Submitted Successfully!
To reward your contribution, here is a gift for you: A free trial for our video production service.
Thank you for your contribution! You can also upload a video entry or images related to this topic.
Version Summary Created by Modification Content Size Created at Operation
1
Hassan Khames Eliwa
 + 1283 word(s) 1283 2022-03-15 04:50:23 |
2 update layout and references
Amina Yu
 -22 word(s) 1261 2022-03-24 03:02:28 |

Video Upload Options

Do you have a full video?
Send video materials Upload full video

Confirm

Are you sure to Delete?
Yes No
Cite
If you have any further questions, please contact Encyclopedia Editorial Office.
Eliwa, H. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Construction. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/20927 (accessed on 02 May 2024).
Eliwa H. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Construction. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/20927. Accessed May 02, 2024.
Eliwa, Hassan. "Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Construction" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/20927 (accessed May 02, 2024).
Eliwa, H. (2022, March 23). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Construction. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/20927
Eliwa, Hassan. "Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Construction." Encyclopedia. Web. 23 March, 2022.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Construction
Edit
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/buildings12030281

Information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the important factors that support construction project performance. 

information and communication technology ICT ICT infrastructure ICT utilization construction management

1. Introduction

The construction sector is considered as one of the biggest investment-draining sectors worldwide, with extremely high influence and contribution to economic development [1][2][3][4]. However, this sector faces considerable barriers and challenges, such as low performance, frequent construction delays, quality issues and cost overruns [4]. Therefore, finding solutions to improve construction project performance and make the project management knowledge more efficient is the main challenge for organizations to achieve client requirements [4][5]. One of these solutions is to apply new technologies and implement effective information and communication technology (ICT) applications in construction projects [4][6].
ICT can be described as technologies involved in the collection, transport, retrieval, storage, access, presentation, and transformation of all forms of information [7]. ICT can also be defined as applying information and communication technology tools, including software and computer hardware [8][9]. On the other hand, ICT infrastructure can be defined as the necessary components to manage and operate enterprise IT environments [10][11]. An organization can deploy its IT infrastructure in a cloud computing environment or computer facilities. These components include hardware and software, as well as networking and operating systems (OS), which are all used to provide IT services and solutions [11].
ICT utilization is crucial in the support of project operations, and the organizational ICT infrastructure supports the performance of ICT implementation from the project level to the organization level [12][13]. Moreover, many construction companies have turned to ICT utilization to quickly respond to changes in the environment and owners’ demands [13][14]. The creation of new and innovative processes for projects is one major way ICT can add value to an organization’s performance. In addition, if there is a strong ICT infrastructure within an organization, IT can enhance coordination, communication, cooperation, and collaboration among team members [15]. Although some research has suggested a positive correlation between ICT implementation and organizational performance, little empirical research has concentrated on the alignment between the ICT organizational infrastructure and the ICT utilization [12][15]. These studies focus on the impact of IT infrastructure on projects and capital facilities or infrastructure performance [13][15]. To date, there are only limited studies on the adoption of ICT by construction organizations, and fewer studies regarding the effects of strong alignment of the ICT infrastructures and ICT utilization on organization performance. This is considering the relatively long period of time that computer integration has been advocated in construction literature [16].
Based on the available information there is a lack of evidence about the business value of ICT utilization in the construction industry. This scarcity of evidence could be why ICT usage, especially for project processes, seems limited [16][17]. Therefore, it is important to know how this ICT usage impacts project team–owner relationships, general organization outcomes, and the success of construction projects. However, ITC utilization alone is not the perfect solution with a utilization strategy. Accordingly, the ICT infrastructure alignment is crucial to the overall organization’s performance [3][12][18].

2. Construction ICT Utilization

A significant number of studies have been conducted on ICT adoption in the construction industry and its relation to construction project performance [19][20][21][22]. These studies generally cover ICT utilization and factors that influence its implementation as part of the construction management process. It also discusses the expected benefits of using ICT in project management and construction [20][21][22][23]. Considering the type of ICT usage, Rahimian et al. (2020) examined the extent to which ICT, in general, is being used in the execution of construction industry projects. On the other hand, Elghaish et al. (2020) investigated the potential of a specific ICT, the 4D BIM technology, as a productive tool in project management. Sharma et al. (2020) provided a valuation model that measures the utility of electronic networking technologies as a type of ICT in construction project activities’ progress. Alsafouri et al. (2018) also addressed the crucial issue of how to best utilize ICT in construction industry organizations. Ozumba et al. (2018) conducted  to examine the role ICT transfer plays in innovation in medium- to small-sized construction organizations.
They are also active in identifying the factors that influence the adoption and use of ICT [24][25][26]. J. Li et al. (2020) looked at the relationship between construction equipment ICT and construction management progress. They ended up with three factors that mainly determine the impact of equipment ICT benefits, which are ICT implementation control, ICT implementation acceptance, and the project condition [27]. Daniotti et al. (2020) suggested that a lack of information about ICT and its benefits and an unclear competitive advantage may have caused a construction management team to resent adopting new technologies. Osunsanmi et al. (2020) concluded that the ICT adoption process is mainly linked to client relationship management. According to Adafin et al. (2021), New Zealand’s construction sector has increasingly utilized ICT in the design and the project operational phase, resulting in unstructured and discrete utilization strategies. Conversely, the construction management and onsite construction execution phases had the lowest ICT utilization levels in New Zealand’s construction industry. Moreover, in the New Zealand construction industry, ICT utilization was most widespread in the second phase (design phase) and less widespread during the fourth phase (project management phase) [2][28][29].
It was believed that ICT can provide significant benefits and contribute to construction project performance. However, it depends on the implementation methods [3][30][31][32]. There is limited on the construction industry that has konwn the impact of ICT on the performance of the construction organization, and the existing focus is on the project, as opposed to organization, performance [33]. Adriaanse et al. (2010), Hosseini et al. (2012), and Ozumba et al. (2018) are just a few examples. On the other hand, Hong et al. (2019) and Peansupap et al. (2005) are two other examples of studies that examined the current state of ICT use at the organization level. The work of Henderson et al. (2010) was one of the most comprehensive of these studies. They evaluated ICT’s utilization on an organization’s specified projects using the organization data. Henderson et al. (2010) used their evaluation to determine the impact of ICT usage on the cost of a project and its schedule success within the organizational processes and context. Boton et al. (2015) carried out to show the feasibility of using technologies such as 4D BIM on a construction project considering the organization information. To identify potential problems, the research team examined the master critical path schedule method CPSM [34]. Afzal et al. (2021) claim that it was demonstrated the value of 4D models for visualizing and understanding construction methodology, schedule sequencing, communicating special constraints to a project, and formalizing design information. They also argue that 4D models can be used to anticipate safety hazards and the assignment and allocation of project resources and construction-related machinery to the worksite, as well as for constructability reviews [35]. Alaloul et al. (2020) found that this visualization allows stakeholders of the construction projects to understand the construction schedule better than traditional construction management tools.
Howard et al. (2008) assessed ICT usage across design and construction organizations using the ICT barometer structured survey from the Finnish construction industry. Most organizations were mainly using computers for internal administrative and management tasks, including archiving. In contrast, fewer organizations use ICT tools to manage construction projects during delivery, or for document sharing and cloud usage [36]. Lu et al. (2019) conducted an analysis on construction industry and found similar results. They also reported widespread usage of basic ICT tools such as spreadsheets, accounting, word processing, and emailing. While a small number of organizations used advanced tools like 3D and 4D technology, according to Lu et al. (2019), larger organizations were using more of the most recent ICT tools compared with the medium- to small-sized organizations [37][38].

References

  1. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Building and Construction Sector Trends Annual Report 2021; MBIE: Wellington, New Zealand, 2021.
  2. Adafin, J.; Wilkinson, S.; Rotimi, J.O.B.; MacGregor, C.; Tookey, J.; Potangaroa, R. Creating a case for innovation acceleration in the New Zealand building industry. Constr. Innov. 2021, 22, 185–204.
  3. Eliwa, H.; Jelodar, M.B.; Poshdar, M. Information technology and New Zealand construction industry: An empirical study towards strategic alignment of project and organization. In Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality (CONVR2018), Auckland, New Zealand, 22–23 November 2018.
  4. Harris, F.; McCaffer, R.; Baldwin, A.; Edum-Fotwe, F. Modern Construction Management; John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2021.
  5. Alaloul, W.S.; Liew, M.S.; Zawawi, N.A.W.A.; Kennedy, I.B. Industrial Revolution 4.0 in the construction industry: Challenges and opportunities for stakeholders. Ain Shams Eng. J. 2020, 11, 225–230.
  6. Adriaanse, A.; Voordijk, H.; Dewulf, G. The use of interorganisational ICT in United States construction projects. Autom. Constr. 2010, 19, 73–83.
  7. Hosseini, R.; Chileshe, N.; Zou, J.; Baroudi, B. Approaches of implementing ICT technologies within the construction industry. In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on the Built Environment in Developing Countries (ICBEDC), Adelaide, Australia, 4–5 December 2012.
  8. Peansupap, V.; Walker, D.H. Information communication technology (ICT) implementation constraints: A construction industry perspective. Eng. Constr. Archit. Manag. 2006, 13, 365–379.
  9. Arayici, Y.; Aouad, G.; Ahmed, V. Requirements engineering for innovative integrated ICT systems for the construction industry. Constr. Innov. 2015, 5, 179–200.
  10. Serpell, A.; Barai, S.; Oladapo, A.A. An investigation into the use of ICT in the Nigerian construction industry. J. Inf. Technol. Constr. 2005, 12, 261–277.
  11. Yanting, L. Cross-Sector Co-deployment of ICT Infrastructure with Other Sectors in China; CAICT: Beijing, China, 2018.
  12. Wu, D.; Yu, X.; Zhu, S. A Study of the ICT Infrastructure in Education of South Korea. In Modern Distance Education Research; 2014; Volume 5, pp. 86–94. Available online: https://www.oriprobe.com/journals/xdycjyyj/2014_6.html (accessed on 10 December 2021).
  13. Hanafizadeh, M.R.; Saghaei, A.; Hanafizadeh, P. An index for cross-country analysis of ICT infrastructure and access. Telecommun. Policy 2009, 33, 385–405.
  14. Eliwa, H.; Babaeian Jelodar, M.; Yi, W.; Poshdar, M. Information Technology Applications in Construction Organizations: A Systematic Review. In Proceedings of the 6th New Zealand Built Environment Research Symposium, Auckland, New Zealand, 26 February 2020.
  15. Losurdo, F.; Dileo, I.; Siergiejczyk, M.; Krzykowska, K.; Krzykowski, M. Innovation in the ICT infrastructure as a key factor in enhancing road safety: A multi-sectoral approach. In Proceedings of the 2017 25th International Conference on Systems Engineering (ICSEng), Las Vegas, NV, USA, 22–24 August 2017.
  16. Campbell, B.; Kay, R.; Avison, D. Strategic alignment: A practitioner’s perspective. J. Enterp. Inf. Manag. 2005, 18, 653–664.
  17. Jelodar, M.B.; Shu, F. Innovative use of low-cost digitization for smart information systems in construction projects. Buildings 2021, 11, 270.
  18. Ezcan, V.; Goulding, J.S.; Arif, M. Redefining ICT embeddedness in the construction industry: Maximizing technology diffusion capabilities to support agility. Build. Res. Inf. 2020, 48, 922–944.
  19. McNamara, A.J.; S M Sepasgozar. Intelligent contract adoption in the construction industry: Concept development. Autom. Constr. 2021, 122, 103452.
  20. Moshood, T.; Nawanir, G.; Sorooshian, S.; Mahmud, F.; Adeleke, A. Barriers and benefits of ICT adoption in the nigerian construction industry. A comprehensive literature review. Appl. Syst. Innov. 2020, 3, 46.
  21. Schönbeck, P.; Löfsjögård, M.; Ansell, A. Quantitative review of construction 4.0 Technology presence in construction project research. Buildings 2020, 10, 173.
  22. Hou, L.; Wu, S.; Zhang, G.; Tan, Y.; Wang, X. Literature review of digital twins applications in construction workforce safety. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 339.
  23. Wu, H.; Shen, G.Q.; Lin, X.; Li, M.; Li, C.Z. A transformer-based deep learning model for recognizing communication-oriented entities from patents of ICT in construction. Autom. Constr. 2021, 125, 103608.
  24. Alsafouri, S.; Ayer, S.K. Review of ICT implementations for facilitating information flow between virtual models and construction project sites. Autom. Constr. 2018, 86, 176–189.
  25. Hasan, A.; Elmualim, A.; Rameezdeen, R.; Baroudi, B.; Marshall, A. An exploratory study on the impact of mobile ICT on productivity in construction projects. Built Environ. Proj. Asset Manag. 2018, 8, 320–332.
  26. Chipidza, W.; Leidner, D. A review of the ICT-enabled development literature: Towards a power parity theory of ICT4D. J. Strateg. Inf. Syst. 2019, 28, 145–174.
  27. Li, J.; Li, H.; Umer, W.; Wang, H.; Xing, X.; Zhao, S.; Hou, J. Identification and classification of construction equipment operators’ mental fatigue using wearable eye-tracking technology. Autom. Constr. 2020, 109, 103000.
  28. Allen, B. Broader outcomes in procurement policy–a case of New Zealand pragmatism. J. Public Procure. 2021, 21, 318–341.
  29. Sooriyamudalige, N.; Domingo, N.; Shahzad, W.; Childerhouse, P. Barriers and enablers for supply chain integration in prefabricated elements manufacturing in New Zealand. Int. J. Constr. Supply Chain Manag. 2020, 10, 73–91.
  30. Daniotti, B.; Gianinetto, M.; della Torre, S. Digital Transformation of the Design, Construction and Management Processes of the Built Environment; Springer Nature: Cham, Switzerland, 2020.
  31. Wang, G.; Lu, H.; Hu, W.; Gao, X.; Pishdad-Bozorgi, P. Understanding Behavioral Logic of Information and Communication Technology Adoption in Small-and Medium-Sized Construction Enterprises: Empirical Study from China. J. Manag. Eng. 2020, 36, 05020013.
  32. Saka, A.B.; Chan, D.W. Profound barriers to building information modelling (BIM) adoption in construction small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): An interpretive structural modelling approach. Constr. Innov. 2020, 20, 261–284.
  33. Liu, B.; Yang, B.; Xiao, J.; Zhu, D.; Zhang, B.; Wang, Z.; Dong, M. Review of Optimization Dynamically Applied in the Construction and the Application Potential of ICT. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5478.
  34. Boton, C.; Kubicki, S.; Halin, G. The challenge of level of development in 4D/BIM simulation across AEC project lifecyle. A case study. Procedia Eng. 2015, 123, 59–67.
  35. Afzal, M.; Shafiq, M.T. Evaluating 4D-BIM and VR for Effective Safety Communication and Training: A Case Study of Multilingual Construction Job-Site Crew. Build. 2021, 11, 319.
  36. Howard, R.; Björk, B.-C. Building information modelling–Experts’ views on standardization and industry deployment. Adv. Eng. Inform. 2008, 22, 271–280.
  37. Mesároš, P.; Behúnová, A.; Mandičák, T.; Behún, M.; Krajníková, K. Impact of enterprise information systems on selected key performance indicators in construction project management: An empirical study. Wirel. Netw. 2021, 27, 1641–1648.
  38. Lu, H.; Pishdad-Bozorgi, P.; Wang, G.; Xue, Y.; Tan, D. ICT implementation of small-and medium-sized construction enterprises: Organizational characteristics, driving forces, and value perceptions. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3441.
More
© Text is available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Upload a video for this entry
Information
Subjects: Construction & Building Technology
Contributor MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register :
Hassan Eliwa
View Times: 5.8K
Revisions: 2 times (View History)
Update Date: 28 Mar 2022
Table of Contents
    1000/1000
    Hot Most Recent
    Feedback