Adesi, M; Murphy, R and Kehily, D (2018) The role of digitisation in the strategic planning process of Irish quantity surveying practices. In: Gorse, C and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 34th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2018, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK.
Abstract
The construction industry in Ireland continues to experience considerable change due to economic, competitive, regulatory and industry level factors. Digtization is having a transformative effect on the way large scale projects are being delivered, however at an organisational level the adoption of Information Technology (IT) and impact on business performance has remained underexplored, particularly in the context of professional practice. Quantity surveying (QS) practices have largely applied IT in construction project delivery while overlooking the potential benefit of its application at an organisational level, in the strategic decision making process. Strategic planning plays a critical role in the management of quantity surveying practices by determining the choices; however, evidence suggests there is considerable variation in strategy process characteristic within QS firms. IT has the potential to improve not only the strategic decision making process but also in the range of service offerings available to create competitive advantage. This paper investigates the role, impact and extent of adoption of IT in the strategic planning process of QS practices in Ireland. A quantitative approach is adopted based on the first phase of an ongoing PhD research. Results from a widespread survey senior managers in QS practices in Ireland is presented. The findings of the paper contribute to the understanding, awareness and use of IT by top management of QS practices in strategic planning process, and concludes by presenting a framework for the incorporation of IT into the strategic decision making process within QS practices.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | corporate strategy; communication; quantity surveying; competitiveness; information technology |
| Index terms: | professional practice, information technology, Ireland, construction industry, evidence, business performance, competitiveness, strategic planning, variation, top management, survey, construction project delivery, strategy, decision-making process, corporate strategy, surveying, quantity surveying practice, competitive advantage, manager |
| Subjects: | Geography, contractual condition, professional development, performance measurement, management, industry analysis, project controls, market analysis, decision analysis, computing systems, practitioner, profession, evaluation and assessment methods, data collection methods, business, health monitoring assessment and metrics |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Risk Management, Governance, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Information Management, Organizational Design, Time Control, Contract Administration, Digital Applications, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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