A national tragedy has amplified the amount of fire safety information in the public domain, There is an abundance of misinformation and it is clear that information is not knowledge. In many ways, we are drowning in information but starved of knowledge. Knowledge is like money: to be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value. The pragmatic principles of knowledge sharing from our perspective are quite simple;
Our core idea at BB7 is “To become the ‘wisest’ player in those markets within which we choose to operate. Wise enough to be able to consider the bigger picture allowing us to improve and learn. Wise enough to challenge the way things are done”.
Therefore knowledge sharing is not a new concept. In fact with over 100+ technical experts within BB7 Group, our technical teams chat group is indeed a lively forum. Our mission is simple: “To create value for clients and our employees by being wise, and in doing so, become the leading independent specialty consulting firm in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland”.
To achieve this, we must remain a practice-based business, as opposed to a business based practice. We must also ensure we capitalise on our intellectual and knowledge-based assets. There is much more to this than simply having a lively TEAMS chat. It’s a systematic approach too:
People – Our program increases the ability of individual professionals within the organisation to influence others with their knowledge.
Processes – We have established best practices and governance for the efficient and accurate identification, management and dissemination of knowledge.
Technology – The technology we are adopting will enhance our service. We are configuring tools and automation to enable knowledge management.
Structure – Our organisational structures facilitate and encourage cross-discipline awareness and expertise which crosses borders and boundaries in the geographies we operate in.
Culture – We have established and are cultivating a knowledge-sharing, knowledge-driven culture for long-term success.
Our Professional Advisory Board
Our Professional Advisory Board is a formal committee within our management structure and has a decision-making role. Its role is to advise members of the Board on technical matters. Made up of a collective of minds of the different services within our portfolio, the Board meets regularly to discuss technical matters and encourage an expertise-sharing environment. Its overall purpose is to ensure we regularly consider four lines of sight i.e. foresight, insight, oversight, and hindsight, and to ensure we remain at the forefront of the profession. We also invite external stakeholders such as clients, insurers, academics and subject matter experts as appropriate.
We have been fortunate to have had input from Government bodies, Academia, Manufacturers, Technology partners, and other Fire professionals internationally.
Chaired by our Director of Quality and Chartered Engineer, Dave Quinn, the PAB will push the boundaries, challenge the accepted wisdom to ensure that we create safer spaces for future generations. Promoting our profession and becoming ambassadors not only for BB7 but also the wider engineering community.
The PAB provides direction to a number of Technical Networks to bring together those within BB7 who have the expertise and knowledge to discuss, debate, and deliver technical excellence within their field. These Technical Networks include a Fire and Smoke Modelling Group, A Structures Group, an External Walls Group, a Passive Fire Protection Group and much more. They provide opportunities for all of us to enhance our individual and collective knowledge together in each of these areas. By working collectively across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland these Technical Networks the team can ensure that efforts are coordinated and focused on the areas that will have the most impact on day-to-day project delivery, both today and in the future.
The work driven by the PAB, and supported by the Technical Networks will challenge the status quo, and ensure that we remain at the forefront of our profession. It compliments our BB7 Learning Lounge initiative which ensures our professionals are provided with an abundance of high quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to satisfy their competency obligations with Professional Institutions. The PAB continually refreshes and re-vitalises our service portfolio, and standard scopes to ensure they remain relevant to our clients needs, and it provides overarching governance and control to our fantastic Graduate Development Programme which is there to help grow and inspire our apprentices and graduates who will benefit from our systematic approach to knowledge sharing, our learning culture and our lazer like focus on quality.
