The Use of Information Technology Techniques in the Construction Industry of Pakistan

Construction sector together with service, manufacturing, agriculture and mining sectors is the main contributors of the Pakistan's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and economic growth. It is also a key indicator in determining the economic performance of the country. As the issues of globalization and trades deregulation, stringer requirements of time, cost, quality and advancement of technologies have become more critical, the sector has to find ways to enhance its operational efficiency and effectiveness. IT (Information Technology) as a key enabler has been recognized to be an inseparable tool to sustain business and become more competitive. This paper gives an overview of the current status of IT application and presents the significant results from PCI (Pakistan Construction Industry). The result of survey also highlights the challenges to the construction industry of Pakistan before implementing the IT techniques. A statistical method 'Average Index' is used to analyze the collected data and statistical hypothesis testing is conducted to know the difference between the parameters. The survey produced knowledge about the use of computers, hardware and software, communication and strategies for the use of IT. The use of spread sheets, word processor, CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) in general has increased and the use of model based CAD software has increased among the major key players of construction industry. The use of project webs and electronic trade in the industry is not started properly. From the analysis it is concluded that construction firms in Pakistan are mostly using manual procedures and the use of IT seems to be at the inception stage.