Kim, C-S (2002) An information model for real-time project cost integration. PhD thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Abstract
Medium to large construction companies generally have a large number of projects at one time, many internationally. Corporate managers of such companies have to deal with a large amount of information for managerial decisions. These decisions must be made in a timely manner because delays usually cause heavy financial losses. Computerized management information systems are often used to manage construction projects. Despite the use of computerized systems, construction companies spend days or weeks to collect, compile, and analyze data related to project status, including progress, quantity, quality, and payments. Many opportunities to optimize resources pass because project control teams do not have the most up-to-date information. One of the reasons for this limitation is the lack of integration among the various information systems existing within a firm. Efforts have been spent by researchers in the architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) community to define such information models to support integration and timely decision making, such as STEP (Standard for Exchange of Product Model Data) and IFC (Industry Foundation Classes). These models, however, fall short in providing support for multi-project cost integration. Construction costs, in most management information system design, are commonly imbedded as one of the attributes within an activity. Although this method works, it doesn't work well when information needs to be combined or integrated across various systems or different projects. This research builds on the latest developments of IFC, and develops anew information model that supports cost integration for construction projects. A prototype system was developed to verify and validate the information model by using real-life project data. This information model, named OCIM, provides a new perspective for designing management information system for the construction industry. OCIM may serve as a blueprint for designing information systems that support cost integration for multiple projects.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Liu, L Y |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | decision making; information system; integration; management information system; project control; project cost |
| Index terms: | project control, construction industry, management information system, industry foundation classes, construction cost, computerized system, information system, decision-making, integration, construction project, project cost, construction company, prototype, project data, product model, manager |
| Subjects: | modelling and simulation, financial and cost management, organization, data collection methods, computational design, control systems, computing systems, practitioner, decision analysis, data management, organizational analysis, information systems, industry analysis, economics, production management |
| Topics: | Risk Management, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Organizational Design, Digital Applications, Roles and Professions, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here