Infrastructure clients must align digital and data with what matters most

More than 330 clients and suppliers responded to the ICG’s survey – its first on digital maturity in three years. Across the six sectors of digital maturity, the survey revealed welcome improvements in people and culture, organisation and governance, and responsibility and resilience. There were small improvements in technology and systems, and process and operations, but information and data was worryingly largely static.

It is against this background that the ICG’s data and digital task group makes its five recommendations. First, “chronic underinvestment remains the most significant obstacle facing clients, which means it’s vital that digital leaders can express the value of their initiatives in terms of the tangible business benefits that they offer”, the report states. “This skill is becoming increasingly important in securing backing for transformation efforts.”

It adds: “A climate of underinvestment often compels clients to present digital initiatives using cases that are most likely to attract funding. As a result, reputation management has remained the main motivator for change in this field since 2023. This can be persuasive in attracting resources when regulatory scrutiny, customer trust and safety are key concerns. Yet the resulting investments typically enable the adoption of minimum standards and governance measures, not digital transformations, as reflected in some of this survey’s results.

“A digital strategy driven by reputation management risks channelling effort towards areas visible to regulators, auditors, and other external observers, instead of those that genuinely enhance operational control, asset performance and long-term planning.”

The task group’s second recommendation is that data and digital capabilities should be given the same priority as health and safety, productivity, and carbon management. The report notes: “The industry can no longer afford to treat data and digital capabilities as an afterthought. Survey results indicate some progress, but the fragmented nature of efforts in this area means that gains have been incremental rather than transformational. The underlying problem is not a lack of tools, but an inconsistent operating model that’s shaped by disparate delivery mechanisms, supply chain models, and mobilisation practices. To achieve a decisive improvement, clients must establish a unified, non-negotiable digital delivery baseline and apply this consistently across all projects.”