IOP Tool: Assessing the Benefits and Hindrances of Information Integration Implementation Opportunities

Abstract

This paper presents a tool assessing the benefits and hindrances of specific information integration opportunities (IOP) identified by firms for potential implementation. Firms face numerous choices about which of many potential information integration opportunities to pursue. However, they lack guidance in selecting opportunities and preparing for successful implementation. In addition, there are many nontechnical factors that need to be considered for successful implementation of information integration. The tool, developed by an industry research team consisting of 15 members from leading contractors, construction clients, and academia in the U.S., uses 37 benefit driver and 34 implementation hindrance questions that are scored to provide an assessment of a specific integration opportunity. The questions in the tool take market/legal, organizational and process, and people-related issues pertinent to the implementation of information integration into account. The tool has been applied to 16 test cases and is shown to adequately address key benefits and challenges, helping guide implementation choices.