innovation) is difficult and frequently does not materialise. Three examples of innovation are presented to highlight the range of productive solutions that can be considered as innovation within their context.

1. The development and benefits of public Geotechnical Databases; novel within the context of Victoria
2. Incremental innovation in the use of InSAR satellite monitoring.
3. Radical/modular innovation using automated processed to import piling construction records back into project models to validate QA and geotechnical ground models.