KeenInsights

HDR is an architecture, engineering, environmental, and consulting company known for adding beauty and structure to communities. HDR’s projects each face complex risk factors, including various permitting and regulatory requirements, managing deadlines, and coordinating with multiple stakeholders. One of the ways HDR mitigates risk is through senior management oversight. The Design Studio team was challenged to create a software tool to uncover project risk factors and encourage employees to think critically about project outcomes. The team proposed and built a machine learning model to retrieve information from data sources like key project documents and legal databases—uncovering critical risk factors. The team worked with HDR executives to list strategic questions targeting important aspects of project risk. The final model identifies risks for employees to understand and explore further. By using this software, employees at all levels of the company can start answering questions that HDR’s senior management consider when making project decisions. The software allows HDR to spread leadership’s data and industry instincts throughout the company to produce pivotal project insights at early stages of the project process.