COPING STRATEGIES TO AID EFFECTIVE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION IN CONSTRUCTION

摘要

The need for improved implementation of Information Technology (IT) has been emphasised in both empirical and prescriptive research studies. This fact is magnified in the construction industry where a number of widely documented industry-specific barriers to effective implementation also exist, including, the very nature of how the industry operates one-off projects, industry fragmentation, low level of technology awareness and training, and strong resistance to change. In an attempt to promote a more strategic approach to IT implementation in construction, this paper seeks to develop a series of coping strategies to overcome these identified barriers. To achieve this, the paper firstly reports on the findings of a questionnaire survey of the Australian construction industry to gauge its perceptions as to the significant barriers to IT implementation in construction. Secondly, the paper draws on the results of a project-based case study, conducted by the authors, where an innovative hybrid SWOT/AHP approach is used to extract the significant organisational threats and weaknesses that hindered the effective implementation of a Project Management Information System (PMIS). This paper reports on the findings of these two studies with the aim to formulate practical guidelines and coping strategies to mitigate the effects of these collated implementation barriers.