Client Lars Croes attended the Masterclass AI for Business (a one-day course organised by MKB Datalab-Oost) with a concrete question. As a construction engineer, he wondered how data from past projects could be used more effectively for future ones. It was up to student Matthijs Sparreboom to deliver his advice within two sprints (one of 40 hours and one of 80 hours).
And that advice has been very well received by Croes and his colleagues. “It really energized me to continue working with this myself,” says Matthijs’s client. Matthijs adds: “What I like most is that their mindset has changed. Lars and his colleagues are now much more data-driven. My recommendations made them realise they have a lot of data, yet it also matters that the data is easily searchable.”
Getting to know the organisation
Matthijs still remembers his first day at the engineering firm like it was yesterday: “I conducted sixteen hours of interviews across all parts of the organisation from HR colleagues who handle payroll to engineers and architects. Before I can give any advice, I have to get to know the organisation.”
Lars: "We are a Building Technology Consultancy, so we don't make physical products but provide advice. Every project we do is unique, which makes it very difficult to standardize data collection."
Matthijs also remembers how exhausted he felt after two days of nonstop talking and absorbing new impressions: “Croes has more than 45 employees.” During the interviews, he encountered a lot of jargon: “A construction engineering firm was a completely new domain for me. In the interviews, colleagues talked about the software they use, and I heard many abbreviations like ‘bvo’.” He laughs: “Which turns out to mean gross floor area.”
Lars: "Because we operate in a very niche area, it was difficult for Matthijs to understand our process, and in the end this took longer than expected."
After about sixteen hours, Matthijs felt he had a good sense of how the company operates. “Fortunately, everyone was on the same page and shared the belief that there were opportunities to make better use of their data. A lot of data was already being collected. Every construction project generates a lot of information. But none of it was being stored properly.”
Database
Ultimately, Matthijs recommended rolling out a database that can easily filter attributes from the software Croes employees use to create 3D models. Matthijs explains: “This makes it easier to track down specific projects. For example: select all projects with a floor area larger than 250 square meters. Employees can also draw connections this way. If something went wrong on a project, they previously had to check verbally whether another colleague had encountered a similar issue. Now you get an instant answer based on data.”
Lars: "Because of Matthijs's advice, there is mainly more awareness within the organisation. The next step is to ensure that everyone in our organization is more consciously working on producing data that can be more easily reused in the future."
Matthijs learned a lot from the experience and has been invited to help further implement his recommendations through additional sprints: “You’re still a student, but you literally go to a client. You hear what they want, but you also realize you ‘only’ have 40 hours. So you get straight to the point: what can we actually accomplish together? And then you work toward a solution. That’s a completely different experience from doing an exam assignment and waiting to see if you passed.”
What is MKB Datalab-Oost?
MKB Datalab-Oost introduces entrepreneurs to AI and data-driven business in an accessible way, through inspiration sessions, masterclasses, and small-scale AI projects developed in close collaboration with regional business owners at an attractive rate. MKB Datalab-Oost also offers students as “Data Buddies,” who map out opportunities for companies to start working with AI projects.
The initiative is a collaboration between Radboud University and the University of Twente, inviting entrepreneurs in the eastern Netherlands to learn more about AI and the opportunities it can offer. The projects are carried out by AI and Data Science students from Radboud University, who are supported by faculty.
