McAndrew, S T (2009) Collaborative technologies for mobile workers and virtual project teams. EngD thesis, Loughborough University, UK.
Abstract
Information Technology is advancing at a frightening pace. Cloud computing and its subset, Software as a Service (SaaS), is rapidly challenging traditional thinking for enterprise-level application and infrastructure provision. The project-centric nature of the construction industry provides an environment where the utilisation of SaaS is commercially appropriate, given its ability to provide rapid set-up and predictable costs at the outset. Using project extranets, the construction industry has been (unusually) an early-adopter of this cloud computing model. However, findings from the research highlight that there is a gap in the information and documents that pass from the construction phase into the operational phase of a building. This research considers examples of the SaaS IT model and how it has been used within a construction and facilities management industry context. A prototype system was developed to address the requirements of facilities management work order logging and tracking process. These requirements were gathered during detailed case studies of organisations within both the construction and facilities management sectors with a view to continue the use of building-specific information through its full life-cycle. The thesis includes a summary of the lessons learnt through system implementation within the construction-contracting organisation Taylor Woodrow, and it concludes with an IT strategy proposal that was developed based on a cloud computing model.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | case study; collaboration; document management; mobile technology; mobile workers; project extranets; virtual teams |
| Index terms: | mobile technology, virtual team, case study, project team, construction phase, implementation, construction industry, strategy, prototype, cloud computing, proposal, information technology, facilities management, contracting organization, documents, collaboration |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, practitioner, computing systems, modelling and simulation, digital technology, project delivery, project planning, contractual arrangements, management, professional development, digital infrastructure, information systems, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Procurement |
| 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