Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd.

Masuda

I come from an accounting background, and my involvement with company-wide data began when I transferred to the Corporate Planning Department in 2013. Management frequently requested analysis of various operational data, but the data required for such analysis was not readily available and was scattered across different departments. It took a significant amount of time to request and collect data from each department, and I keenly felt that this was a critical situation that hindered the speed of management decision-making.

Therefore, I proposed the need for a specialized department to examine ICT strategy and determine how to organize data and systems company-wide, which resulted in me being transferred to lead that initiative myself. Since then, every time I have proposed initiatives such as data utilization or DX promotion, I have ended up taking charge of them myself (laughs).

Masuda

Data management methods varied across departments, and even when data was collected, the granularity differed and the accuracy was poor, meaning it was not in a state suitable for analysis. Consequently, preparatory tasks such as data cleansing before analysis were extremely laborious.

For example, even when attempting to aggregate data for a specific property using a single axis, the coding systems differed by department and system. Even in cases where a customer and a supplier were the same company, the data was not linked, making it impossible to see the relationship. Conducting effective data analysis was extremely difficult.

Masuda

First, I thought about what kind of data is needed, in what situations, and at what speed. I also realized that 'data utilization' has various stages, so I presented those stages alongside our company's current status, and finally, I outlined the direction we should aim for and a roadmap. When explaining this to the management team, I first gave a presentation to all members of the President's Office, including the then-Head of the President's Office, stating that DX requires the development of three pillars: data, human resources, and organizational structure.

Regarding the importance of data in particular, I spoke from fundamental principles, such as what data and information are, and the differences in information required depending on one's position—such as information necessary for management versus information necessary for operations—to advocate for the necessity of data. As a result, the Head of the President's Office showed understanding and supported the prioritization of infrastructure development when explaining it to the President.

For the implementation, we first conducted interviews with each department regarding their data-related pain points. We then began the process of identifying where data was located within the company (As-Is), considered a model for data retention (To-Be) (Figure), and designed the architecture.

Masuda

For a common data utilization platform, it was necessary to maintain data on business partners, employees, and construction projects as master data. Among these, for business partners, it was necessary to connect the business partner data held by each system using a unified coding system and perform data cleansing and matching to ensure accurate and reliable data. That is why we decided to consider the introduction of uSonar (LBC code) (Figure).

Masuda

To begin with, the idea is that data infrastructure development itself is an upfront investment. Since whether cost-effectiveness is achieved depends on how the developed infrastructure is utilized, I believed from the start that it would be difficult to explain and convince management of the project based solely on cost-effectiveness. I persuaded them by explaining that by integrating with uSonar data, Golden Records (the true master data) for client information would be established, thereby enabling the advancement of data utilization.

Masuda

The construction of the data utilization platform itself took about 10 months, but the uSonar implementation portion was completed in just over two months, excluding the data deduplication process. I believe it was very smooth because you checked requirements and definitions in advance and responded flexibly to our progress.

Masuda

While we have not measured the quantitative effects, we are now able to smoothly acquire data when needed. Furthermore, we feel that value beyond mere operational efficiency is being created, such as the ability to visualize and analyze data from new perspectives. Specifically, it has become easier to perform data analysis and extraction using diverse aggregation axes, such as by individual client or client group, which is proving useful for proposals, decision-making, and establishing management policies. I consider this a necessary investment for the maintenance, modernization, and accuracy of our corporate data.

Masuda

What I learned through interviews was that I was not the only one struggling with not knowing where data was located when I wanted to perform an analysis; in fact, everyone was struggling. Since the introduction of the data utilization foundation has made data accessible, I believe the mindset has shifted to "Then let's use the data." I feel that the accuracy of our discussions has improved because we are able to collect and analyze internal data more comprehensively than before.

However, regarding the client master, while it has reached a level where we can match, consolidate, and utilize the data, I feel there is a need for further refinement before it can be used immediately in daily operations. To bring the data to an operational level, we must not just match and cleanse it, but assign LBCs at the time of client master registration to maintain the information. We have begun this process in some areas, and once fully implemented, I believe it will become data that can be used within our business systems.

Our company's data utilization foundation has only just begun, but we have received inquiries from various companies, including other general contractors, asking, "We want to work on MDM, so please teach us how," which makes me feel that our efforts are somewhat advanced. Moving forward, I want to continue taking on challenges in cooperation with partners, including uSonar, to ensure the success of our data utilization and, ultimately, our DX.

Masuda

Data is essential for DX. Some may struggle to gain management's understanding when discussing the return on investment during implementation. In an era where data is so critical, it is necessary to consider it a necessary expense and a proactive investment from the perspective of protecting the company's valuable assets. More importantly, it is vital to utilize the organized data to drive DX and achieve results. We are also still in the process of growing. Let us work hard together.