What is the Shoestring project?

What is the Shoestring project working on?

The Shoestring project brings together university experts and construction companies. The aim of these two entities  is to develop digital solutions that meet the needs of SMEs.

Unlike large companies, many SMEs in the construction sector do not have IT departments. As a result, the transition to digitalization can be difficult. The Shoestring approach provides digital tools and solutions for these small companies.

What are the priorities of the Shoestring project?

According to Professor Duncan McFarlane, professor of industrial computer engineering at the University of Cambridge, the Shoestring project is a real asset for small businesses embarking on the process of exploring digital solutions. This approach has several priorities:

• Construction programming
• Process tracking
• Change management and reporting of potential problems from the design phase to construction operations
• Employee digital literacy
• The development of a schedule or work plan
• Project planning in 4D (3D rendering)
• Work instructions and digital assembly procedures
• Automated quality control
• Automated completeness check
• The project management system (monitoring the progress of the schedule, costs…)

What are the different stages of this project?

The Shoestring project has three phases, the first of which is the organization of workshops to establish the list of the first ten beneficiary companies. The second phase includes capturing requirements for site construction, identifying demonstrators and planning the work.

In the third phase, solutions will be gathered to formalize the approach, design and creation of a prototype software. This will be useful for the semi-automatic design of digital solutions proposed to SMEs in the construction sector. To increase the productivity of your company simply click here.

The Shoestring Foundation aims to facilitate access to digital tools to support construction companies. Workshops are organized to share knowledge, experiences and resources.