Information Management in Construction Organisations and Project Practices - Essay Example

Information management in construction organisations and project practices Table of Contents Information management in construction organisations and project practices 1 Table of Contents 1 Introduction 3 The Issues 3 Addressing the Issues: Research 4 Traditional Pattern of Information Management: Model of information management in construction companies and construction sites 5 Role of Project Manager 7 Conclusions and Solutions 8 References 9 Winch. G. M., 2010. Managing Construction Projects. John Wiley and Sons. P229 9 Fisher. N., & Shen. L. Y. 1992. Information management in a contractor: a model of the flow of project data. Thomas Telford Publishing. 9 Demkin.J.A. 2008. The architect's handbook of professional practice. John Wiley and Sons. 9 Levy. S. 2011. Project Management in Construction 6/E. McGrawHill Publishing. 9 Manseau. A., & Shields, R. 2005. Building tomorrow: innovation in construction and engineering. Ashgate Publishing, 9 Introduction In today's technology-driven world, where companies across the spectrum have accepted the role of technology as not just a cost effective but a method of customer appeasement, business life cycles have accelerated in a big way. This does not, however, mean that good innovation management basics now no longer apply. In the following discussion, one will look at the role played by information in construction projects, the models which need to govern the flow of information and how this will benefit the overall project criteria. For construction companies information management is the classification and structuring of information for storage and retrieval as it flows through the phases of work and later through the facility life cycle. The process can be best described in the larger context of knowledge management which is about creating disseminating and using information in creative ways to come up with solutions to problems (Demkin, 2008, p428) The Issues The need of the hour is to ensure that one stays a step ahead of the changing and evolving market conditions via the medium of new technologies and effective management across verticals including those of the flow of information in the company. In order to ensure that the company maintains its competitive nature it is supposed to do a couple of things more than only deliver services or products that are less priced or far better when compared with the rivals. (Dekimpe, Parker, and Sarvary, 2000). Innovation dose not just mean the creation of demand through new products it also means the creation of new markets and the development of new lines and the venture of newer strategies. The second issue is that the heightened role of Information itself which is now expected to yield is essential for making most tactical decisions (Abrecht and Robinson, 1996, p244). There are different kinds of information that is required for taking different decisions. In case of taking a strategic decision, the management and the decision taking authorities would necessarily have to be correctly abreast of the company’s internal situation, infrastructure and work handling capacity, in cases where competing in the market at the higher level is concerned. Also important is the fact that the flow of information is addressed correctly so that the correct information is accessible in time and without hassle so as to reduce confusion within the company. This is especially true in a construction company where onsite the correct deployment of the project is based on the information about respective duties that is available to every project member. The ability to communicate more rapidly and more accurately has transformed both the design and construction segments of the industry, wireless mobility has freed the hands of the project manager and the field supervisors from their copper umbilical cord so that they can instantaneously transmit and receive verbal and written directives at the touch of the button from their office, from the field or travelling in between (Levy, 2011 p4). Research on the issue has stated that construction activities can be characterized in the following types of transactions and interaction s between channels (Manseau and Shields, 2005 p72): 1. Process related to product integration 2. Processes relation to project organization and coordination 3. Diffusion of technologies and oractices 4. The flow of human resources into departments that need them 5. Flow of information itself. All of these processes are hinged on the issue of attempting to ensure the correct coordination of information and its transfer to and fro various departments. Addressing the Issues: Research In the first step of understanding how a project management team works in a construction company, it has to be noted that the constitution of the team is that of the staff, planning staff, manager, manager, technical staff , quality staff, material staff and financial staff. Each one of these departments represents a particular function in the project. This is essence serves to simplify the system and is in agreement with the project management rules that govern most organisations. The work of the overall management of information that the staff is supposed to carry out could be divisioned into a two stage process: the first one being the preparation stage and the second being the construction stage. In the first stage, the responsibility of the staff extends to having to make the overall plans for the construction along with the schedules. This includes the division of labour according to the design and the management of the construction contract. In the second phase, which is that of the construction itself, the staff has on itself the responsibility of ensuring that detailed plans are drawn up. Also to be done is the work of allocation of relevant resources, ensuring the organization of the production work along with ensuring that the quality for every process of construction is maintained. Project success is defined by researchers as the completion of an activity within the constraints of time, cost and performance. With the changing demands and needs of the market there has been seen that most of the organisations in the world have changed their management and strategic policies to ensure that greater awareness can be created in the market (Heerkens, 2001, p132). This has been seen to have reaped fruits for almost all the companies around the globe (Catterall, and Maclaran, 2002, p238). But on the other hand there has to be realised that there have been certain companies and organisations which have emerged as global leaders in their field and sphere of influence but have not changed their policies or strategic management a great deal but have employed a persistent policy of organisation and functioning (Kai, Choon, and Izak, 2006, p226).  Traditional Pattern of Information Management: Model of information management in construction companies and construction sites Conventionally speaking, the members of the staff of the information management team are supposed to collect, store and deal with information relating to the project which is avaibale in various forms. They are also in charge of various processes in the process of construction itself, despite the fact that computers are now used in some processes as well. An example is the process of scheduling where the information to be managed in question is that schedule. This needs to be readied first and foremost in paper form so that it can be used by other staff or by another department, like representative of the owners. In the documentation process, it has to be remembered that while some parts of the information is to be found in various forms in various phases, in the case of other pieces of information; it has to transform and undergo changes at various points. What this does is that it perpetrates the culture of repetition in work, leading to wastage of labour. It also results in data becoming redundant and inconsistent   This problem can be solved through the usage of a collaborative environment, which could end up providing a more efficient solution to the issue.In essence, the idea of collaborative work signifies a method of working wherein each member of the staff is supposed to just his bit and the results are available on a common platform to be accessed by other members of the staff in an immediate manner. This also means that the cooperative effort of the members constituting the information management team can be In this manner, all staff can share each other’s information, and can cooperate intimately to carry out the work. On the other hand, by environment, researchers tend to men a common place where each staff may find the rills he needs for his work and at the same time, can exchange data with other members of the staff in a convenient manner. Such a collaborative environment usually involves a unified data platform (Lacasse and Vanier, 199, p2216). Also to be noted is the fact that it often helps if a company were to introduce the breakdown in phases and categories of the larger project (Lacasse and Vanier, 199, p2216).   The idea behind this type of information management is based in system configuration where the project team constructs a Local Area Network at the site itself. The server in this case is used to collaborate the flow of information through a unified central data platform. The intranet technology is not used for the implementation of this system. The idea therefore is to store the information in a unifie server from where it can be accessed by those requiring it at opportune times. The system itself works on the basis of a server which is used for the management of the flow of information concurrently. This also ensures that those that require them are allowed to develop specific applications to ensure data reuse once the project is complete. The tendency to heroic effort, and the acceptance of ambiguity and complexity, is perceived as necessary strengths in any given project by researchers like Dwyer, Stanton and Thiessen (2004). They however, state that there is always the possibility of the project encountering a difficulty with respect to the effective delivery (Winch, 2010, p229). Projects depend on having, first of all, clear agreed, achievable goals and concrete deliverables. For example in environments characterized by the human service variables, projects with worthy goals but with virtually no chance of delivering are sometimes commissioned-the reasons for such woolly thinking could include things such as vagaries of responding to political agendas, the distance of decisions from practical realities and simple idealism (Winch, 2010, p229).   The collaborative rule of information sharing ensures that the staff has access to the total information available on the project at any given point in keeping with rules that are predefined enabling them therefore to communicate in a manner that is more efficient In understanding the effective management of information, it is also essential that one understand the role of technology. The point has, for example, been thoroughly understood by the French contractor Bouygues which has grown rapidly through acquisitions and has used the project management system wherein a computerized site data base to manage information. The system is robust, well tested and flexible. This is important given the fact that the system allows for consistency and reliability in automating or systemizing the process (Fisher and Shen, 1992). Role of Project Manager Important here is the role of the project manager in maintaining the flow of information through the project grid. The pace of change in the application of ICTs to the construction industry is rapid, but their application is primarily the responsibility of the resource bases. The temporary nature of the project, and hence the necessity to amortise any investments on a single project, means the investment in IT cannot easily be justified on a project basis (Winch, 2010, p229). Conclusions and Solutions This will be limited by the technology and the IT capabilities of the resources bases mobilized within the project coalition. It is likely that such capabilities, will increasingly, be selection criteria for membership of the project coalition, the project manager will also need to manager he wakes of innovation, that the new opportunities generated by the use of BIMs induce through the project coalition. This system of information management ends up benefiting the larger project implementation goals as a whole, given, the fact that it reduces confusion and helps with the need to reduce time and meet project goals. The most popular criteria used by respondents for judging success were the standard 3D objectives (i.e. being on time, on budget and meeting project specifications). Other criterion included the fit between the project and the organisation and the results of the project for the organisation’s performance in terms of both business yield and minimizing disruption caused by the project. There is a wealth of literature which presents different approaches to project management. References Abrecht. D. G., & Robinson, S. D. 1996. TACT: a tactical decision aid using a CERES based wheat simulation model. Ecological Modeling. 86 (2). Heerkens., G. 2001. Project management. McGraw-Hill Professional. Edition: illustrated Catterall, M., & Maclaran, P. 2002. Researching consumers in virtual worlds: A cyberspace odyssey. Journal of Consumer Behavior. (1). Kai H. L., Choon, L. S., Matthew, K. O. L., & Izak, B. 2006. Do I trust you online, and if so, will I buy? An empirical study of two trust-building strategies. Journal of Management Information Systems. 23 Lacasse, M.A., and Vanier, D. J. 1999. Durability of Building Materials and Components 8: Information technology in construction. NRC Research Press. Winch. G. M., 2010. Managing Construction Projects. John Wiley and Sons. P229 Fisher. N., & Shen. L. Y. 1992. Information management in a contractor: a model of the flow of project data. Thomas Telford Publishing. Demkin.J.A. 2008. The architect's handbook of professional practice. John Wiley and Sons. Levy. S. 2011. Project Management in Construction 6/E. McGrawHill Publishing. Manseau. A., & Shields, R. 2005. Building tomorrow: innovation in construction and engineering. Ashgate Publishing, Read More