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IT Enhanced Communication Protocols for
Building Project Management BySmall and Medium Enterprises In
The Indian Construction Industry
By
Vanita Ahuja
Bachelor of Architecture
Masters in Building Science and Construction Management
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
ofDoctor of Philosophy
2007
QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
School of Urban Development
Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering
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ABSTRACT AND KEY WORDS
The Research has developed protocols for effective adoption of Information
Communication Technologies (ICT) for Building Project Management by Small and
Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Indian construction industry.
Project Managers are required to facilitate the integration of work of all the agencies and
project team organizations are geographically separated beyond national boundaries or
in context of large countries like India, within the national boundaries. In doing so, there
is a need to make better use of information and knowledge generated in all stages of
development. The key to project information management is the information flow
associated with inter-organizational communication and the effectiveness of the project
manager to communicate with and feedback to the rest of the project team throughout
the project life cycle. Better communication can be achieved by using computer tools for
effective data processing and information management, through Information
Communication Technologies (ICT).As the majority of the construction organizations
are Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the communication management research is
required to address management and communication processes adopted by SMEs. These
issues can be addressed by global research, but also require clear understanding of the
management and communication processes followed by SMEs of each distinct regional
area or country.
The research was conducted through a sequential mixed methods approach focusing on
collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data in the study in a
sequential manner. To develop a balance check mechanism, the research was divided
into four phases: Interpretive analysis of perceived benefits of use of ICT for building
project management, conducted by Interpretive Structural Modeling analysis;
Questionnaire survey data collection and empirical analysis of data including Structural
Equation Modeling analysis (quantitative method); Semi-structured interview survey
data collection and analysis including Data Envelopment Analysis (quantitative and
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qualitative method) and case studies analysis conducted by SAP-LAP analysis
(qualitative method) leading to synthesis of the results of the four phases. The
purpose of this four-phase, sequential mixed methods study was to start with the
pragmatic assumptions; obtain statistical, quantitative results from a broad sample of
organizations to analyze or study research variables at industry and organization
levels and then follow up with a few organizations and projects to study the research
variables at the level of the organization and people.
Synthesis of the knowledge enhancement from the literature survey, data analysis
results and their interpretation led to the proposed IT Enhanced Communication
Protocols for Building Project Management. The protocols are proposed as aStrategic Model for Enhancing ICT Diffusion in Building Projects. The model is
based on Everett Rogerss Diffusions of innovations theory and is formulated at
three levels of study i.e industry, organization and people. It is discussed as a generic
framework of five stages of Rogers Diffusions of innovations theory i.e
Knowledge, Persuasion, Decision, Implementation and Confirmation.
Keywords: building project management, ICT, Indian construction industry, SMEs
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title PageAbstract and Key Words i
Table of Contents iiiList of Figures xList of Tables xiii
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms xviAcknowledgement xviiiPublications xxStatement of Original Authorship xxi
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Research Background 11.1.1 Building Project Management and ICT 11.1.2 ICT Adoption in the Construction Industry and Research
Requirements 21.1.3 IT Enhanced communication protocols 4
1.2 Research Problem, Aim and Objectives 51.2.1 Research Aim 51.2.2 Research Objectives 6
1.3 Research Overview 71.4 Delimitation of Scope 10
1.5 Outline of the Thesis 111.6 Summary 13
Chapter 2: Literature Review2.1 Introduction 152.2 Construction Information and ICT 162.3 ICT and Building Project Management 172.4 ICT Tools and Technologies 192.5 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the Indian Construction
Industry 232.5.1 Definition of SMEs 232.5.2 SMEs and the construction Industry 24
2.5.3 Characteristics and Specific Requirements of SMEs 252.5.4 Indian Construction Industry 27
2.6 Characteristics of Global Research and Research in India 292.7 Strategic Adoption of ICT in the Construction Industry 32
2.7.1 Requirement of Strategic Adoption of ICT by the
Construction Industry at the Level of each Organizationand at the Industry Level 33
2.7.2 Benchmarking a Strategic Tool 362.7.2.1 Benchmarking Definition 39
2.8 Factors Affecting ICT Adoption for Building Project Management 43
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2.8.1 Strategic Adoption and Diffusion of ICT 442.8.2 Cultural Factors 462.8.3 Available Technology 48
2.8.4 Training and Education 48
2.8.5 Organization Level Factors 492.8.6 Perception Based Factors 50
2.8.6.1 Perceived Benefits 502.8.6.2 Perceived Barriers 51
2.8.7 Industry Drivers 532.8.8 Summary of Factors 54
2.9 Strength of the Contemporary Research 562.10 Gaps in Contemporary Research and Identification of Research
Areas 57
2.11 Summary 59
Chapter 3: Research Methodology3.1 Introduction 61
3.2 Research Variables 613.2.1 Justification of the Chosen Research Variables 62
3.3 Hypotheses Formulation 643.3.1 Hypotheses Determining Dimensions of Qualitative Factors 643.3.2 Hypotheses of Causal Relationships 64
3.3.3 Supplementary Hypotheses 653.4 Research Design 65
3.4.1 Understanding of the Characteristics of Research Problem 65
3.4.2 Unit of Analysis 67
3.4.3 Data Collection and Analysis Approach 673.5 Research Methods 70
3.5.1 Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) 713.5.2 Questionnaire Survey (Industry Level) 72
3.5.2.1 Questionnaire Design 733.5.2.2 Survey Population 74
3.5.2.3 Validation of Questionnaire 753.5.2.4 Pilot Survey 763.5.2.5 Survey Administration 77
3.5.2.6 Data Analysis 783.5.3 Semi-Structured Interview Survey (Organization level) 82
3.5.3.1 Benchmarking Structure Attributes 833.5.3.2 Benchmarking Framework Administration 853.5.3.3 Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Technique 88
3.5.4 Case Studies (Organization and Project level) 943.5.4.1 SAP-LAP Analysis 95
3.6 Data Analysis Results Synthesis Methodology and Frameworkfor Results Formulation 99
3.6.1 Categorization of Organizations and People Based on ICT
Adoption 1013.7 Justification of the Methodology 1053.8 Summary 106
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Chapter 4: Interpretive Structural Modeling Analysis4.1 Introduction 1094.2 Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) 109
4.3 Analysis 111
4.3.1 Research Variables 1114.3.2 Structural Self-Interaction Matrix (SSIM) 1114.3.3 Reachability Matrix 1134.3.4 Level Partitions 1164.3.5 Developing Conical Matrix 1184.3.6 ISM Based Model 119
4.4 MICMAC Analysis 1234.5 Discussion and Hypotheses Formulation 1244.6 Further Analysis 126
4.7 Summary 126
Chapter 5: Questionnaire Survey Data Analysis5.1 Introduction 127
5.2 Respondents Profile 1275.3 Data Reliability 130
5.4 Hypothesis Testing 1315.4.1 Hypotheses Determining Dimensions of Qualitative Factors 131
5.4.1.1 Hypothesis HD1 131
5.4.1.2 Hypothesis HD2 and HD3 1325.4.1.3 Hypothesis HD4 1335.4.1.4 Hypothesis HD5 134
5.4.1.5 Hypothesis HD6 136
5.4.2 Hypotheses of Causal Relationships Hypothesis HR1 1375.4.3 Supplementary Hypotheses 140
5.4.3.1 Hypothesis HS1 1405.4.3.2 Hypothesis HS2 141
5.4.3.3 Hypothesis HS3 1445.4.3.4 Hypothesis HS4 145
5.5 Status of ICT Adoption in the Indian Construction Industry 1465.6 Perception Based Data Analysis 153
5.6.1 Perceived Barriers 154
5.6.2 Perceived Enablers 1565.6.3 Perceived Benefits 159
5.6.4 Scenario Building for the Industry 1615.7 Cultural Factors 1635.8 Issues Identified from the Open Ended Questions 168
5.9 Findings of Data Analysis and Further Analysis Requirement 1695.9.1 Identified Issues for Actions Required at the Level
of Industry, Organization or People 1695.9.2 Cultural Factors that are required to be Considered 1745.9.3 Issues that require Further Study 175
5.10 Summary 176
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Chapter 6: Structural Equation Modeling Analysis onQuestionnaire Survey Data
6.1 Introduction 177
6.2 Structural Model Derived from the Hypotheses of Causal
Relationships 1776.3 Model Specification 1786.4 Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) 1816.5 Data Collection 1836.6 Analysis 183
6.6.1 Data Validity 184
6.6.2 Statistical Results and Analysis of the Hypothesized Model 1846.6.3 Model Modification Step 1 1876.6.4 Model Modification - Step 2 188
6.6.5 Model Modification Step 3 (Final Model) 1906.7 Discussion and Findings 192
6.7.1 Discussion 1926.7.2 Findings 1956.8 Summary 198
Chapter 7: Benchmarking Framework Development and Case Study Analysis7.1 Introduction 1997.2 Benchmarking Framework Development 199
7.2.1 Objectives of the Required Benchmarking Framework 2007.2.2 Benchmarking Framework Development, Structure and
Measurement System 201
7.2.3 Benchmarking Framework and the Organization Management
Information Systems 2057.2.4 Benchmarking Framework Attributes 207
7.3 Benchmarking Process 2087.4 Benchmarking Framework Administration and Finalization 209
7.4.1 Benchmarked Organizations 2097.4.2 Benchmarking of Organizations and Analysis 212
7.4.3 Benchmarking Framework Validation and Finalization 2257.4.4 BenchMeasurement 2267.4.5 Benchmarking and BenchMeasurement Discussion 230
7.5 Bench Learning - Case Study Analysis 2317.5.1 Actors 234
7.5.2 Processes 2347.5.3 Case Study 1: Real Estate Organization (REO) 234
7.5.3.1 Introduction 234
7.5.3.2 ICT Adoption for Building Project Management Strategic Issues 236
7.5.3.3 Extent of ICT Adoption for Building ProjectManagement 236
7.5.3.4 Perceptions of the Senior Managers and Project
Managers 237
7.5.3.5 Factors Perceived as affecting use of ICT for BuildingProject Management 238
7.5.3.6 Situation 238
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7.5.3.7 Learning 2407.5.4 Case Study 2: Project Management Consultancy
Organization (PMCO) 241
7.5.4.1 Introduction 241
7.5.4.2 ICT Adoption for Building Project Management Strategic Issues 242
7.5.4.3 Extent of ICT Adoption for Building ProjectManagement 243
7.5.4.4 Perceptions of the Senior Managers and ProjectManagers 244
7.5.4.5 Factors Perceived as affecting use of ICT for BuildingProject Management 244
7.5.4.6 Situation 245
7.5.4.7 Learning 2467.5.5 Case Study 3 Architectural Organization (AO) 248
7.5.5.1 Introduction 2487.5.5.2 ICT Adoption for Building Project Management Strategic Issues 249
7.5.5.3 Extent of ICT Adoption for Building ProjectManagement 249
7.5.5.4 Perceptions of the Senior Managers and ProjectManagers 250
7.5.5.5 Factors Perceived as affecting use of ICT for Building
Project Management 251
7.5.5.6 Situation 252
7.5.5.7 Learning 253
7.5.6 Action and Performance 253
7.5.7 SAP-LAP Synthesis of Case Studies 2577.6 Synthesis of the Case Study Analysis Results and Framework for
BenchAction and BenchMonitoring 2607.7 Discussion 264
7.8 Suggested Benchmarking Framework with Reference toThe Existing Benchmarking Studies 266
7.9 Summary 267
Chapter 8: Interpretation of Data Analysis and Discussions8.1 Introduction 269
8.2 Synthesis of the Study 2698.2.1 Status of ICT Adoption for Building Project Management 2708.2.2 Perceived Barriers, Benefits and Enablers for Effective
ICT Adoption 2728.2.3 Causal Relationships between Factors 275
8.2.4 Cultural Factors 2768.2.5 Benchmarking Framework Analysis 278
8.3 Model of IT Enhanced Communication Protocols for Building
Project Management 2858.3.1 Industry Level Framework for Planning, Designing and
Implementing Strategic Model for Enhancing ICTDiffusion for Building Project Management 286
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8.3.2 Organization Level Framework for Planning, Designing andImplementing Strategic Model for Enhancing ICTDiffusion for Building Project Management 290
8.3.2.1 Step 1: Knowledge, Persuasion and Decision 292
8.3.2.2 Step 2: Finalization and Implementation of the Strategy forICT Adoption for Building Project Management 293
8.3.2.3 Step 3: Planning 2968.3.2.4 Step 4: System Design and preparation of organization
for the new system 2968.3.2.5 Step 5: Familiarizing associating organizations with
the system adopted 2968.3.2.6 Step 6: Pilot Implementation 2978.3.2.7 Step 7: System Implementation 297
8.3.2.8 Step 8: Post Implementation System Monitoring 2978.3.3 Framework at the Level of Construction Professionals or
People 2988.3.4 Discussion 2998.4 Summary 300
Chapter 9: Summary and Conclusions9.1 Introduction 3019.2 Summary of Research Findings 301
9.2.1 Summary of Research Process 3019.2.2 Summary with Respect to Research Objectives 303
9.2.2.1 Research objectives (i,ii) 304
9.2.2.2 Research objective (iii - v) 305
9.2.2.3 Research objective (vi) 3079.2.2.4 Research objective (vii) 307
9.2.2.5 Research objective (viii) 3089.2.3 Summary of Data Analysis 310
9.3 Significant Research Contributions 3139.4 Implications and Relevant Research Audience 315
9.4.1 Implications for National level bodies and AcademicInstitutions 315
9.4.2 Implications for Construction Organizations 316
9.4.3 Implications for People or Project Managers 3169.4.4 Implications at International Level 317
9.5 Limitations of the Research Study 3179.5.1 Limitations with respect to the Questionnaire Survey andData Analysis 317
9.5.2 Limitations with respect to the Benchmarking FrameworkAnalysis 317
9.6 Recommendations for Future Research 3189.7 Summary 319
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References 321
List of Appendices
Appendix A: Questionnaire Survey 345Appendix B: Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) Calculations 363Appendix C: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Analysis Data 367Appendix D: Benchmarking Framework 373Appendix E: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Data 379
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1: Relation between Industry, Organization and People 5Figure 1.2: Research Overview 9
Figure 2.1: Relation of Strategy for ICT Adoption with the otherStrategies of the Organization 33
Figure 2.2: Classification of Types of Benchmarking 41
Figure 2.3: Factors Affecting ICT Adoption for Building ProjectManagement 55
Figure 3.1: Benchmarking Process Model 87Figure 3.2: Graph Explaining the Concept of Efficiency Frontier 90Figure 3.3: Graph Showing Production Function of CRS and IRS 92Figure 3.4: SAP-LAP Paradigm 98Figure 3.5: SAP-LAP Paradigm Synthesizes Analytic as well as Synthetic
Mode of Inquiry 98Figure 3.6: Rogerss Five-Stage Model for Diffusion of Innovation 100Figure 3.7: Rogerss Technology Adoption Curve 102
Figure 3.8: Geofrey Moores Modified Technology Adoption Curve 102Figure 3.9: Relation between Difficulty of Changing Versus Cost of
Change 103Figure 3.10: Research Framework 107Figure 4.1: ISM Based Model 120
Figure 4.2: MICMAC Analysis (Driving Power and DependenceDiagram) 124
Figure 5.1: Distribution of the Respondent Organizations with respect tothe Type of Organization 128
Figure 5.2: Distribution of the Respondent Organizations with Respect to
the Size of Organizations 129Figure 5.3: Mode of Project Execution by the Respondent Organizations
(in last 5 years) 129Figure 5.4: Distribution of the Respondents with Respect to Number of
Years of Experience 130Figure 5.5: Distribution of organizations (in %) for variable ICT adoption
on Building Projects 135
Figure 5.6: Distribution of Respondent Organizations as per the Turnoverin Indian Rupees (INR) 138
Figure 5.7: Percentage of office and site staff with access to computers 146
Figure 5.8: Distribution of Respondent Organizations for Rate of Increaseof IT based Communication in last 5 years 147
Figure 5.9: Distribution of Organization for the Method of ReceivingBids 148
Figure 5.10: Distribution of Organizations for formal Time and Cost
Management Processes Adoption 149Figure 5.11: Mean and Std. Deviation Values of Respondent Organizations
for Scores for Formal Time and Cost Management ProcessesAdoption 150
Figure 5.12: Method of Communicating Electronic Information within
Office and with Project Sites 151
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Figure 5.13: Method of Communicating Electronic Information betweenOffice and other Project Agencies 152
Figure 5.14: Relation between the groups in which the perceptions are
studied 154
Figure 5.15: Matrix with the Distribution of Organizations for DifferentLevels of Perceptions of Barriers and Benefits and Results ofScenario Building 162
Figure 5.16: Identified Issues and Cultural Factors 175
Figure 6.1: Structural Model Derived from the Hypotheses of Causal
Relationships 179Figure 6.2: Hypothesized Model to be tested 181Figure 6.3: Modified Structural Model Step 1 187
Figure 6.4: Modified Structural Model Step 2 188Figure 6.5: Standardized Path Coefficients and Factor Loadings of
Model Modification - Step 3 (Final Model) 192Figure 6.6: Final Structural Model 194Figure 6.7: Aggregate Scores of Respondent Organizations for Tools
used for Identified Project Management Processes 197Figure 6.8: Mean and Std. Deviation of Respondent Organizations for
Scores for Tools used for Project Management Processes 197Figure 7.1: Relationship between Performance/Measurement Indicators 204Figure 7.2: Construction Project Management Organization Structure with
Respect to Decision Making and Information Management 206Figure 7.3: Benchmarking Framework Indicators Spanning all the Levels
of the Organizations 207
Figure 7.4: Comparison of Performance Measures Values of MI1 213
Figure 7.5: Comparison of Performance Measures Values of MI2 214Figure 7.6: Comparison of Performance Measures Values of MI3 215Figure 7.7: Comparison of Performance Measures Values of MI4 216Figure 7.8: Comparison of Performance Measures Values of MI5 217
Figure 7.9: Comparison of Performance Measures Values of MI6 219Figure 7.10: Comparison of Performance Measures Values of MI7 220
Figure 7.11: Comparison of Performance Measures Values of MI8 221Figure 7.12: Comparison of Measurement Indicator Values for Three
Organizations 222
Figure 7.13: Reference Comparison Values of PMCO with respect to REO 228Figure 7.14: Reference Comparison Values of AO with respect to REO 229
Figure 7.15: Reference Contribution Values of PMCO and AO forDetermining Potential Improvement Values of REO 230Figure 7.16: Relation between Rating and Efficiency of Analyzed
Organizations 231Figure 7.17: Relation between all Data Analysis Components 232
Figure 7.18: Suggested Benchmarking Process 263Figure 8.1: Salient Features of the Suggested Benchmarking Framework 279Figure 8.2: Categorization of Building Project Management
Organizations for ICT Adoption as Derived from theBenchmarking Framework 284
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Figure 8.3: Industry Level Framework for Planning, Designing andImplementing Strategic Model for Enhancing ICT Diffusionin Building Projects 287
Figure 8.4: Organization Level Framework for Planning, Designing and
Implementing Strategic Model for Enhancing ICT Diffusionin Building Projects 291
Figure 8.5: Schematic Diagram of Model for Diffusion of ICT in theIndian Construction Industry for Building Project Management 299
Figure 9.1: Categorization of Data Collection and Analysis Techniquesand their Relation 303
Figure 9.2: Input Research Constructs and Output analysis Results atEach Stage of Study 311
Figure 9.3: Proposed Parameters for Measuring ICT Adoption for Building
Project Management by Construction Organizations 312
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1: Research Papers Discussing Research Conducted in India forIT Adoption by the Construction Industry 32
Table 2.2: Research Papers Discussing National Level Research Initiatives 37Table 2.3: Research Papers Discussing International Research in
Formulating Methodologies for Evaluating Information
Systems in the Construction Industry 38Table 2.4: Definitions and Salient Features of Benchmarking 39
Table 2.5: Research Papers Discussing Strategic Adoption of ICT in theConstruction Industry 45
Table 2.6: Research Papers Discussing Synergy between Technology,Process and Cultural Issues 47
Table 2.7: Research Papers Discussing Perceived Benefits and Barriers
of ICT Adoption in the Construction Industry 54Table 2.8: Summarization of Research Conducted, Research Required
and Validation of the Research Objectives 57
Table 3.1: Identification of Micro Variables for the Macro Variablesand Type of Study Required for Each Variable 63
Table 3.2: Categorization of Organizations With Respect to Adoptionof ICT and the Type of Change Required in the Process 104
Table 4.1: Perceived Benefits of ICT Adoption for Building Project
Management 112Table 4.2: Structural Self Interaction Matrix 114
Table 4.3: Initial Reachability Matrix 115Table 4.4: Final Reachability Matrix with Transitivities (1) 115Table 4.5: Iteration I 117
Table 4.6: Levels of Benefits 118Table 4.7: Conical Form of Reachability Matrix 119
Table 5.1: Cronbachs Alpha Values 130Table 5.2: Non Parametric Friedman Test for Ranking Extent of Use of
ICT between Different Groups 132Table 5.3: Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test for Comparing Internal
and External/collaborative use of ICT for Building
Project Management 132Table 5.4: Descriptive Statistics of Test Variables of Hypotheses HD2
and HD3 133
Table 5.5: t-test results for Hypotheses HD2 and HD3 133Table 5.6: Organizations having Communication Management Strategy
within the Organization 134Table 5.7: Extent of ICT Adoption Varies between Different Projects 134Table 5.8: Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test for Comparing Reasons for
Differential ICT Adoption on Building Projects 136Table 5.9: Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test for Comparing scores of Personal
Meetings and Teleconferences 137Table 5.10: Oneway ANOVA Test for Testing Relation between
Turnover of the Organization and Extent of Use of ICT 139
Table 5.11: Descriptive Statistics for Hypothesis HR1 140
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Table 5.12: Descriptive Statistics of test variable 'benefits' 141Table 5.13: t-test Results for Perceived Importance of Benefits of use of
ICT for Building Project Management 141
Table 5.14: Mean and Std. Deviation of the Perceived Industry Drivers 142
Table 5.15: Descriptive Statistics of Test Variable 'drivers' 143Table 5.16: t-test Results for Perceived Industry Drivers for Increased
Use of ICT for Building Project Management 144Table 5.17: Descriptive Statistics for Hypothesis HS3 144Table 5.18: Oneway ANOVA Test for Difference in Use of ICT for
Different Groups of Sample Organizations 145
Table 5.19: Correlation Between Four Groups of Benefits 145Table 5.20: Oneway ANOVA Test for Testing Relation between 'Percentage
of Site Staff with Access to Computers' and 'Extent of ICT
Adoption' 146Table 5.21: Descriptive Statistics of 'Extent of ICT Adoption' for Distribution
of 'Percentage of Site Staff with Access to Computers' 147Table 5.22: Software used for Building Project Management 153Table 5.23: Descriptive Statistics Perceived Barriers 155
Table 5.24: Descriptive Statistics Perceived Enablers 157Table 5.25: Descriptive Statistics Perceived Benefits 160
Table 5.26: Mean and Std. Deviation for Test Variable emailpho 163Table 5.27: t-test Results for Communication in which e-mail is followed
by Phone Call 163
Table 5.28: Mode of Information Storage 164Table 5.29: Response of Organizations for Methodology Most Often Used
for Communicating Information for General Administration
Processes (80%-100% times) 165
Table 5.30: Response of Organizations for Methodology Most Often Usedfor Communicating Information for Building Project ManagementProcesses (80%-100% times) 166
Table 5.31: Descriptive Statistics for the Perceived Factors 167
Table 5.32: Identified Issues that are required to be Addressed 169Table 6.1: Model Specification 180
Table 6.2: Regression Weights/Path Coefficients and Factor Loadings 185Table 6.3: Covariance between Exogenous Variables 186Table 6.4: Estimates 189
Table 6.5: Model Fit Indices 190Table 6.6: Squared Multiple Correlations 191
Table 7.1: Identified Gaps in Practice and Trends 223Table 7.2: Categorization of Identified Trends 225Table 7.3: Inputs and Outputs for DEA Analysis 226
Table 7.4: Data Values for Three Analyzed Organizations 227Table 7.5: Efficiency Scores for Analyzed Organizations 227
Table 7.6: Potential Improvement Required in REO 229Table 7.7: Gaps in Practice and the Identified Reasons (REO) 241Table 7.8: Gaps in Practice and the Identified Reasons (PMCO) 247
Table 7.9: Gaps in Practice and the Identified Reasons (AO) 254Table 7.10: Actions Required to Increase ICT Adoption for Building Project
Management in the Studied Organizations and ExpectedPerformance Changes 255
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Table 7.11: Relation between Identified Trends and Collective Actions 257Table 7.12: Relation between Identified Trends, Gaps in Practice and
Suggested Actions 262
Table 8.1: Relation between the Suggested Scenario Building framework
and the Benchmarking Framework 275Table 8.2: Required Strategic Industry Level Implementation Actions 288
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
3D 3 Dimensional4D 4 Dimensional
AEC Architecture Engineering ConstructionAMC Annual Maintenance ContractAMOS Analysis of Moment Structures
ANOVA Analysis of VarianceAO Architectural Organization
ASEAN Association of South East Asian NationsB2B Business to BusinessCD Compact DiscCDT Corporacin de Desarrollo TecnolgicoCEO Chief Executive Officer
EDM Electronic Document ManagementCFI Comparative fit indexCIC Computer Integrated Construction
CII Construction Industry InstituteCORENET Construction and Real Estate NETwork
CRC CI Cooperative Research Center for Construction InnovationCRS Constant Returns to ScaleCSCW Computer Supported Collaborative Work
DEA Data Envelopment AnalysisDISR Department of Industry, Science and Resources
DMU Decision Making UnitDRS Decreasing Returns to ScaleDTI Department of Trade and Industry
ERP Enterprise Resource PlanningFM Facilities Management
GDP Gross Domestic ProductGFI Goodness of Fit indexGIS Geographical Information SystemGPS Global Positioning SystemHR Human Resource
HVAC Heating Ventilating and Air ConditioningI-O Input-OutputICPM Integrated Construction Project Management
ICT Information Communication TechnologiesIFC Industry Foundation Classes
IM Interactive ManagementINR Indian RupeesIRS Increasing Returns to Scale
IS Information SystemsISM Interpretive Structural Modeling
ISO International Standardization OrganizationIT Information TechnologyKPI Key Performance Indicators
LAN Local Area Network
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M&E Material and EquipmentMI Measurement IndicatorMIS Management Information Systems
MS Microsoft
NFI Normed fit indexORCM Online Remote Construction ManagementPM Project ManagementPMBOK Project Management Book of KnowledgePMCO Project Management Consultancy OrganizationPMI Project Management Institute
R&D Research and DevelopmentREO Real Estate OrganizationRFI Request for Information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification DeviceRMSEA Root Mean Square Error of Approximation
SAP-LAP Situation Actor Process Learning Action PerformanceSEM Structural Equation ModelingSME Small and Medium Enterprise
SPSS Statistical Package for Social SciencesSSIM Structural Self- Interaction Matrix
STD. StandardSTEP Standard for the Exchange of Product dataTPC Technology-process-culture
UK United KingdomUS United StatesUSA United States of America
USB Universal Serial Bus
VRS Variable Returns to ScaleWAN Wide Area Network
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The journey of my research study has been challenging, exciting, apprehensive and a
novel experience for me. Research was primarily conducted in India, but I never felt
alien to the administrative and education system of QUT.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to my principal supervisor,
Associate Professor Jay Yang for having faith in me and giving me an opportunity to
conduct research under his supervision, as an external student. His insightful advice
and constant support was always a great help.
I would like to thank my external supervisor, Assistant Professor Ravi Shankar for
his invaluable and enriching comments, for spending lot of his valuable time in
supervising me and for providing structure to my research. The rigorous analysis in
this research has been possible due to the infrastructure support that I received from
his institute, IIT Delhi.
I am grateful to my associate supervisor, Professor Martin Skitmore for his
invaluable suggestions in the early stages of the research, as they provided a
direction to the research.
I would like to thank administrative staff of BEE research office as well as of other
departments of QUT with whom I have communicated during these three years. They
helped me in having a smooth research journey and I never felt that I was so much
geographically away from QUT.
I am grateful to all the respondents of questionnaire survey for taking out time from
their busy routine to answer the questionnaire and to Dr. Tulsi Adhikari for providing
necessary help.
My husband Punit and my parents have always been there for me as a rock support.
Last but not the least I want to thank my children Satvik and Bhumika who at their
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tender age understood the importance of this research for me. In the beginning it was
difficult for them to comprehend it, but by the end of the research period they were
keeping a check on my timeline and helping me in every possible way that they
could. This research would not have been possible without their support. I dedicate
this thesis to them.
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PUBLICATIONS
Papers Published
Yang, J., Ahuja, V. and Shankar, R., 2007. Managing Building Projects through
Enhanced Communication An ICT Based Strategy for Small and Medium
Enterprises, Proceedings of the CIB World Building Congress 2007, Cape
Town, South Africa, May, 2007.
Ahuja, V., Yang, J. and Shankar, R., 2006. Strategic Use of ICT for Construction
Organisations - Requirements and Implementation Issues, Proceedings of
INCITE / ITCSED 2006 Conference, Organized by Construction Industry
Development Council India and Glasgow Caledonian University, November
2006, New Delhi, India, 1, pp.235-250.
Ahuja. V., Yang, J. and Shankar, R., 2006. Web Based Communication for
Construction Projec t Management, Proceedings of the World Conference on
Accelerating Excellence in the Built Environment, Birmingham, UK, October,
2006.
Yang, J. and Ahuja, V., 2006. Communication Protocol for Building Project
Management - ICT Enhanced Approaches for the Indian Building Practice,
Proceedings of the CIB W089 Conference: BEAR 2006, Hong Kong, China,
April, 2006.
Ahuja. V. and Yang, J., 2005. Towards IT Enabled Supply Chain Communication
in Construction Project Management,In Ribeiro, F.L., Love, P.E.D., Davidson,
C.H., Egbu, C.O. and Dimitrijevic, B. Ed. Proceedings of CIB Conference on
Information and Knowledge Management in Global Economy, Lisbon,
Portugal, 1, pp.289-302.
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research Background
1.1.1 Building Project Management and ICT
Building construction projects involve many stakeholders or agencies at all the stages
of the projects from design to construction and for each project the supply chain is
different. Projects are managed by designated Project Managers, Architects,
Contractors on behalf of the Client or by the Clients themselves depending upon the
contract and the project type. Project Managers are required to facilitate the
integration of work of all the agencies and project team organizations are
geographically separated beyond national boundaries or in the context of large
countries like India, within the national boundaries. Also, there is increased demand
to complete the projects within estimated time, cost and as per the specified quality.
One of the building industrys answers to increased demands is to make better use ofinformation and knowledge that is generated in all stages of development because
communication or data handling often takes about 75% to 90% of a project
managers time in the construction industry (Fisher and Yin 1992; Alshawi and
Ingirige 2002). Also, two-thirds of the construction problems are caused by
inadequate communication and exchange of information and data, where 85% of
commonly associated problems are process related and not product related (Smit et
al. 2005). The key to project information management consists of the information
flows associated with inter-organizational communication (Stewart et al. 2005) and
the effectiveness of the project manager to communicate, evaluate and feedback to
the rest of the project team during each stage of the project life-cycle determines how
efficiently the projects goals will be achieved (Alshawi and Ingirige 2002). Thus,
there is a requirement of a system that provides; shared project information, analysis
tools to analyze the information, a collaborative infrastructure to handle the flow of
information, a multi device access to the pertaining information and a system that
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ensures the persistence of the underlying information among the participants (Pena-
Mora and Dwivedi 2002).
Collection, analysis and real time communication of information is essential for the
quick detection of time, cost, scope and quality deviations from planned performance
and timely decision making for responding to problems, disputes and deviations
detected from the planned performance. At present, the communication problem
between the team members is often a cause for project delay, expensive reworking
and building defects (Huang et al. 2002) and with traditional tools of communication,
the project managers often lose the ability of timely change management. Required
communication can be achieved by using IT for effective data management andinformation communication or by using Information Communication Technologies
(ICT).
ICT provides opportunities for real time access of information to all and improves
coordination and collaboration between project team members. Benefits of ICT
adoption include an increase in the quality of documents and speed of work; better
financial control and communications, and simpler and faster access to common data
as well as a decrease in documentation errors (Nitithamyong and Skibniewski 2006).
ICT is required not only to free up project managers for more decision making tasks
but also to deliver the required levels of consistency and reliability of information
in the construction supply chains because use of incorrect data can compromise the
scheduled completion of a project and lead to wastage of resources (Sturges and
Bates 2001).
1.1.2 ICT Adoption in the Construction Industry and Research Requirements
The construction industry has been slow in embracing IT tools and techniques and
compared to other sectors, available and often easily accessible technology is not
being utilized to the full. This is reflected both, in the literature and in practice (Opfer
1997; Egbu et al. 2001; Love et al. 2004). This is due to a number of historical,
industrial and market forces that perpetuate the industrys culture, thus affecting the
extent of ICT adoption in day-to-day business processes (Baldwin et al. 1999).
Effective adoption or diffusion of ICT through organizations is required to be
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effectively managed to better prepare for future ICT applications adoption
(Peansupap and Walker 2005) and issues for slow adoption of ICT are required to be
studied. The issues can be categorized as technical, managerial, cultural and
socio/political due to differing perceptions of project team members. The
requirement is to match technological innovation with the perceived needs and
preparedness for change on the part of the industry (Weippert and Kajewski 2004).
ICT adoption research is a component of research dealing with IT adoption in the
construction industry. A review of the literature review indicates that IT research in
construction until now has predominantly had a technical rather than a managerial
focus such as investment justification, strategy and strategic information systemsplanning (Love et al. 2004). Little consideration has been given to the human
factors associated with IT exploitation, like issues of team working, culture and
motivation of the workforce to embrace IT for team working through different
approaches, including training and education (Egbu et al. 2002). But, in a technology
driven change of any kind, the technology itself is only one of the several inter-
related components that potentially ensure improved performance (Cabrera et al.
2001 cited in Weippert and Kajewski 2004). With respect to ICT, its implementation
will inevitably be unsuccessful if the organizations culture is not properly aligned
with, and supportive of an overall business strategy (Schneider 2000 cited in
Weippert and Kajewski 2004). So, research should also consider strategic as well as
managerial issues (Back and Moreau 2000). It should become a business objective of
the construction industry and should give equal prominence to technology, people
and processes involved in construction projects. Only in such a scenario will it be
adopted by the industry as a whole.
(SMEs) as 97% of the organizations employ less than 20 persons, and can be
classified as Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) (Katranuschkov et al. 2001). So,
the communication management research is required to address management and
communication processes adopted by SMEs. These issues can be addressed by global
research, but also require clear understanding of the management and communication
processes followed by SMEs of each distinct regional area or country.
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1.1.3 IT Enhanced communication protocols
Protocol is defined as an accepted behavior in a situation. IT enhanced
communication is a component of a computerized information system which
includes generating, coding, processing, storing and communicating information
(Chitkara 2001, p.529-550). Thus, IT enhanced communication protocols are
required to define accepted methods of conducting these processes. In a construction
project, all the supply chain members are brought together to achieve one main
objective i.e to develop and build a particular project (Villagarcia and Cardoso 1999)
to meet desirable goals and standards. At all stages of the project, information is
generated, stored and communicated by all the supply chain members. So, to have
effective communication, all the supply chain members should follow the accepted
methods or the communication protocols. Also, at any time, each construction
organization is involved in more than one project and is a part of more than one
supply chain (Dainty et al. 2001). This unique nature of the construction industry
necessitates that the communication protocols are adopted by the industry as a whole
and do not remain project specific. With the advent of ICT, communication protocols
that support the effective adoption of ICT by the whole industry are required to be
developed. As per McDonagh(1995)the potential of the new technologies includingIT would be fully realized and optimized only if frameworks or principles are
developed and adopted for comprehensive, integrated information systems which
permit consistency and ease of exchange of information between different users of
the same information in different combinations for different purposes and across the
whole range of projects and programs.
People, who are a part of different project team organizations, manage projects and
the project team organizations are a part of the construction industry (Fig. 1.1). In an
organization, adoption of ICT is primarily initiated by top management, but effective
adoption of ICT is still dependent on project managers who have the main
responsibility for managing the construction projects (Peansupap and Walker 2005).
So, the protocols have to address technical, managerial, social and cultural issues and
be implemented at the level of industry, organization and project or people.
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1.2 Research Problem, Aim and Objectives
Based on the discussed research background, the research problem is defined as
below:
Building project management requires collaboration and coordination between all the
project team organizations, which can be achieved by effective communication
management. When project team organizations are geographically separated, such
effective communication can be achieved by IT enabled communication or by ICT.Construction industry has been slow in adopting ICT and research is required to
study the factors affecting ICT adoption for building project management and to
develop communication protocols to be adopted by the construction industry. But,
majority of the organizations in the construction industry are SMEs and research is
required to address the specific requirements and management and communication
processes followed by SMEs of each distinct regional area or country.
1.2.1 Research Aim
The Research Aim is to develop protocols for effective adoption of Information
Communication Technologies (ICT) for Building Project Management by Small and
Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Indian construction industry.
The Oxford dictionary defines the word effective as producing the intended
result. In the context of this research, effectiveness of ICT adoption can be assessed
INDUSTRY
ORGANIZATION
PEOPLE
Fig. 1.1 Relation between Industry, Organization and People
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by the extent to which ICT tools and technologies replace manual methods in the
information system supporting building project management processes. Research
would identify the critical success factors that can help SMEs overcome the
technical, managerial, social and cultural barriers for effective ICT adoption for
building project management i.e getting the intended results or maximum benefits of
ICT adoption in the industry. The research is in the context of the Indian construction
industry. As shown by the preliminary literature study conducted, the requirement is
to develop technical and managerial protocols to be adopted at industry, organization
and people/project levels so that in the industry, ICT becomes an integral part of the
building project management process. Such research requires an understanding of the
basic project management processes executed by SMEs in Indian ConstructionIndustry; method of communication adopted; perceived drivers, barriers and enablers
affecting ICT adoption and perceived benefits of ICT.
1.2.2 Research Objectives
Research Objectives in support of the Research Aim are discussed below:
i. To identify generic project management processes adopted by SMEs in India
for building project management.
ii. To identify the extent of Information communication technologies (ICT)
adopted by SMEs for building project management.
iii. To identify perceived barriers and associated enablers for IT enhanced
communication management by SMEs and to develop model for establishing
structural relationships amongst them.
iv. To assess perceived industry requirements driving adoption of ICT by SMEs.
v. To identify perceived benefits of ICT adoption.
vi. To identify factors other than perceived enablers, barriers, benefits and industry
drivers affecting adoption of ICT.
vii. To study the causal relationships between all the identified factors.
viii. To provide a framework for increasing effective ICT adoption for Building
Project Management and suggest method of validation of the framework.
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1.3 Research Overview
Research Aim and Objectives conceptualized the focus of this study, projecting
factors and issues that underpin effective ICT adoption by SMEs for building project
management. This section provides an overview of the research process. Research
methodology is described in detail in Chapter 3, which presents a description of the
research methods that addressed the issues related to this study.
The research endeavor was not to automate the current communication process, but
rather to align it for adoption of the unique capabilities of computers over those of
humans. As ICT adoption is to be based on the principle that technology adoptionshould be business driven, ICT facilitated communication protocols should play a
part in and be integral with construction development phases and business processes.
Research Framework
A research framework helps to structure the research process into logical steps and
appropriate stages. The establishment of an action plan helps to guide and direct the
research so that there is a clear connection between all the stages, i.e formulation of
research aim and objectives, literature review, data collection and analysis and the
findings and conclusions identified in the course of the analysis. Fig. 1.2 provides an
overview of the research framework that encompasses the research processes, which
were applied and were suitable for this research.
The research process was supported at all stages by a detailed literature review and
study of conceptual as well as empirical literature. The literature was reviewed at
four separate stages in the research process. The first stage review was a preliminary
exploration of the communication system adopted for building project management,
structure of the construction industry and related issues that required consideration
and further study. Thus, it involved a review of the conceptual literature concerning
the concepts and theories and the empirical literature consisting of earlier studies,
which are similar to the one proposed. This material is presented mainly in Chapter 1
as an introduction to the research and led to the formulation of research problem and
objectives. The second stage of the review was conducted to study the research
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background in context of research objectives. This helped in identification of
research variables and research areas. It validated the research objectives. This part
of the literature review is presented in Chapter 2. The third stage of the literature
review was related to the study of research methodologies. It was an important stage
of literature study as only by using appropriate methodologies and methods of
research, applied with rigor, can the body of knowledge for construction be
established and advanced with confidence (Fellows and Liu 2003). This study led to
the formulation of research design and finalization of research methodology. This
part of the literature review is presented in Chapter 3 and subsequently discussed in
detail in related chapters. The fourth stage of the literature review or advanced
literature review was conducted after the questionnaire survey. It helped in theformulation of research construct for the semi-structured interview survey and case
studies analysis and was drawn upon for discussion and formulation of results. It is
presented intermittently from Chapter 7. The whole process of literature review
facilitates continuous knowledge building that is required for the research process.
The research design is concerned with making the research problem researchable by
setting up the study in a way that will produce specific answers to specific questions
(Oppenheim 1992). The Research Methodology was designed to achieve the research
objectives by way of including effective data collection, analysis and their validation
methodologies. The study required an understanding of the present status of ICT
adoption for building project management by SMEs, measure of identified factors
affecting ICT adoption and causal relationships between these factors. Some of the
factors could be measured quantitatively, but some factors like human or cultural
factors required qualitative assessment. Thus, the research methodology divided the
research into quantitative and qualitative research. Data for quantitative analysis was
collected through a questionnaire survey. The organizations that were included in the
survey sample, were either managing building projects after being appointed as
Project Managers or had the authority to manage their projects if a Project Manager
had not been appointed formally. Therefore three groups of organizations were
included in the sample: builders including contractors who construct and manage
their own projects; project management consultancy organizations which are
formally appointed as project managers on building projects and architectural
organizations which manage small to medium size building projects since for
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majority of such projects, project managers are not formally appointed. Interpretive
structural modeling was used to assess the importance of perceived benefits and their
driving power and dependence on other benefits. Quantitative analysis was
conducted through empirical analysis of data using Structural Equation Modeling
and other parametric and non-parametric statistical analysis tools. A semi-structured
interview survey was conducted at the organization level leading to quantitative
analysis of data including Data Envelopment Analysis and knowledge enhancement
through qualitative analysis. Case studies were conducted at organization and project
levels and analyzed through SAP-LAP analysis forming the qualitative component of
research.
StructuralEquation
ModelingAnalysis
Parametricand
No
n-parametric
StatisticalAnalysis
Literature Review
(Stage 3)
Fig. 1.2 Research Overview
Research Aim
Research Objectives
Literature Review
(Stage 1)
Research Hypotheses
Questionnaire for the
Survey
Questionnaire
Survey
(industry
level)
Interpretive StructuralModeling Analysis
Literature Review
(Stage 2)
Research
Methodology
Literature Review
(Stage 4)
Semi-structured
Interview
Survey
(organization
level
Discussion
and ResultsFormulation
Benchmarking
FrameworkDevelopment
and Analysis
incl. Data
Envelopment
Anal sis
Case Studies
(organization
and project
levels)
SAP-LAP
Analysis
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1.4 Delimitation of Scope
This section helps to identify a planned, justified scope of the study beyond which
generalization of the results was not intended. The identified delimitations are
additional to the limitations and key assumptions. Delimitations are within the
control of the researcher and limitations are not. Limitationscaused by the methods
used are identified and explained in Chapter 9 as summary of all the limitations that
became evident throughout the course of the study. Key assumptions are described in
relevant sections.
The identified delimitations are discussed below: The research is conducted for building project management and data is
collected from organizations responsible for the management of building
projects. The results could be generalized for heavy civil construction, but
after due consideration of the characteristics of supply chain issues, the size
of participating organizations, management procedures and contract
conditions relevant for heavy civil construction.
The research is conducted from the perspective of Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs). The results can be generalized for larger organizations,
but some of the identified factors affecting ICT adoption for building project
management might not be relevant for large organizations.
Research data was collected from the Indian construction industry and the
results are applicable for India. However, these results can be generalized for
other countries after studying the extent and characteristics of similarities
between the construction industries of these countries.
Suggested communication protocols are arrived at after studying technical,
managerial and social/cultural factors affecting ICT adoption for building
project management. But, the technical issues are studied in terms of the
applicability, usage and standardization of features and not with respect to
development of technical features.
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1.5 Outline of the Thesis
The chapters in this thesis are so structured that each chapter can be read and
understood autonomously. They are presented sequentially as an integral part of the
whole thesis with relevant referencing and linking information to the preceding and
succeeding chapters. Each chapter encapsulates elements of the design process that
satisfy the aim and objectives of this research and demonstrates an understanding and
appreciation of research processes, methodologies, analysis, writing up, discussion
and summarization of results based on analysis and acquired knowledge. Each
chapter starts with an introduction and ends with the summary of research discussed
in the chapter. In each chapter intermediate results or issues that are studied insubsequent chapter are shown in a highlighted box.
Chapter 1 introduces the research background related to the importance of effective
communication for building project management and ICT adoption to achieve this.
Based on this research background, the research problem, aim and objectives are
formulated. This chapter also presents a brief overview of the research framework
and research scope.
Chapter 2 presents a review of the literature related to ICT adoption for building
project management, characteristics and specific requirements of SMEs and the
characteristics of the Indian Construction Industry. Factors affecting ICT adoption
have been identified at the level of industry, organization and people. The study of
global research conducte d in this area helped in the identification of the gap in
literature and research areas.
Chapter 3 provides discussions on the processes by which the research objectives
are achieved. It examines in detail the issues pertaining to the research design and
methodology, data collection and analysis methods, key research activities and
validation methods. Research hypotheses are formulated and after discussion about
research methodology, the framework for synthesis of the research components and
results formulation is discussed.
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Chapter 4 presents Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) analysis of the
relationship between the perceived benefits of adopting ICT for building project
management. Analysis results identify the dependence and driving power of each
benefit with respect to other benefits. A developed ISM model is then presented and
additional hypotheses are formulated.
Chapter 5 presents empirical analysis of data collected through the questionnaire
survey. Analysis is conducted through parametric and non-parametric statistical
techniques. Hypotheses are tested, discussion on perception based data is presented
and the analysis is summarized.
Chapter 6 presents a structural model of causal relationships between quantifiable
factors affecting ICT adoption for building project management, derived from
Hypotheses of causal relationships. This structural model is tested through
Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique and the final model is presented.
Chapter 7 presents a framework for benchmarking ICT adoption for building project
management. It further discusses finalization and validation of the framework
through semi-structured interviews conducted at the organization level in three
organizations which had also responded for the questionnaire survey. It includes
measurement of efficiency of organizations in implementing their strategies for ICT
adoption. It is conducted through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique. This
chapter also discusses case studies of these three organizations conducted at
organization and project levels. Case studies are analyzed through SAP-LAP analysis
and social, cultural and behavioral factors affecting ICT adoption are studied.
Chapter 8 synthesizes the results of research studies conducted for achieving the
research aim and objectives. The results or the IT enhanced communication protocols
are discussed as a generic framework of a Strategic Model for Enhancing ICT
Diffusion in Building Projects.
Chapter 9 summarizes the research study. It presents a summary of findings,
significant research contributions, implications of research at the level of industry,
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organization and people and also discusses the limitations of the research study. It
also identifies future research scope emanating from the research study conducted.
1.6 Summary
This chapter discussed the basic premise for the research and the thesis. It first
introduced the research background, which helped in the identification of the
research problem. The research aim and objectives were established. An overview of
the research process was briefly discussed and the research scope was identified. An
outline of the thesis structure was also presented. This chapter leads to the detaileddiscussion of the research process, with the next chapter presenting the literature
review.
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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
The construction industry is a data based and information dependent industry. The
amount of information generated and exchanged during all the stages of a project can
be substantial (McIntosh and Sloan 2001) and in various formats: drawings, contract
documents, analysis results, planning schedules, photographs, reports. Further, the
project participants are changed with every project and the information generated by
many sources, at many levels of abstraction and detail, and retained by the creator of
that information contributes to fragmentation of the industry (Smit et al. 2005).
Construction projects involve large capital investments, multi-disciplines, widely
dispersed project participants, tighter schedules, and stringent quality standards and
these factors coupled with high-speed developments in Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) have influenced the project management
practices to take a new turn (Alshawi and Ingirige 2002). But, the literature surveyand the study of the construction industry reflect that the available technology is not
being utilized to its full potential (Egbu et al. 2001). This can be achieved by giving
careful consideration to the human touch (Weippert and Kajewski 2004) i.e. cultural
issues and strategic adoption of ICT in the industry.
In construction industry, majority of the construction organizations can be
categorized as Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) and the communication
management research is required to address management and communication
processes adopted by SMEs. Also, by virtue of the number of organizations, greatest
strategic scope exists at this level (ed. Betts 1999, p. 58). Thus, strategic adoption of
ICT by the construction industry is defined by the strategic and operational
requirements of SMEs. These issues can be addressed by global research, but also
require clear understanding of the management and communication processes
followed by the SMEs of each distinct regional area or country.
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2.2 Construction Information and ICT
Information in a construction organization can be grouped under three categories:
Information required for managing internal operations of the organization.
Information required for assessing the construction industry, organizations
position in the industry and the policy decisions required for future direction.
Information required for managing construction projects.
For the first category of information, ICT is required to integrate the communication
between all departments or engineering groups, branch offices or organizational sub-
units and levels within the organizations.
For the second category of information, ICT is required to bring agility into the
information system. A constant flow of information from internal and external
sources allows informed decision making and improves the environmental scanning
and the co-ordination of a response (Retik and Langford 2001).
The third category of information is generated due to the communication between the
organizations and the multiple agencies which are a part of the project team. Project
information is usually considered as the processed and presented data in a given
situation, and is the data that enables effective action (Marsh and Flanagan 2000
cited in Smit et al. 2005).
The significance of the scale of project information management and the requirement
to adopt ICT in projects can be understood by the following information reported in
an Australian Government report: A $10 million project with monthly cash-flows of
$500,000 might have as many as 50 contracts, 5 different consultants, 200 tenders,
600 final drawings, 3,000 amended drawings, 150 contract variations, 600 site
instructions, and 6 meetings per week (Fujitsu Center Report 1998 cited in Weippert
et al. 2002).
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2.3 ICT and Building Project Management
In a building project, various stakeholders are involved at all the stages and project
managers are required to integrate efforts of all the stakeholders.
The Egan report stresses the requirement for project managers to integrate the
projects phases (from conception to final delivery) leading to performance
improvement (Alshawi and Ingirige 2002). Intense integration of alliance partners
requires excellence in communication at all levels, i.e. at Application level, System
level and Business level or Industry level (Fischer and Froese 1996; Alshawi and
Ingirige 2002; Walker et al. 2002). As per Walker et al. (2002) this generally requiresa quantum leap in the adoption of shared IT systems and information processing
integration. Thus, individual information systems developed by individual functional
managers or construction managers are required to be integrated for a project.
Integration strategies on the construction projects include managerial and technical
strategies. Technical integration focuses on workplace technology to improve
integration, particularly computer-integrated construction (CIC), which strives to
share the information among computer applications (Fischer and Froese 1996). For
managerial integration, Internet and Intranet related Computer Supported
Collaborative Work (CSCW) applications and especially Web-related applications
are one of the major concerns of CSCW research (Zhu et al. 2001). Study of the
literature identifies that there is research being conducted with respect to
information/communication management to enhance collaborative project
management on construction projects (Rezgui et al. 1998; Construct IT for Business
Report 2000b; OBrien, 2000; Pena-Mora and Dwivedi 2002).
The collaboration among the diverse participants in a project is essentially measured
by how effectively the communication channels were managed. The effectiveness of
the project manager to communicate, evaluate and feedback to the rest of the project
team during each stage of the life cycle determines how efficiently the projects goals
will be achieved (Alshawi and Ingirige 2002). A Project Manager managing multiple
projects typically shares resources with team members working on many projects
over a shorter time. In such a situation, the key management issues could be resolved
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by good communication management (Haugan, 2002, p.12-18). Also, in this scenario
it is essential not only to support the communication processes within a project, but
also to consider the multi-project work and the individual requirements of the players
as well (Katranuschkov et al. 2001). The communication system should be:
Sufficiently flexible so that it can be modified to suit the unique requirements of the
individual project managers; Adaptable to many different projects; and Adaptable to
differing customer information requirements.
Research has highlighted the importance of effective communication for the success
of a project (Thomas et al. 1998; Tam 1999). It was concluded in a study that the top
thirty potential problems contributing to poor project performance could be classifiedunder five categories, out of which communication problems were listed as the third
category and all the five categories involve communications to some extent (Thomas
et al. 1998).
The time delays and increased cost of construction projects can be traced back to
poor coordination caused by inadequate information, insufficient, inappropriate,
inaccurate, inconsistent, or late information or a combination of them all (Tam 1999).
Communication has also been linked to team effectiveness, the integration of work
units across organizational levels, characteristics of effective supervision, job
satisfaction, and overall organizational effectiveness (Green 2001).
The extensive physical distance between project participants, extending over national
boundaries is one of the main causes leading to delays in decision-making (Deng et
al. 2001 cited in Alshawi and Ingirige 2002). In such a scenario, communication
problems, ranging from delays to distortion of messages, impose strains on project
management in construction (Alshawi and Ingirige 2002).
In the construction industry, supply chains are typically formed by all the project
team organizations. SMEs occupy a critical role in these supply chains and given the
number of specialist firms operating within the construction industry, there are
considerable challenges in terms of improving project performance through better
supplier integration and ensuring process conformity and alignment (Dainty et al.
2001). Alshawi and Ingirige (2002) identified that communication often takes about
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75% to 90% of a project managers time in the construction industry and computer
based systems are required not only to free up the managers for more decision-
making tasks but also to deliver the required levels of consistency and reliability of
information in the supply chains.
The specific characteristics of Supply Chain communication management for
building projects can be summarized as under (Ahuja and Yang 2005):
The total information structure is required to be integrated in terms of
generation and flow of information and associated decision-making.
Throughout the project lifecycle, team organizations are required to obtain
real time information, as they are required to coordinate and collaborate forproject execution. Availability of real time information also helps in change
management, which is an intrinsic part of construction projects.
To achieve integrated information processing, there should be an automated
flow of information between all the software used by project team
organizations. Appropriate categorization of information and the streamlining
of reporting requirements is necessary.
At various points in the supply chain, information is collected from various
team organizations and then collated and processed for shared use.
Standardization of data handling processes as well as project information is
required to ensure maximum efficiency.
Adoption of IT enhanced communication or Information Communication
Technologies (ICT) can help in achieving required communication in building
projects. Jaafari and Manivong (1998) summarize the research in this area by stating
that effective implementation of ICT within projects, as well as the entire industry,
would improve the communication processes by an order of magnitude, and would
thus benefit the delivery of all the phases and functions on projects.
2.4 ICT Tools and Technologies
ICT is being adopted for building project management. Internet is the worldwide
system for exchanging and distributing free-format information and is regarded as an
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ideal platform for building up Information Systems (Smit et al. 2005). It has evolved
from being a scientific network only, to a platform that is enabling a new generation
of business (Li et al. 2003a) or e-business that includes electronic project information
exchange, e-commerce and e-tendering (Construct IT for Business Report 2000b) .
Internet and its object-oriented client/server applications can be explored in various
formats for the communication purposes. Internet is also increasingly being adopted
for project management within the construction industry and has shown to help in
timely, well-integrated and effective project delivery (Construct IT for Business
Report 2000b).
Internet as the communication platform facilitates speedy transmission ofinformation and also saves money in communication with overseas construction sites
through the computer network. The system offers many benefits such as improved
efficiency, better management and decision-making and enhanced performance of
construction organizations (Tam 1999). Common Internet services or shared use of
common databases can be utilized for information sharing (Construct IT for Business
Report 2000a). Thus, Internet helps to communicate information more effectively
during the construction process.
Web-based applications greatly help in solving the problems caused by geographic
fragmentation. As cited by Zhu et al. (2001), in reality, the Internet and Web-related
technologies penetrated into the daily operation of project construction in the early
and mid 1990s (Wright 1993; Setzer 1994; Angelo 1995; Shearer 1995 cited in Zhu
et al. 2001). Using a web-based database as a centralized repository of project
information has several distinct advantages including: Reduced manual distribution
costs; Integration of project information; Simple management of access rights;
Document storage & archiving; Continuous access to project information; and
Minimal software requirement (Construct IT for Business Report 2000b). Integrating
organization database and world wide web (www) functions, supports the decision-
makers in conducting long-distance evaluations at various project sites and upgrades
the effect and efficiency of the decision-making process (Hsueh et al. 2007).
The project web sites hold the promise of promoting truly collaborative work
approaches, and offering an open and non-hierarchical approach to managing project
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information (OBrien 2000). Combining 4D visualization with web-based
information management facilitates dispersed project team partners to make
collaborative decisions for construction planning and scheduling (Kang et al. 2007).
Researchers have identified twelve critical factors affecting performance of web
based project management systems as: project type, project duration, Internet access
availability, type of Internet connection, level of internal support, ability of project
managers, usage frequency of advanced features, level of support provided by a
service provider, functionality and reliability of the web based system, data security
and reliability, external integration ability of the system and the unique
characteristics of the organization using the system (Nitithamyong and Skibniewski
2007). Supply chain software are also evolving towards Internet applications thatcommunicate with the Enterprise Resource Planning systems (Green 2001). Internet
has also provided a rich environment for deve loping e-commerce applications in
construction and among the different types of e-commerce, business-to-business
(B2B) is the most widely used (Li et al. 2003a). For e-commerce, Internet can host a
domain specific search tool specialised in retrieving product-related online
information (Lin and Soibelman 2007). Researchers have also discussed web based
GIS systems for e-commerce (Li et al. 2003b).
Videoconferencing combines a simple way to hold meetings and share documents
live over the Internet, with the ability to view and annotate documents, drawings and
models and to share applications. Videoconferencing dramatically improves the
efficiency, productivity and accountability within a construction organization (Sahai
2004). Tools providing services of groupware, remote access, file sharing and
whiteboard discussions can be used individually or together, to provide customized
solutions for design coordination and site-to-office communication.
Intranets aid internal organizational collaboration. The role of Intranets has changed
significantly from a passive role of providing organization information to its
employees to a more dynamic role to share and capture knowledge and some
organizations leverage them as tools for achieving sustainable competitive advantage
(Ingirige and Sexton 2007). Extranets promote project collaboration, team working
and e-commerce. They also enable users to red line drawings and control work
through auditable paper trails (Tayeh and Gil 2007). Both help in standardization of
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the communication processes and improve data flows (Construct IT for Business
Report 2000a). Timeliness, accuracy and multi-locational availability of information
and formal flexibility are the defining elements of improved information quality
enabled by EDM technologies (Back and Bell 1995).
Using a 3D model for more than a visual study allows the development team to gain
strategic insights, minimize cost and schedule risk, improve supply chain
management and improve constructability. The visual presentation of complex
information coming from various disciplines permits more time at project meetings
to be spent on solving problems and making decisions (Henderson 2002). Virtual
Reality is an enhanced communication tool, which conveys design ideas and designproblems to all the members of the team more effectively (Koh et al. 2002). It allows
planners to intuitively interact with the virtual environment and objects as if they
were real by immersing them in a 3D computer-generated simulation and facilitates
the evaluation of different scenarios with limited expense and effort (Li et al. 2003c).
nD modelling approach is also being utilised. It refers to information about building
projects that includes 3 dimensional geometry (3D), plus the additional dimensions
of time, cost, organizations etc. (an additional nD). nD modelling tools are a series
of multi-disciplinary ICT based design and analysis applications that access an nD
model through an interoperable standard (Construct IT Initiative Report 2003).
Materials tracking system called Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID)
couples radio frequency identification technology with highly miniaturized chips that
enable materials to be identified and tracked at any point along the supply chain. Li
et al. (2005) have studied application of an integrated Global Positioning System
(GPS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) technology to the reduction of
construction waste. The study is developed from automatic data capture system such
as the barcoding system for construction material and equipment (M&E)
management onsite, whilst the integrated GPS and GIS technology is combined to
the M&E system based on the Wide Area Network (WAN).
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2.5 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the Indian Construction
Industry
The construction industry predominantly consists of SMEs. It is a heterogeneous
sector encompassing small, unorganized enterprises as well as modern and more
organized ones.
2.5.1 Definition of SMEs
The small and medium enterprises, both in size and shape, are not uniform across the
globe. There is no generally agreed definition of SMEs (ASEAN Report 1997;University of Strathclyde Library Services Report 2005). The best description of the
key characteristics of a small firm remains that describe d by the Bolton Committee in
its 1971 Report on the Small Firms. This stated that a small firm is an independent
business, managed by its owner or part-owners and having a small market share. It
recognised that size is relevant to sector i.e. a firm of a given size could be small in
relation to one sector where the market is large and there are many competitors;
whereas a firm of similar proportions could be considered large in another sector
with fewer players and/or generally smaller firms within it. Similarly, it recognised
that it may be more appropriate to define size by the number of employees in some
sectors but more appropriate to use turnover in others (DTI Report 2005). Similar
concept is utilised in USA and as per their classification, small orga nizations of most
general and heavy construction industries have annual receipts of $28.5 million or
less each (University of Strathclyde Library Services Report 2005).
For statistical purposes, the Department of Trade and Industry of UK usually uses the
following definitions: small firm: 0 - 49 employees; medium firm: 50 - 249
employees; large firm: 250 employees or more (DTI Report 2005).
In the ASEAN region few informal definitions are observed. In Thailand for
example, various administrative organizations classify SMEs based on the measure
of fixed assets, registered capital, sales or number of employees (ASEAN Report
1997). The guidelines of Infocomm Development authority of Singapore define
SMEs as entities with: fixed assets less than S$15 million; and, number of full time
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