Ryan Dempsey charts The Compliance Workbook’s journey from a bright idea to a unique, innovative technology pinpointing construction and asset risk in a way many never thought possible
It doesn’t feel that long ago that I was considering how beneficial my idea would be to those who would use it, yet at the time it was just a fragile idea locked in my head. I knew it was a massive opportunity but had no idea how to take it to the next level and beyond.
There are many impressive pieces of software out there, but I very rarely come across innovative technology that sits seamlessly into a process, and which provides a wealth of return without a whole process of change management.
I’ve always believed that innovation is something that improves a process, not something that simply recreates a different way to do a process. Another stumbling block to innovative technology is the inevitable emotional barriers. People get comfortable with what they have and how they do it so as soon as you introduce something new, their whole world turns upside down, and resistance sets in. With that, how many mistakes or errors are created, ultimately how much does the change really cost? Is it ever really accepted?
So, how is The Compliance Workbook (TCW) different? TCW is one piece of the jigsaw. It’s the piece people interact with, the user platform that turns all the smart technology data insights into plain English. Our technology does stuff that no one has ever thought of before. Bold statement I know, but I am proud of the fact we’ve taken a brand new idea and made it into a successful software company benefiting a lot of people throughout multiple industries.
The most impressive thing about our innovative technology is the fact we’ve combined the quirky, extremely intelligent developer mindsets with detailed specifics in the construction and compliance industry to create something unique, with real value.
The issue of risk is publicly thrown at us through poor maintenance and a lack of proactive management. The Grenfell incident shows us that tunnel vision, lack of competence and inaccurate/purely reactive management can result in the unthinkable.
TCW uploads your compliance documents, pinpoints risk and clearly demonstrates your risk profile in a way that people didn’t think would ever be possible. People get comfortable with the ‘tools’ they have available to carry out their jobs. TCW is a ‘tool’ that everyone wants, but that everyone thinks doesn’t, or couldn’t, exist. However, to address the ever-changing risk management tasks and the ‘unconscious incompetence’ riddled throughout the country today new thinking is demanded.
A sad truth is that our innovative technology is also a ‘tool’ that people don’t want to see in the market. Our ability to expose the raw elements of risks within any building services or compliance team is something that forces change. Don’t get me wrong, this change is needed and is something we would eventually be forced to look at, it’s just TCW has enabled this change to happen now. The sad part is that some people would rather keep the blinkers on than face the harsh reality of what it will take to ensure safety when it comes to compliance.
Output from TCW software
Let’s go through working examples of how our technology is been used successfully. There is the social housing sector, where our technology is sold into the market through a white-labelled product called CORGI Compliance Document Management System (CDMS), the market leader and award-winning product in this sector.
We also have the rail sector, where our technology is used to ingest all electrical documents for Trenatalia c2c. All 26 train stations’ Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) were input into the software. Around five minutes later, the software produced in-depth insights from the data extracts and analytics, which placed so much power in the client’s hands it was amazing.
The data extract produced a list of the types, makes, models and ratings of equipment throughout the infrastructure (see charts). It instantly flagged non-compliance which will, and has, been missed by a human. It informed the asset management team of the competence of those carrying out servicing and gave them a clear understanding of current and lifecycle planning responsibilities.
We’ve built TCW from the ground up and have avoided old, unreliable innovative technology, like Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which is unable to provide a seamless user interface and experience.
Our uniqueness is a massive selling point and the future looks exciting for the company. Bringing technology into the construction industry has been hard for several reasons, something I will cover in another article…
Ryan Dempsey
Founder
The Compliance Workbook
ryan@thecomplianceworkbook.com
