Information technology is one of the most powerful technological tools which is extensively used in all types of industry these days. With effective management of data and resources, every organization is making huge progress in their work. Information or data is an important part of every business and their management is also necessary for many reasons. Proper data management helps to conduct business effectively and without any major error. Evolution of data management and deployment of new designs plays very important role in the business of construction and in future its role will gradually expand. Though there are few doubt of the effective use of information technology in construction business as it may be proven a economically viable idea. A detailed, authoritative, and readily accessible body of information is needed to enable construction industry stakeholders to make cost-effective investment decisions among established, new, and/or innovative design/information technologies. It will certainly help the industry to become more sustainable and it will also help the growth of the industry. Information technology includes different processes like conversion or processing of data, internal and external communication of information etc. with the help of information technology data is processed in digital form and this is why the process is considered flexible enough to accommodate needs of the businesses. The system of information technology uses computerized data and based on that proper functioning of the bushiness is possible. However, it has been seen that construction is less developed or equipped with information technology than other industries. Till present day, the use of information technology in construction business in Europe is mostly limited to increase productivity and to reduce cost. But are many other scopes of this technology which can be successfully used in construction business to make it more successful and productive and it will certainly help to accelerate growth.
The main purpose of this research is to investigate the present scenario in terms of impact of information technology in construction industry in different parts of Europe. It will concentrate on the data received from different parts or selected zones and from these zones required data will be collected to analyze them and to reach suitable conclusion. For the purpose of the research London can be chosen as one of the most developed and fastest growing city. The city at its surroundings are experience many mega development and construction project. Therefore choosing this region will certainly help to get all types of required information which can be utilized to conduct the research. It will be tried to collected data from different sources in accordance with different types of construction projects which are going on in the region. The questions will be made by keeping in mind the aims and objectives of the research and therefore they are the basic foundation of this whole research.
Construction projects are specific, unique, and many are complex with varied time constraints and budgets. These factors contribute to the challenge of IT application during the production phase. In this research the chosen area is south west London which is developing many mega infrastructure projects. After completion of these projects, the region will change a lot. Therefore the importances of these projects are huge. The projects must rely on the successful use of software, utilities, knowledge based on electronically gathered information and many other resources based on information technology. Email and other digital discussion platform will certainly help these construction projects to get finished in time and it will benefit the people of the region. It will also help in connectivity and overall development of the country.
This is a form of technological excellence which is mainly based on the use of computers to store data and at the same time manipulation of data, data retrieve and transmission of data. This technology has brought remarkable change in the approach of doing business across the world. With proper use of this technology, business organizations are managing huge amount of data related to their various activities in very less time and in a error free way. Information technology is an important tool in communication as well which helps to connect with different internal and external business stakeholders as well. This is why effective use of technology is very important. With the help of computers and other accessory devices, electronic data processing has brought a huge amount of change in the way of doing business. There are many perspective of the use of information technology and these perspectives can be varied in nature.
Approach
The approach to this research paper is by giving and overview of is efficiency of use of information technology in the construction industry. It has been found that construction industry is relatively less developed in terms of effective use of information technology. But successful changes in the patter of business will certainly help the industry to grow and conduct their operation in most effective way. Therefore it has become necessary for the industry to adapt the changes in order to become more sustainable. To understand the use of information technology and its limitations various previous studies need to be read and analyzed. Effective literature review will be helpful in this case. This is also important to understand. Therefore several case studies have been discussed so that a clear understanding of the thesis can be obtained.
Theme
Aim
The main aim of this research is to identify the impact of information technology in the construction industry in Europe. To achieve the aim of the research the chosen area is south west London which is developing many major infrastructure projects. The aim is to find out the impact of information technology in this region on different construction works which are currently going on.
Objectives
The main objectives of this research are:
Selection of zones in specified region
This part of England fast growing and it include areas which are in close connectivity with main city of London. This is an idea neighborhood of city of London. In this part many new construction work is underway and therefore the area has huge potential of growth in coming days. Apart from many residential projects the area is coming up with many infrastructure projects as well. Government is making many affordable house projects for the working class which can’t afford to stay at the heart of London for high rent or for property price is touching new height every day. This is why the demand for such projects is very high in this region. It is also being expected by the stakeholders that the project must be finished in stipulated time so that investors can get the return accordingly. With the increase in population in the city of London, neighboring areas are gradually getting developed. More infrastructure projects are being undertaken in this region to improve connectivity and also to improve habitability. In future many new projects will be sanctioned and they will change the landscape of this area. Currently there are many projects going on including many residential and infrastructural projects.
Study of use of information technology in construction sites
In this part different types of devices which are presently used by different construction workers at different construction sites need to be evaluated. These data will help to undergrad the current scenario in the use of IT tools in construction industry.
Study on the effectiveness of use of information technology
After identifying the devices which are most frequently being used indifferent construction projects, it would be required to find out the effectiveness of those tools. For that interviewing different respondents will be required as it is the best way to collect data about the researched topic.
Choosing sample size in accordance with the main aims and objectives of the research
The respondents must have enough idea about the project and its various factors. Respondents must be able to answer all technical questions related to the operation and management of the project. It is evident that all construction project required information technology as it has become an inseparable part of business these days. But at the same time interviewing right persons will be important to get the details about the concerned topic.
Conducting interview to collect data from the chosen sample
Interview will be conducted based on the questionnaire attached in the appendix. The questions have been prepared keeping in mind the aims and objectives of the research.
According to Kassem et al. (2015) in the business of construction the production process asks for effective management of resources and raw materials. Resources include work force, equipments, technology, and financial support and so on. Therefore it is very important to plan and organize the activities to get the best outcome of the project. To complete a construction work effectively many factors need to be improved. In a construction site, the supervisor or site manager works in coordination with all stakeholders and accordingly different modification can be made. Such process make the work must more realistic and it also helps to connect with other subcontractors and trade supervisors. In order to do that updating every one with latest information related to work and work related progress is very important. Work can’t be initiated on the changed plans until it is approved by all decision making authorities and regulatory bodies. They certainly help to make the changes more prominent by giving their valuable inputs and suggestions. All stakeholders have the right to get informed about the plan and any change in the major structure. It helps in making the work error free and perfect. Site supervisors control labour with the use of time sheets. Targets are set and performance measured and recorded to enable future comparisons. In all these scenario effective use of technology can be very crucial as with the help of information technology, everyone can be informed about the management plan and also about the changes in the actual plan (Azhar et al. 2015). There are many tools which can be used for communicating and connecting with different stakeholders. Using emails or texts or any other application may help in successful coordination among all groups of the business venture.
On the other hand information is used for remuneration and to set targets in different parts of the work. This is how the work can be effectively managed and adjusted with the help of information technology. It is often very difficult to keep records of the employees and to get all details of them. but a computerized system will certainly help in this case and all operations can be performed without errors and the fastest way. This is how information technology can change the idea of doing business and can reshape the industry.
Quality standards are very important to achieve the goals of the business. To achieve high quality standards there are many important factors which must be included such as experienced skilled operatives which can look after the issues of operation and also solve different problems in the same. Apart from that proper storage of materials, materials to correct specification are also important. In order to let the system function well, effective planning and programming of resources are also important as it will have positive impact on the overall venture and production (Oesterreich, & Teuteberg, (2016).
According to Roztocki & Weistroffer, (2015) at the same time supervision and inspection of the working sites and also materials are very important in a construction project. By doing effective site management and by providing adequate protection in order to complete work, the whole system can be regulated effectively. For this regulation, implementation of information technology in business is very important. This technological approach will ensure that all activities are coordinated for the process in a very systemic way. Such coordination helps to reduce project time and project cost as well. Any form of delay due to lack of coordination and communication can be minimized and events like alteration to contract programming can also be averted. All these activities are correlated and if one system fails to perform, the whole project may get delayed or affected badly. It will have negative impact in the overall project and also it will increase the cost of the project. All these factors will be connected with the same thread with the help of information technology and this will have immense benefits on the overall wellbeing of the venture. This is why implementation of information technology is so important in construction business. The main idea is the construction business has multiple parts and all parts require enough attention. For example, information technology systems support the interaction between subcontractors performing different tasks.
According to Silverstone, (2017) there is a common misconception that information technology hardware are not appropriate in the construction site to be installed as they re not suitable for the heavy physical work environment. It has been seen from many practical work experiences that such information technology hardware has helped extensively in resource planning and management of the construction materials and therefore they are useful in the activities or operation of construction business. There are many information technology based applications which helps to manage different operations in construction business such as capture of relevant data such as time sheets and inspection forms. This is very crucial for proper time management and effective operation management. Apart from that it is common practice in many construction projects to review the technical drawings. With the help of this IT hardware, technical drawings can be viewed electronically and also it can be altered and revised (Smol et al.2015). Another important tool related to IT functioning is project management software application which is extensively used for project management and administration. There is collaboration software which is used for interactive communication among all stakeholders. The use of this software can be extended to foreman and site managers with the use of smart phones and also by the use of other handheld devices.
Potential use of IT hardware on construction sites
According to Cao et al. (2015) there are multiple devices which are used as an IT tool in the construction industry. One of the most important tools is computes in the form of palmtops which can be accessed from any location. Apart from that a wireless computer with adequate bandwidth to be accessed while the user is in motion is also useful. But the most effective tool can be different mobile applications based on information technology which can be used for many purposes according to the needs of the construction sites (Dodgson, 2018). The main purposes of suing these tools are to reduce the physical distance between different stakeholders and participants in business who holds different business related information and knowledge. Though the numbers of organizations are very less who have successfully implemented mobile computing system in the construction business. It is very much clear from this finding that general construction industry is not aware of the potential use of these IT systems which can change the interface of the whole business. IT is useful in particular construction operations and mobile workers are intended to input critical information to improve information management and communication for the success of the project. According to a research it has been proven that the exchange of information and ideas regarding construction projects among the site members and other team personnel can be significantly improved with proper use of mobile devices (Gillespie & Goddard, 2017). This is how the industry requires understanding of the full potential and capacity of use of information technology and they should incorporate these devices as much as possible in their activities.
Resources can be obtained from multiple sources, such as
Reference
Azhar, S., Khalfan, M., & Maqsood, T. (2015). Building information modelling (BIM): now and beyond. Construction Economics and Building, 12(4), 15-28.
Cao, D., Wang, G., Li, H., Skitmore, M., Huang, T., & Zhang, W. (2015). Practices and effectiveness of building information modelling in construction projects in China. Automation in Construction, 49, 113-122.
Dodgson, M. (2018). Technological collaboration in industry: strategy, policy and internationalization in innovation (Vol. 11). Routledge.
Eastman, C. M. (2018). Building product models: computer environments, supporting design and construction. CRC press.
Gillespie, A. E., & Goddard, J. B. (2017). Advanced telecommunications and regional economic development. In Managing the city (pp. 84-109). Routledge.
Kassem, M., Kelly, G., Dawood, N., Serginson, M., & Lockley, S. (2015). BIM in facilities management applications: a case study of a large university complex. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 5(3), 261-277.
Oesterreich, T. D., & Teuteberg, F. (2016). Understanding the implications of digitisation and automation in the context of Industry 4.0: A triangulation approach and elements of a research agenda for the construction industry. Computers in Industry, 83, 121-139.
Roztocki, N., & Weistroffer, H. R. (2015). Information and communication technology in transition economies: An assessment of research trends. Information Technology for Development, 21(3), 330-364.
Silverstone, R. (Ed.). (2017). Media, technology and everyday life in Europe: From information to communication. Routledge.
Smol, M., Kulczycka, J., Henclik, A., Gorazda, K., & Wzorek, Z. (2015). The possible use of sewage sludge ash (SSA) in the construction industry as a way towards a circular economy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 95, 45-54.
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