Construction is the only industry in Australia that has gone backwards on productivity in 30 years.
Project Innovator finds what is costing your business and shows you how to fix it.
The tools, the methods and the discipline exist. The gap is applying them commercially, in the right sequence, inside your business.
28 years · More than $2 billion delivered
THE INDUSTRY GAP
The step change every other industry has already made.
Australian construction multifactor productivity declined 1.6 per cent since 1990. Residential construction physical productivity fell 53 per cent. The broader economy grew 35.2 per cent. The gap is structural. That is what Project Innovator was built to close.
Total construction multifactor productivity since 1990.
[Oxford Economics / ACA, 2023]
Broader economy growth over the same period.
[Oxford Economics / ACA, 2023]
Residential construction physical productivity since 1995.
[Productivity Commission, 2025]
WHAT THE STATUS QUO IS COSTING
Of construction projects delivered on time globally.
[KPMG Global Construction Survey, 2023]
Of all rework caused by poor data and miscommunication.
[FMI / PlanGrid, 2018]
Of a PM's working week on non-productive activities.
[FMI / PlanGrid ANZ, 2018]
Lost per PM per week to fragmented data.
[Deloitte / Autodesk, 2025]
Of contract value lost to rework, erasing 28% of project margin.
[Love et al., 2018]
Net margins for mid-tier builders. No room for rework to compound.
[MBA National Forecasts, 2023]
A selection of organisations Adam has worked with
Engagements have spanned client-side principal, Modern Methods of Construction and Design for Manufacture and Assembly advisory, government infrastructure advisory, owner's representative management and construction productivity programs.
THE VERDICT
Modernise
or Die.
Mark Farmer. UK Construction Leadership Council. 2016.
In 2016, the UK Government commissioned a formal review of the construction industry's labour model. The author described an industry synonymous with a sick patient. One facing inexorable decline unless it changed how it built. He later assessed Australia directly.
"All of these things I see in UK and Australia."
Mark Farmer, on Australia's construction industry.
Over 3,200 builders entered administration in Australia last year alone. The builders who acted early now tender at margins their competitors cannot reach.
Of all AU corporate insolvencies last year were construction businesses.
ASIC Insolvency Statistics, 2024
Of project margin erased by rework on the average construction project.
Love et al., 2018 / FMI, 2024
Per person per week spent on non-productive activity in construction.
PlanGrid / FMI, Construction Disconnected, 2018
"...we simply cannot go on as we are."
Mark Farmer. Modernise or Die. 2016.
What is it costing your business?
Talk to AdamBEYOND PRODUCTIVITY
The outcomes that compound over time.
Productivity is the entry point. The deeper outcomes show up over the next two to five years as systems, culture and discipline mature.
Savings on a $55M project through technical leadership, standardisation and Modern Methods of Construction design disciplines.
Tim Spencer, Mulpha Australia Limited
Of project margin erased by rework on the average construction project. Recovered through tighter systems.
Love et al., 2018 / FMI, 2024
Approximate annual non-productive capacity in a typical mid-tier builder with six senior PMs at $300K loaded. Directional model output.
Project Innovator directional model, FMI/PlanGrid ANZ 2018
People
Better working conditions, less firefighting, stronger retention. Construction businesses that run smoothly are better places to work.
Brand
A reputation for delivery certainty. Repeat business from clients who know what they are getting. Easier conversations because the value is visible.
Durability
Capital adequacy, scenario stress-testing and operational discipline that lets the business absorb a hit without going to administration.
THE DIAGNOSTIC PRODUCT
Know where you stand.
Know what to do next.
The Innovation Road Map is a four-week assessment across five pillars. It produces a scored diagnostic, a benchmark comparison and a prioritised improvement plan covering the next three to five years.
The assessment is specific to your business. The road map is sequenced for your context.
Score only
Scored five-pillar baseline and benchmark. The starting point.
Score plus Map
Full diagnostic plus a prioritised two-to-five-year road map. The complete product.
Indicative demonstration. Scores vary by business. Scale: 1.0 to 5.0.
WHAT WE DO
Productivity advisory for the construction sector.
Project Innovator advises property and construction industry organisations on the disciplines that produce better business outcomes: production systems, digital infrastructure, modern construction methods, supply chain, Artificial Intelligence readiness and risk management.
Adam Strong leads every engagement personally. There is no model where a junior team does the work and Adam reviews it.
OUR SERVICES
Six ways we work with clients.
CLIENT ADVISORY
Owner's Representative
Independent client-side oversight for complex projects and capital programs. Senior accountability from brief to completion, without the large-firm overhead.
DIAGNOSTIC PRODUCT
Innovation Road Map
A four-week scored diagnostic across five pillars of business improvement. A prioritised road map covering actions and sequencing for up to three to five years ahead.
CONSTRUCTION METHODS
Modern Methods of Construction Advisory
Strategic advisory on Design for Manufacture and Assembly, Modern Methods of Construction and offsite solutions. The strategic question: what applies to your business, and what does adoption actually look like?
TECHNOLOGY
Digital Systems Advisory
Technology strategy for the property and construction industry, platform-agnostic and methodology-first. What to use, in what sequence, connected to what operational problem.
SUPPLY CHAIN
Supply Chain Advisory
On-shore and off-shore supply chain development. Manufacturer identification, compliance mapping, commercial structuring and long-term supply agreements.
AUTOMATION
Artificial Intelligence Integration and Automation
Artificial Intelligence readiness assessment and deployment advisory. Practical automation connected to real operational problems, not technology experiments.
“Innovation is not an extra thing on your plate. It is how you get half the plate off.”
Adam Strong, Principal, Project Innovator