Managerial Aspects of Information‐Technology Strategies for A/E/C Firms

Abstract

The development of information technology (IT) applications for the architect/engineer/construction (A/E/C) industry has become a major thrust area in many construction management research programs. Most of the research has focused on the technological side of IT development and implementation. However, information management experts agree that managerial issues are an equally important component of successful IT strategies. Companies need to resolve many managerial issues as they decide to adopt advanced forms of IT. This paper is an initial step in the understanding of these issues. The result of a detailed literature survey in the information management and A/E/C fields, it presents the main managerial issues that experts believe a company should consider as it establishes and executes its plan for the exploitation of IT. We found that the issues fell into three main categories: planning, organizational, and development and management issues. The A/E/C industry needs to understand these issues to assess the true requirements of the IT development and implementation process. The research community, in turn, needs to be aware of the issues to plan its work more effectively and to promote proactive solutions to potential technology transfer problems.