Flight is normal: how UNIT.City develops during a crisis

The familiar world during a crisis changes unexpectedly and chaotically. One of the most important factors that top business strategists advise to take care of in difficult times is a proven team and community of like-minded people. What makes the management of the first UNIT.City Innovation Park in Ukraine to preserve the ecosystem that has already been created and to function in times of unprecedented crisis?

Constantine Yevtushenko, Managing Partner of UNIT.City, said how the team today handles large-scale project management remotely and maintains a lasting relationship with partners.

“Of course, quarantine and crisis is a huge challenge for us. The UNIT.City team works remotely, because only measures of self-isolation will help us all return to the usual rhythm of life as soon as possible. Let’s be honest: it will be difficult for everyone. This period is a good opportunity to demonstrate your ability to communicate honestly, openly and actively with your team and partners. We need to share our plans and decisions. Its important for us all now to receive maximum information from each other. However, I can say that we have no problems with project management due to the distance from the office. Our work is built on agile technologies and it greatly simplifies the processes. We control construction through BIM — a modern automation system that provides careful analysis and control at all stages of design. First, it helps minimize costs. Secondly, we always have access to information about the geometry of buildings, the necessary data for the purchase of materials, the manufacture of structures and construction work”, Constantine Yevtushenko explained.

Dominique Piotet, CEO of UNIT.City, is convinced that in times of crisis, the key is to maintain transparent communication that emphasizes everyone’s personal responsibility. The Innovation Park Manager himself recently launched a podcast called Mayak Innovatsiy, where he and his invited guests discuss technologies of Ukraine, smart cities and how to change the world.

“The philosophy of UNIT.City is the development of an ecosystem and a sustainable community. So the most important thing for us right now is the care and support of our residents. At UNIT.City, we have launched an awareness campaign that emphasizes that everyone’s role in overcoming and deterring the virus is crucial. Only by increasing our personal responsibility will we be able to stop the spread of the disease. Therefore, the UNIT.City command is completely switched to remote mode. We can’t collect events offline right now, so we launched a series of webinars ANTI VIRAL — a series of lectures on a variety of topics from philosophy, psychology and film, to new technologies and topics of virology. We also invite all our residents who need it to contact us for help. The main thing is to remember that any crisis is over, but we need to keep in mind that we created every day”, Dominique Piotet said.