This award is a testament to the efforts taken by Afconians over the last decade to create a Knowledge Enterprise.

Rudolf D'souza, Chief Knowledge Officer, Afcons

Afcons became the only Indian infrastructure organisation to be awarded the prestigious Global MIKE Award (Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise) for the fifth consecutive year in 2020. The MIKE Award is the highest acknowledgement that an organization is successfully leveraging its intellectual capital to generate value. MIKE builds on the erstwhile MAKE award - Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise. Afcons's Chief Knowledge Officer Rudolf D'souza explains why the MIKE award is a validation of the progress that Afcons is making to achieve its vision of being a 'Knowledge Enterprise'. Excerpts from an exclusive interview…

Afcons has won Global MIKE Award for the fifth consecutive year. Could you throw some light on this and what makes Afcons create such a niche legacy? 

Afcons is known for successfully executing some of the most challenging and complex projects in India and abroad. The operational excellence framework has enabled Afcons in before-time delivery of projects resulting in widespread appreciation and recognition. At the same time every project generates perceptible wealth of new knowledge and innovation. If this knowledge were to be captured, shared and reused in our next projects, it would put Afcons on a different level. It was this insight, and our assessment that we need to create a new differentiation that would be difficult to clone, that led to the initiation of Knowledge Management. 

Over time, we have developed strong processes which allow us to quickly learn from the experience at our projects and deploy these insights to similar situations in other projects. Robust technology layer helps in ensuring that this knowledge is provided at the right time to the right people.

The Global MIKE Award is an international accolade for companies distinguished as the Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise. This is a highly prestigious and coveted award, and the list of winners include international conglomerates, consulting organisations and IT majors. The award recognises companies who are able to generate knowledge capital through their people, processes and technology. This award is a testament to the efforts taken by Afconians over the last decade to create a Knowledge Enterprise.

How have you been able to leverage the 'Intellectual Capital' to generate value while building the most unique and extreme projects all over the world?

Our knowledge processes are based on the robust 'Learn Before, Learn During and Learn After' model. We undertake specific knowledge activities right from the award of the LOI to the completion of the project. These activities are designed to provide the right knowledge to the right person at the right time. Simultaneously the process of knowledge capture happens throughout the lifecycle of the project. This allows us to learn from our successes and mistakes and quickly share them across to other similar projects or activities.

The Technical Training Department, an integral part of the Knowledge Services Group (KSG), is the key driver for building the technical competency of our engineers. Formal processes have been designed to disseminate knowledge in a targeted and structured manner.  

At present, the effort is on to make every project achieve 'Knowledge Leadership' by integrating knowledge processes into their routines and creating a cadre of Knowledge 'Ambassadors' in order to have visible, measurable, and sustainable impact of knowledge on delivery.

How have you been able to integrate manpower, machinery and technology, especially with the advent of digital and disruptive technologies to create a legacy in building assets that have become signature projects in the country?

Digital technologies have immense potential in transforming how construction is done. The strategic shift to become a knowledge enterprise was in part a response to the changing landscape. Money, machinery and manpower continue to be the key resources - universally. But leveraging knowledge resources and creating the associated culture, mindset and processes is the game changer.

Every year we pilot several emerging technologies to see how we can benefit from them. Some of the technologies that we use include Building Information Modelling (BIM), drone survey, LIDAR, advanced analytics, IOT and use of VR and simulators for training staff and workmen. Apart from digital technologies we also invest in the latest and state-of-the-art machinery. Some of the unique equipment include our own tunnel boring machines, heavy-duty cable cranes as well as marine jack up barges. In several projects we have also partnered with our vendors and suppliers to deliver customised construction chemical solutions for the benefit of the project.

The so called 'disruption' due to the Covid-19 pandemic has been beneficial to Afcons. The organization quickly embraced collaborative technologies. Knowledge sharing became easier and more democratised. Our global partners- Technology &engineering consultants and suppliers, academic institutes, domain experts etc have stepped in and conducted myriad webinars on different domains to a larger pool of participants.

People, process, technology and relationship form the bedrock of the Afcons' Operational Excellence Framework. It provides the compass to navigate, sustain and improve our people capacity and project delivery capability. 

What is your take on the importance of converting a company as a 'knowledge enterprise' raising the benchmark?

Afcons has a vision of becoming a Knowledge Enterprise. Being a Knowledge Enterprise has manifold benefits for the company as well as the industry. It improves our competitiveness, as we continue to undertake challenging projects globally as well as in India. Our clients benefit as they are not only getting the experience and knowledge of the project team but, in fact, the experience and knowledge of the entire organisation.

This helps us to address challenging problems in projects and ensure that we are able to deliver as per schedule. Our partners (JV partners, suppliers, vendors and subcontractors) also benefit through our knowledge capabilities. In several instances, we have been able to give value added inputs to our partners to improve their productivity and lower their cost. This makes us a partner of choice in the industry. And, finally, the industry also benefits as we share our knowledge and learning through various industry platforms and committees. In this manner, Afcons delivers knowledge-based solutions to clients.

At Afcons, we have always stayed ahead of the curve in terms of identifying changing trends and introducing innovative solutions that meet the new requirements. Cost consciousness and profitability, operational excellence, efficiency improvement, Improvation™ (The Afcons trademarked and copyrighted innovation framework) will continue to remain the essential prerequisites for maintaining the long-term health and growth of the organisation.

What we have seen is that the relentless focus on delivery and the desire to execute projects ahead of schedule, within budget and with highest customer satisfaction, leads to a mindset of constantly looking for ways to innovate and set new benchmarks. This unique culture is fuelling the organisation in its strategic intent to become a 'Knowledge Enterprise'.

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