Re-thinking IT in construction & engineering : organisational readiness

Title:

Personal Author:

Alshawi, Mustafa

Publication Information:

New York : Taylor & Francis, 2007

Physical Description:

xx, 262 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

ISBN:

9780415430531

Subject Term:

Building -- Data processing

Construction industry -- Data processing

Communication in the building trades

Preparedness

Organizational change

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How could the potential of IT be realised to improve business performance in architecture, construction and engineering organisations? How could organisations unleash the potential of IT to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage? How can organisations migrate from technology to IT-enabled business thinking?

Based on the author's twenty years research experience, this book provides a holistic picture of the factors that enable architecture, construction and engineering organisations to explore the potential of IT to improve their businesses and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It raises awareness of the importance of the organisational 'soft issues' and the role they play in influencing the outcome of IT investments as well as addressing other complementary enablers, such as knowledge management, learning organisations, maturity models and e-readiness measurements.

Real case studies are used throughout the book to illustrate various concepts and to provide the reader with a realistic and practical picture. Rethinking IT in Construction & Engineering is ideal for lecturers and researchers in architecture, construction and engineering as well as professionals at managerial level in industry.

Author Notes

Mustafa Alshawi is the Director of the Research Institute for the Built and Human Environment, University of Salford, UK

List of figures	p. xii
List of tables	p. xiv
Preface	p. xv
Acknowledgements	p. xix
Part I Elements of IS/IT success and measurement in organisations	p. 1
1 Current status of IS/IT management and applications	p. 3
1.1 Advances in hardware and software	p. 3
1.2 Patterns of IT focus in construction and engineering	p. 4
Phase I IT infrastructure	p. 4
Phase II Process focus	p. 4
Phase III Supply chain focus	p. 5
Phase IV Internet focus	p. 6
1.3 Technology push vs business pull	p. 6
1.3.1 Isolated computer applications	p. 7
1.3.2 Lack of communications	p. 8
1.3.3 Business processes	p. 9
1.4 IS/IT investments and organisation effectiveness	p. 9
1.4.1 Investment decisions	p. 10
1.4.2 Case study 1.2: ill-informed decisions on IT investments	p. 12
1.5 Evolving role of IS/IT in organisations	p. 13
1.6 IS/IT measurement, success and effectiveness	p. 15
1.6.1 Definitions of IS/IT	p. 16
1.6.2 IS/IT success and effectiveness	p. 17
1.7 IT uptake: the case of the construction industry	p. 17
1.7.1 Web-based developments for project collaboration	p. 19
1.7.2 Data exchange in collaborative environments	p. 21
1.7.3 Case study 1.3: collaborative environments	p. 23
1.7.4 Case study 1.4: collaborative environments	p. 25
1.7.5 Case study 1.5: collaborative environments	p. 26
1.7.6 Case study 1.6: collaborative environments	p. 27
1.7.7 Case study 1.7: collaborative environments	p. 28
2 Organisational elements for IS/IT success	p. 30
2.1 Business dynamics and technology	p. 30
2.1.1 Relation between business process and technology: the five-layer diagram	p. 31
2.2 Difficulties in integrating business and IS/IT: the case of construction	p. 33
2.2.1 Case study 2.1: lack of standardisation in business processes	p. 36
2.3 Building IT capability	p. 37
2.4 Business process and IT	p. 38
2.4.1 Relationship between maturity in process management and IS/IT	p. 40
2.4.2 The relevance of the time element	p. 42
2.4.3 Case study 2.2: Extranets	p. 42
2.5 People and IT	p. 44
2.5.1 The role of IS/IT Department Head	p. 45
2.5.2 Case study 2.3: people role in the success of collaborative environments	p. 46
2.6 Work environment	p. 47
2.6.1 Leadership	p. 47
2.6.2 Empowerment	p. 48
2.6.3 Communication	p. 48
2.6.4 Process vision development	p. 48
2.6.5 Project management	p. 48
2.6.6 Process-based team formation	p. 49
2.6.7 Case study 2.4: work environment role in the success of collaborative environments	p. 49
2.7 External and internal drivers for change	p. 50
2.7.1 External drivers	p. 50
2.7.2 Internal factors	p. 51
3 IS success measurement approaches	p. 52
3.1 Introduction	p. 52
3.2 Categorisation of the current measurement methods	p. 53
3.3 Product-based measurement approach	p. 54
3.3.1 Limitation of product-based measures	p. 54
3.4 Process-based measurement approach	p. 55
3.5 Maturity approach: general measurement models	p. 56
3.6 Limitation of current measurement approaches	p. 57
3.7 Success levels and measurement approaches	p. 58
3.7.1 Planning and development and implementation phases	p. 59
3.7.2 Measurement phase: technical and semantic levels	p. 61
3.7.3 Measurement phase: influence level	p. 61
4 Case studies: technology vs business approach	p. 64
4.1 Introduction	p. 64
4.2 Case study 4.1: ServInst	p. 65
4.2.1 Sequence of events	p. 65
4.2.2 Analysis and discussion	p. 69
4.2.3 Summary and findings	p. 73
4.3 Case study 4.2: OilCo	p. 75
4.3.1 Sequence of events	p. 75
4.3.2 Project objectives	p. 76
4.3.3 Implementation of the project	p. 76
4.3.4 General remarks	p. 79
4.3.5 Analysis and discussion	p. 80
4.3.6 Summary and findings	p. 84
Part 2 Enablers: learning organisations and strategies alignment	p. 87
5 Developing sustainable IS/IT capabilities: the learning organisation	p. 89
5.1 Introduction	p. 89
5.2 Organisational learning	p. 90
5.3 Competitiveness and organisational learning	p. 91
5.4 Resources, competencies and capabilities	p. 92
5.4.1 Core capabilities and learning organisations	p. 94
5.5 Managing knowledge: classification of knowledge	p. 95
5.5.1 Knowledge classification	p. 96
5.5.2 Knowledge transformation	p. 98
5.6 Resource-based models	p. 99
5.6.1 Learning in the capability development process	p. 99
5.6.2 Linking IS capability with IS competencies and resources	p. 101
5.7 Unlocking the business value: embedding IS/IT into core capabilities	p. 102
5.8 Case study 5.1: Technology-based core capability - strategic failure	p. 104
6 Successful implementation of knowledge management: a holistic approach	p. 105
6.1 Introduction and background	p. 105
6.2 The need for a holistic KM implementation model	p. 106
6.3 Enablers of KM	p. 107
6.3.1 Corporate and strategic management	p. 108
6.3.2 Information technology	p. 108
6.3.3 Human resources	p. 108
6.3.4 Culture	p. 109
6.3.5 Organisational structure	p. 109
6.4 "SCPTS" three-layer KM model	p. 109
6.4.1 Layer 1: knowledge classification	p. 110
6.4.2 Layer 2: knowledge life cycle	p. 110
6.4.3 Layer 3: KM facilitators	p. 115
6.5 Guidelines for implementation	p. 120
7 Alignment of strategies and capacity building	p. 121
7.1 Business strategy and strategic planning	p. 121
7.2 Information system strategies and business competitiveness	p. 123
7.3 Information technology strategies	p. 125
7.4 Alignment of business and IS strategies	p. 126
7.5 Alignment methodology	p. 128
7.5.1 Business and business objectives (strategy)	p. 129
7.5.2 Critical success factors (CSF)	p. 130
7.5.3 Strategic business analysis	p. 130
7.5.4 IS strategy	p. 131
7.5.5 Detail business analysis	p. 131
7.5.6 Information technology strategy	p. 132
7.6 Case study 7.1: IS strategy for a quantity surveying practice	p. 132
7.6.1 Data/process matrix	p. 133
7.6.2 Discussion and recommendations	p. 134
7.7 IS/IT Implementation issues	p. 136
7.7.1 Change management	p. 137
7.7.2 Management competency	p. 137
7.7.3 Organisational structure	p. 137
7.7.4 Project planning and managements	p. 137
7.7.5 IT infrastructure	p. 138
7.8 IT training: building the capacity	p. 138
7.8.1 IT training strategy and the business strategy	p. 139
7.8.2 IT training and resource requirements	p. 141
7.8.3 IT training needs analysis: corporate vs individual needs	p. 142
7.8.4 Barriers to success	p. 147
7.8.5 Performance gap analysis	p. 150
7.8.6 IT training strategy development	p. 154
Part 3 Improvement gaps and tools: maturity and readiness of Organisations	p. 157
8 Maturity of organisations and process maturity models	p. 159
8.1 Maturity concept	p. 159
8.2 Maturity modelling	p. 160
8.3 Maturity models and organisational capabilities	p. 161
8.4 Process improvement maturity model: the case of construction	p. 162
8.4.1 Process capability and maturity	p. 163
8.4.2 Standardised Process Improvement for Construction Enterprises (SPICE)	p. 163
8.5 Case study 8.1: a client-contractor collaboration	p. 165
8.5.1 SPICE assessment	p. 165
8.5.2 Recommendations	p. 166
8.5.3 Benefits	p. 166
8.6 Maturity models: the case of e-government	p. 167
8.7 Other maturity models: the case of software development	p. 171
8.7.1 Capability Maturity Model: the staged view	p. 172
8.7.2 Continuous Capability Model (SE-CMM): the continuous view	p. 172
8.7.3 Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)	p. 173
8.7.4 People-CMM	p. 175
8.7.5 Personal Software Process (PSP)	p. 178
8.7.6 Team Software Process (TSP)	p. 179
8.7.7 Bootstrap	p. 181
8.7.8 Trillium	p. 181
8.7.9 SPICE and TickIT	p. 182
9 Organisational readiness: bridging the gap	p. 184
9.1 Gap analysis (performance analysis)	p. 184
9.2 Measuring the opportunity gap	p. 185
9.2.1 Benchmarking	p. 185
9.2.2 Balanced scorecard system	p. 186
9.2.3 SWOT analysis	p. 187
9.3 IS life cycle and organisational readiness	p. 188
9.3.1 Life cycle of IS	p. 188
9.3.2 IS success and organisational readiness	p. 189
9.3.3 Measuring organisational readiness	p. 191
9.3.4 Maturity models and measuring the readiness gap	p. 192
9.4 IS assurance	p. 193
9.5 IT training strategy: the GAPP-IT model	p. 195
9.5.1 Process protocol principles	p. 195
9.5.2 The development of the GAPP-IT model	p. 196
9.5.3 The GAPP-IT model	p. 196
9.5.4 Detailed analysis of Phase SIX: steering committee	p. 200
9.5.5 Summary	p. 204
10 IS/IT readiness model	p. 206
10.1 The Need for an IS/IT readiness model	p. 206
10.2 The development of an IS/IT readiness model	p. 207
10.3 Description and use of the IS/IT readiness model	p. 209
10.4 The IS/IT readiness model	p. 212
10.4.1 IT infrastructure	p. 213
10.4.2 People	p. 215
10.4.3 Work environment	p. 219
10.4.4 Process	p. 222
10.5 Case study 10.1: implementation of the readiness model	p. 225
10.5.1 Case study 4.1: ServInst	p. 225
10.5.2 Case study 4.2: OilCo	p. 232
References	p. 240
Index	p. 255

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Table of Contents