Scott, J N (2002) Facilitating the application of information technology in a UK piling contractor. PhD thesis, Lancaster University, UK.
Abstract
This thesis looks at the problems encountered with developing Information Technology (IT) applications in a UK piling company. It is based on both my experience working as a research associate and on five years experience working within the industry as an IT development engineer. The construction industry has a reputation for being conservative and is perceived by many as being slow to adopt modern technologies. I consider why this might be the case and look at possible contributory factors such as tendering practices and industry fragmentation. I also consider why, increasingly, the industry is being asked to adopt a manufacturing methodology and the role that the industry report by the Construction Task Force in 1998 has played in this. I conclude that while this approach has merit there is a need to balance the pressure for change from without the construction industry with a facilitation of innovation from within it. To demonstrate this I look at the history of the application of IT within a particular UK piling company over a ten year period. I consider why some developments were successful while others were not and highlight the difficulties encountered at various stages. Four major projects that were undertaken are presented as case studies and these are described in detail. I then attempt to derive a number of general guidelines for identifying and managing the kind of developments that are most likely to succeed. These may have application in other areas of construction.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | information technology; innovation; major projects; manufacturing; tendering; fragmentation; case studies; UK |
| Index terms: | history, information technology, methodology, fragmentation, construction industry, contributory factor, engineer, major project, case study |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, risk assessment, profession, business, computing systems, architectural and construction history, strategic project management, research methods, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Digital Applications, Risk Management, Project Management |
| 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