The intent was to provide a high-level pathway for innovation which can be adapted for more specific purposes in different areas of civil engineering. The pathway applies equally to innovation in engineering processes, products and in design. This presentation is a living document which will be updated as we learn more and gain experience. The main sources for this knowledge were a literature review and practitioner workshops, backed by experience on several projects.

1. Innovation Pathway
for Infrastructure Solutions
Chris Jurewicz
Principal Research Engineer
Australian Road Research Board
chris.jurewicz@arrb.com.au

2. 2
The process of translating an idea or invention into a product or
service that creates value…
Definition
businessdictionary.com

3. 3
Innovation must:
• Satisfy a specific need of the users/customers
• Derive greater or different values from resources
• Be replicable at an economical cost.
Innovation involves:
• Deliberate application of information, imagination and initiative
• All processes by which new ideas are generated and converted into useful
outcomes.
Definition

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Evolutionary: new iPhone models, Windows 10
Quantum: smart phone, electric vehicles
Disruptive: Uber, Airbnb, autonomous vehicles.
Broad categories

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• External:
– New legislation
– Societal changes and community demands
– Budget reductions
– Competition
• Internal:
– Strategic objectives (e.g. 30% reduction in accidents)
– Cost pressures
– Identified demands, gaps or needs
– Business growth
Drivers of innovation

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• External
– Legal, e.g. Road Rules
– Government policy conflicts
– Conservative/stagnant leadership
– Funding – R&D seen as a luxury
• Internal
– Cultural – risk aversion, focus on compliance vs. growth
– Structural – high workloads, lack of staff rewards
– Strategic misalignment – some subject areas not favoured
– Lack of knowledge and understanding
– Fear of failure
– Risk and legal liability aversion
Barriers to innovation

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• Systemic pressures – cost-restraint, corporate culture
• Asymmetric incentives – biases leading to unintended
consequences
• Lack of proportion – innovating in areas of low net
gain, ‘can’t see the forest for the trees’
• Sustainability – ad-hoc innovation, no transition
towards innovation culture
Challenges in managing innovation

8. 8
FAILURE IS THE BEST
TEACHER

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• Currently 10 – 20 years (e.g. road design)
• Can we shrink it to 1.5 – 2 years?
Time from identifying the need to new practice
Exploitation
• Short-term
• Efficiency
• Discipline
• Clarity of direction
• Internal focus
• Productivity focus
Exploration
• Long-term
• Innovation
• Flexible adaptation
• Empowerment
• External focus
• Growth focus

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So how to innovate for if you are an engineer?
Review of best business innovation practices

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Design thinking – human-centred solutions
UNCERTAINTY - PATTERNS - INSIGTHS CLARITY - FOCUS
RESEARCH - CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT - PROTOTYPING - DESIGN PRACTICE

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CHALLENGE GOALS OPPORTUNITY SOLUTIONS SELECTION AGILE TRIAL GUIDANCE BENEFITS
Who are the
users,
clients? What
is the
challenge or
the need?
What needs
improvement?
Ask questions,
set objectives
& KPIs of
success.
Check with
users. Be
S.M.A.R.T.
Resources,
champions,
funding
partners,
user inputs.
Stimulate
creativity, best
practice scans,
identify
concepts. Co-
design with
users.
Select the
best concept
design
according to
KPIs.
Start with a
preliminary design
and a trial evaluation
framework, which
includes engineering
risk assessment to
identify, assess and
resolve critical risks.
Only then trial may
proceed in build –
measure – refine
cycles. Trial ends with
formal acceptance
vs. KPIs.
Disseminate,
train.
How is it
working out
for the users?
Long-term
evaluation
and review.
Innovation pathway

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• A must-have:
– Documents the challenge & objectives
– KPIs of success
– Captures the initial design concept
– Justifies its selection
– Documents risk assessment approach
– Sets of agile trial evaluation methods
– Identifies data needs
– Sets out acceptance / rejection criteria for the
final design
– It is a specification, can be outsourced
Agile trial: Trial evaluation framework

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• Identify all risks: safety, operations, assets, environment, community
• Use evidence & judgement to identify the critical risks
• Engineer them out, refine the concept design
• Customise established industrial design methods, e.g. PRA, FMEA
• Proceed to agile trial.
Example of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA)….
Agile trial: Engineering risk assessment

15. 15

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REFINE
AGILE
TRIAL
Implement the current
design.
Measure user
experience and technical
performance of the built
solution vs. KPIs, seek
new user / client inputs.
Analyse. What lessons
have been learned?
Optimise the solution to better
meet the needs, to improve
performance. Seek user / client
ideas. Document resulting
design changes.
Agile trial process

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• Consider trial outcomes and broader applicability of findings
• Clearly set out applicability of guidance, i.e. warrants for use
• Communicate benefits and risks
• Communicate technical / design details
• Set out long-term evaluation intent
• Set a review date
Set into guidance and practice

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Questions?
chris.jurewicz@arrb.com.au