From technology potential to business impact

According to Autodesk's 2027 State of Design & Make report, 98% of organisations report measurable benefits from digital transformation, yet only 44% consider themselves digitally mature, highlighting that transformation is an ongoing journey rather than a destination.

To explore these challenges and opportunities, we spoke with several of Symetri's digital transformation specialists, each bringing a different perspective on what it takes to turn technology investments into measurable business value. Throughout this series, we'll explore how organisations can bridge the gap between technology potential and business impact, from aligning digital initiatives with business goals and adopting AI effectively, to building digital capability, new ways of working and creating connected workflows through better use of data.

The gap between technology and business outcomes

The building and design industry has never had greater access to technology and digital tools than today. AI, cloud platforms, and automation are evolving rapidly – increasing efficiency, improving collaboration and decision-making. Yet having access to technology is not the same as achieving business value from it. While many organisations are investing in digital transformation initiatives, they often struggle to translate those investments into measurable improvements in productivity, project delivery, operational performance, or business growth.

Linking back to Autodesk’s recent report, the majority of organisations have achieved a 50% or greater return on their digital transformation investments through improvements in areas such as productivity, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Yet many continue to face challenges, scaling those benefits across the wider organisation and embedding them into everyday ways of working.

The most successful organisations recognise that technology alone is only part of the equation. Lasting business value comes from connecting technology with people, processes and data, ensuring digital investments support clear business objectives and deliver meaningful outcomes across the organisation.

In practice, this can mean creating greater visibility into software and technology usage to reduce unnecessary costs, standardising digital delivery processes across teams and offices, connecting fragmented data to improve decision-making, or investing in the skills and support needed to drive adoption. These initiatives are often less about implementing new technology and more about ensuring existing investments work effectively together.

The challenge for business leaders today is no longer whether technology is being adopted, but whether its impact can be measured, scaled and clearly linked to business outcomes.

Transformation happens when technology and ways of working come together

Organisations invest millions in technology with the expectation that it will drive productivity and competitive advantage. But technology alone does not create transformation. The real challenge is not simply implementing new tools but changing how people work with them.

Technology creates new opportunities, but business value is created when organisations redesign workflows, align people and processes, and make better use of their data. Without these changes, new technology can simply add another layer of complexity rather than solving it.

This is where Symetri plays an important role. We start by understanding our customers’ challenges, ambitions, and ideas they have not yet been able to turn into reality. From that point, we combine industry expertise, technology, AI, and software development to translate their digital ambitions into practical solutions and new ways of working.

We've seen first-hand how connecting technology with people, processes and data can deliver measurable business value. For example, we helped Purcell Architecture gain greater visibility into software usage across the business, helping save £80,000 in licensing costs during its first renewal period while supporting continued business growth. Rather than simply implementing another technology platform, the project focused on improving visibility, decision-making and the way resources were managed across the organisation.

Whether it's implementing AI, connecting data across systems, automating repetitive processes or developing bespoke applications, our focus is on helping customers understand, adopt and integrate technology into customers’ day-to-day workflows in a way that delivers measurable business value.

— One of the most common mistakes I see is organisations treating digital transformation simply as a technology project. At Symetri, we start with the business challenge rather than technology. We listen to what our customers want to achieve and help turn their ambitions into practical solutions that people can use in their day-to-day workflows says Jonas Lau, Head of AI & Development Nordic, Symetri Europe.

— There can be enormous complexity behind the scenes, but our job is to make the outcome simple, valuable and easy to implement. Ultimately, transformation happens when technology, people, processes, and data come together to create measurable business outcomes.

But technology implementation is only one part of the equation. For organisations to realise lasting value, they also need to ensure their people have the skills, confidence and support to adopt new ways of working.

Build capability for lasting value

What does future competitiveness look like if technology investment alone is not enough to create business advantage? Organisations need people with the skills, confidence and support to use technology effectively. By investing in digital capability, organisations can strengthen adoption, improve collaboration and ensure that technology investments continue to deliver value after implementation is complete.

This is becoming increasingly important as technology evolves. Organisations that build digital capability are better positioned to adapt to change, embrace innovation and maximise the value of their technology investments. Creating lasting value requires more than deploying new tools. It requires people who understand how to use them effectively and confidently in their everyday work.

We've seen this first-hand through our work with Curtins, where supporting more than 400 employees across 14 offices required more than implementing new technology. By combining software optimisation, skills development, BIM consultancy and process standardisation, Curtins was able to build a more consistent approach to digital delivery across the business.

As technology continues to evolve, lasting business value will depend not only on the tools organisations adopt, but on their ability to adapt, learn, and continuously develop. Building long-term capability is one of the most important foundations for sustainable digital transformation.

Connect rather than accumulate

Technology creates value when it becomes part of a connected ecosystem, where systems, data and workflows work together to support business processes and outcomes. We often see organisations successfully adopting new technology, while struggling to connect the systems they already have. When information is fragmented across platforms, people spend valuable time duplicating work, searching for information and managing handovers between teams and platforms. As a result, opportunities for collaboration, automation and better decision-making are often missed.

At our recent Design Automation Forum event, attendees identified disconnected data as a significant challenge. More than a third reported losing between 5-10 hours per week, while others estimated losing 10-20 hours per week, as a result of fragmented information and inefficient data management processes.

 The focus should not be on accumulating more technology, but on creating connected digital environments that enable information to flow more effectively across the organisation.

Treat adoption as part of implementation

Implementation is a starting point. New technology creates little value if people continue working the same way they did before. Too often, organisations view go-live as the finish line. In reality, it is the beginning of the journey. Real value is created when new behaviours, processes and ways of working become embedded across the organisation and a natural part of everyday work.

Coming back to our recent forum, only 3 out of 30 attendees described themselves as "super users" of design automation technology, while the majority said they had access to the software but were not using it as much as they should. The findings highlight a common reality: implementing technology is one thing, but ensuring people fully adopt and maximise its capabilities is another.

Technology, people, processes and data all play a critical role in transformation, but ultimately business value is realised through adoption. When people understand how technology supports their work and are empowered to use it effectively, organisations are far more likely to achieve meaningful and lasting results.

Technology enables transformation, but business impact comes from how people use it. Organisations that connect technology, processes and people around clear business objectives are better positioned to adapt, compete and create lasting value.

How Symetri can help shape the future of digital transformation

Throughout this series, our experts will explore the key factors shaping the future of digital transformation across the built environment, including AI adoption, connected data strategies, workflow automation, digital capability and the practical steps organisations can take to maximise the return on their technology investments.

At Symetri, we combine industry expertise, technology consulting, software development, AI and learning services to help organisations bridge the gap between technology potential and business impact. From helping Purcell Architecture save £80,000 in licensing costs to supporting Curtins in standardising digital delivery across 14 offices, we help organisations turn digital ambitions into measurable business outcomes. Our recent recognition in the 2026 Building Innovation Awards reflects our commitment to helping built environment organisations achieve meaningful and sustainable digital transformation.