Computer‐Use Factors in Transportation Engineering Project Management

Abstract

The small computer is used by transportation consultants to aid in a wide variety of engineering and planning analyses. This paper focuses on small‐computer applications to project management. A major aim is to examine the organizational/management aspects of the implementation of such applications. This examination is conducted with the use of the overarching research model that posits that external factors, organizational factors, and individual factors (independent variables) are associated with adoption/use of small‐computer‐aided project‐management systems (dependent variable). Then the model posits that adoption/use of small‐computer‐aided project‐management systems (independent variable) is, in turn, associated with benefits to be realized (dependent variables). Four research propositions and 19 research hypotheses are presented within the context of the overarching model. Data were obtained from 412 transportation consulting firms. The results provide insights regarding questions surrounding the extent of use of computers. They also offer guidance for encouraging professional staff to use computer‐aided tools for management and engineering purposes.