Four Industry Reports. One Defining Challenge for Digital Transformation.

The business case for digital transformation is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

In its 2027 State of Design & Make report, Autodesk finds that 98% of business leaders report measurable benefits from digital transformation, with two-thirds reporting improvements of at least 50% in areas including productivity, customer satisfaction and innovation.

That momentum is continuing. 75% of leaders surveyed by Autodesk plan to increase AI investment over the next three years, reflecting growing confidence in the potential of emerging technologies.

McKinsey’s How AI Is Reshaping the Future of the AEC Industry adds another dimension to that opportunity, estimating that AI and other automation technologies could unlock approximately $228 billion in annual value across the US architecture, engineering and construction industry by 2030.

Its research also identifies significant technical automation potential: 50% of nonphysical work in architecture and engineering and 39% in construction could potentially be automated. These figures represent technical potential, not projected job losses or guaranteed adoption.

Meanwhile, Procore’s Future State of Construction report finds that 59% of construction leaders surveyed were already using or planned to use AI, machine learning or robotics within the next 12 months.

Taken together, these findings paint a picture of industries moving toward more intelligent, connected and technology-enabled ways of working.

The opportunity is no longer theoretical. Organizations are already seeing results, planning further investments and identifying substantial potential for transformation.

But recognizing the potential of technology and realizing its value across an organization are two very different things.

While the four reports explore different dimensions of industry transformation, their findings converge around one critical issue: workforce capability.

Autodesk reports that 56% of organizations identify at least one skills-related barrier to digital transformation. Even as technology investments produce measurable results, skills gaps remain an obstacle to achieving their full potential.

KPMG’s Global Construction Survey 2026: The Paradox of Progress reinforces that challenge. 55% of respondents identify skilled labor shortages and managerial or technical capability gaps among their biggest challenges, while 76% consider workforce capabilities critical to achieving their strategic priorities.

Procore adds a generational dimension, finding that 96% of construction leaders surveyed have experienced generational challenges. As experienced professionals retire and new generations enter the industry, organizations face the dual challenge of developing new digital capabilities while preserving valuable institutional knowledge.

McKinsey explores how this challenge could evolve as automation reshapes professional responsibilities. As intelligent technologies take on more routine tasks, organizations will need to become increasingly intentional about developing the judgment, expertise and practical experience that employees have traditionally gained through their work.

These findings are not identical, nor do they measure the same populations or challenges. But together, they reveal an important pattern.

The workforce challenge is no longer simply about having enough people. It is about ensuring people have the evolving skills, trusted knowledge and practical expertise needed to work effectively in increasingly digital environments.

For AECO and manufacturing organizations, this means workforce readiness must become a continuous organizational priority rather than something addressed only during onboarding or technology implementation.

Another theme connects the four reports: the growing importance of trusted organizational knowledge.

Procore emphasizes the risk of losing valuable expertise as experienced construction professionals retire. Its research highlights the importance of two-way knowledge transfer, where established professionals share institutional knowledge while newer employees contribute emerging technological skills and perspectives.

McKinsey similarly points to the opportunity to turn fragmented project information into reusable institutional assets. Drawings, specifications, schedules, RFIs, change orders and lessons learned contain valuable insights, but their potential is limited when they remain scattered across systems or difficult to access.

Autodesk’s findings reinforce the importance of connecting technology with trusted data, organizational context and everyday workflows. As AI becomes more integrated into business operations, the quality and accessibility of the knowledge supporting those technologies become increasingly important.

KPMG adds that workforce development, digital systems and evolving delivery models must work together to support meaningful transformation.

Across all four reports, the implications extend beyond software proficiency.

Organizations already possess enormous amounts of valuable knowledge. Experienced employees understand why workflows exist. Technology leaders know how software should be configured and applied. Project teams develop new expertise with every challenge they solve. Company standards, procedures and lessons learned capture information essential to consistent delivery.

Yet that knowledge often remains disconnected across documents, systems, departments and individuals.

The opportunity is to move beyond simply storing information and toward making trusted organizational knowledge accessible, actionable and scalable.

When people can find, learn and apply the right knowledge within the context of their work, organizations are better positioned to support consistent technology adoption, preserve expertise and adapt as their technologies and workflows evolve.

The research also suggests that industry leaders increasingly recognize the need to invest in their people.

KPMG finds that 82% of construction executives plan to increase investment in employee training and development, with people-related initiatives accounting for approximately 21% of total transformation investment, the largest share among the investment categories identified.

Procore’s research also emphasizes the importance of upskilling and reskilling. 67% of respondents report having employee training programs in place, while 41% identify a need to implement one within the next 12 months.

Together with Autodesk’s findings on skills-related barriers and McKinsey’s emphasis on evolving professional capabilities, these results point toward a shift in how organizations need to approach workforce development.

Increasing training investment is important, but delivering more training does not automatically create a workforce ready to apply new technologies effectively.

Employees need to understand not only how software works, but also how to use it within their organization’s standards, processes and project-specific workflows. They need access to trusted answers when questions arise, opportunities to continuously develop their skills and guidance that evolves alongside the technologies they use.

This requires a more connected approach to learning.

Training, organizational knowledge and technology adoption cannot remain separate initiatives. They need to become part of the same strategy.

The organizations that make this connection can move beyond isolated learning activities toward building lasting workforce capability.

This is where Global eTraining is focused.

Trusted by leading architecture, engineering, construction and manufacturing organizations worldwide, Global eTraining’s AI-powered digital adoption platform helps elevate human potential and accelerate workforce readiness by connecting people with the trusted knowledge, skills and guidance they need to confidently put technology to work.

The four reports highlight different but closely related challenges: Autodesk identifies skills-related barriers to digital transformation, Procore emphasizes workforce evolution and knowledge transfer, McKinsey highlights the importance of institutional expertise and connected workflows, and KPMG demonstrates the growing strategic priority of workforce development.

Addressing these challenges requires more than traditional training alone.

Global eTraining helps organizations convert trusted company and project-specific information into actionable knowledge, access dynamic project procedures in the flow of work and close digital skills gaps through AI assessments, insights and learning paths.

By connecting extensive industry and software training with the standards, processes, project requirements and subject-matter expertise unique to each organization, Global eTraining helps make trusted knowledge more accessible and actionable for the people who need it.

Instead of knowledge remaining scattered across courses, documents, systems or individual experts, organizations can create a more connected approach to learning and digital adoption that evolves alongside their workforce, projects and technology.

Global eTraining empowers learners with consumable and up-to-date training that is just enough, just in time and just for them, helping organizations reduce inconsistency, reduce rework and reduce risk while maximizing the value of their technology investments.

The result is more than access to training. It is a knowledge infrastructure that drives technology adoption at scale.

And as these four reports collectively suggest, building that infrastructure is becoming increasingly important to realizing the full potential of digital transformation.

Autodesk demonstrates that digital transformation is delivering measurable results, even as skills-related barriers persist.

Procore shows that construction’s technological future will depend on workforce evolution, knowledge transfer and continuous learning.

McKinsey reveals the scale of the opportunity presented by AI and automation, while emphasizing the continued importance of institutional knowledge, professional judgment and connected workflows.

KPMG confirms that workforce capability is now a strategic business priority, with construction leaders committing significant investment to developing their people.

Each report contributes a different piece of the same larger picture.

Technology is creating unprecedented opportunities. But realizing those opportunities requires organizations to connect their technology investments with the knowledge, skills and capabilities of their people.

For architecture, engineering, construction and manufacturing organizations, the next step is not simply investing in more technology or more training. It is building the organizational infrastructure that makes both more effective.

At Global eTraining, we believe the organizations best positioned for the future will be those that connect technology, trusted knowledge and people, creating an intelligent, scalable knowledge infrastructure that supports continuous learning, workforce readiness and technology adoption.

Because the real measure of digital transformation is not simply how much technology an organization adopts.

It is how effectively that technology becomes part of what its people know, how they work and what they can achieve.

Meet with Global eTraining to learn more.

• Autodesk: 2027 State of Design & Make
• Procore: Future State of Construction
• McKinsey & Company: How AI Is Reshaping the Future of the AEC Industry
• KPMG International: Global Construction Survey 2025/2026: The Paradox of Progress

Statistics reflect the distinct survey populations, methodologies and projections used in each report. Findings are presented together to highlight common industry themes, not as directly comparable measures.