Insights

Industry perspectives from the Wakata team. No fluff, just the things we've learned from years in mining, construction, and heavy industry.

Hunting for Hazards
Safety

Hunting for Hazards

A mining operation set a KPI: 10 hazards per day. So workers went hunting for problems instead of doing their actual job.

2 min read
Mate, Just Use Mine
Data

Mate, Just Use Mine

When software licences are limited, workers share logins. Your data says one person did everything — but they didn't.

2 min read
It's Your Data
Data

It's Your Data

You're already asking workers to do pre-starts and inspections. The question is: is that data actually reaching the systems that need it?

3 min read
Operations v IT
Operations

Operations v IT

Workers completing quality inspections, then manually hunting through that data to fill out a separate warranty form. Same information, different order. 30+ minutes of transcription per truck.

2 min read
Just Start
Operations

Just Start

A pilot program with discovery workshops, implementation planning, and change management. Or: actually use the system for a year. One gives you meetings. The other gives you operational data.

3 min read
You've Already Done the Work
Safety

You've Already Done the Work

Companies spend thousands creating safety documents. Then they print them out, pass them around, and hope everyone read what they signed.

2 min read
Why Wakata: There's a Business in the Boring Bits
Operations

Why Wakata: There's a Business in the Boring Bits

Daily reports. Sign-offs. Tracking variations. All the boring bits that people ignore — until they need them for a commercial negotiation.

3 min read
Operations

Built in the Office, Used in the Field

An office worker designs a vehicle checklist. To complete it as written, a worker has to walk around the vehicle four times. In reality? They walk around once and tick, tick, tick.

2 min read
Wakata Works in 3D
Operations

Wakata Works in 3D

Dull. Dirty. Dangerous. That's the space we operate in — and where your operational data comes from.

2 min read
You're Not in the Business of Compliance
Safety

You're Not in the Business of Compliance

Civil companies build infrastructure. Mining companies extract resources. None of them are in the business of compliance — but try running without it.

3 min read
2026: The Year to Start Capturing Quality Data
Data

2026: The Year to Start Capturing Quality Data

Your teams are already doing pre-starts, inspections, hazard reports. But when you need that data — for a claim, an investigation, planning — it's incomplete, unreliable, or buried.

3 min read
Data

The Single Source of Truth Fallacy

Everyone talks about a 'single source of truth.' But if you're integrating multiple systems into one platform, that's not a single source — that's a fancy aggregator.

2 min read
2026: The Year AI Native Beats Legacy
Operations

2026: The Year AI Native Beats Legacy

The big names in construction software are about to become legacy companies. Not because their product is bad — because their codebase was built in a different era.

2 min read
What Does "AI Native" Actually Mean?
Data

What Does "AI Native" Actually Mean?

Most software was built 5, 10, 15 years ago. Adding AI to it now is like retrofitting a Tesla engine into a 1995 Corolla.

3 min read
Logic: Left to Right, Top to Bottom
Data

Logic: Left to Right, Top to Bottom

You're going to walk around the machine anyway. So why not do it in an order that makes sense?

3 min read
Building Checklists: Three Perspectives, One Goal
Operations

Building Checklists: Three Perspectives, One Goal

Most pre-start checklists are built by people who've never operated the machine. The operator, the mechanic, and the business all need different things from the same information.

3 min read