Communication and information technology in construction management : are corporate owners of real estate focusing on technology to speed the delivery of buildings?

Abstract

An exploratory study was conducted to determine the importance of communication and information technology in speeding the construction of buildings. Five corporate owners of real estate were interviewed with the purpose of determining their needs and priorities as related to managing their construction projects, and whether communication and information technology had a role in addressing these needs. The hypothesis tested was that communication and information technology could be used to construct buildings faster. Research results showed that, among the five companies studied, there was not proof to support a definitive conclusion. Among the five companies, speed in construction was a common goal. However, four of the five companies were concentrating their efforts on people issues such as accountability rather than on information technology issues. Organizational issues such as ownership of processes seemed more important than speedy exchange of information. Research explored issues of accountability that arose in each of the case studies, and explored the emphasis of one of the five companies on technology to speed the delivery of buildings. Analysis of the cases showed a common priority of accountability, in varied states, among the companies. Included in the analysis is an examination of a relevant paper by John D. Macomber entitled, Beyond Fast-Track: Next Steps in Speed. It was presented at Harvard University on June 25, 1998 as part of the IDRC Executive Symposium: Infrastructure Challenges for Fast- Growth Companies. The premise of the paper is that corporate owners of real estate should be looking to information technology as a tool for dealing successfully with compressed project schedules. In particular, the paper speculates that use of Web based project communication systems would improve accountability among project team members. By providing greater information access, organization and accountability the delivery of buildings would be accelerated. The relevance of Macomber's premise to the five companies studied is discussed, and an analysis and comparison of the major ideas identified in the paper with the issues that arose in the case studies is presented.