Adoption Processes for EDM, EDI and BIM Technologies in the Construction Industry

AbstractThree strategically important uses of IT in the construction industry are management of project documents on webservers (EDM), electronic handling of orders and invoices between companies (EDI) and use of 3D models including non-geometrical attributes for integrated design and construction (BIM). The purpose of this work is to study factors that affect the decisions to implement these techniques as well as the actual adoption process. In a longitudinal survey study in the Swedish Construction Industry, the extent of use of these techniques was measured in 1998, 2000 and 2007. This paper presents a follow-up to the quantitative studies, where semi-structured interviews have been used, in a qualitative approach. The theoretical basis for the studies was informed by frameworks from IT-adoption theory. The results showed that decisions to implement these technologies are made on three different levels: individual level, company organizational level, and project organizational level. Different patterns...

[1]  Fred D. Davis,et al.  User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models , 1989 .

[2]  I. Ajzen.  The theory of planned behavior , 1991 .

[3]  Bo-Christer Björk.  Electronic document management in temporary project organisations: Construction industry experiences , 2006, Online Inf. Rev..

[4]  Väino Tarandi.  Neutral intelligent CAD communication : information exchange in construction based upon a minimal schema , 1998 .

[5]  Bhargav Dave,et al.  Editorial: Process and IT , 2008 .

[6]  M. Conner,et al.  The Theory of Planned Behaviour , 2004 .

[7]  Michael J. Gallivan,et al.  Organizational adoption and assimilation of complex technological innovations: development and application of a new framework , 2001, DATB.

[8]  William J. O'Brien.  IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES IN PROJECT WEB SITES: A PRACTIONER'S VIEWPOINT , 2000 .

[9]  Antti Lakka,et al.  Project Management in the Concurrent Engineerging Environment , 2002 .

[10]  Charles M. Eastman,et al.  BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors , 2008 .

[11]  Gordon B. Davis,et al.  User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View , 2003, MIS Q..

[12]  Mark O'Brien,et al.  Electronic data interchange and the structure of the UK construction industry , 1993 .

[13]  E. Sarah Slaughter,et al.  Implementation of construction innovations , 2000 .

[14]  Tony Thorpe,et al.  Project-Specific Web Sites: Friend or Foe? , 2001 .

[15]  Pollaphat Nitithamyong,et al.  Web-based construction project management systems: how to make them successful? , 2004 .

[16]  Jens Laage-Hellman,et al.  Information Technology and the Efficiency of Materials Supply - The implementation of EDI in Swedish construction industry , 1996 .

[17]  Ned C. Hill,et al.  Electronic Data Interchange: A Definition and Perspective , 1989 .

[18]  Rob Howard,et al.  Building information modelling - Experts' views on standardisation and industry deployment , 2008, Adv. Eng. Informatics.

[19]  Karen Manley,et al.  Key influences on construction innovation , 2004 .

[20]  Salman Azhar,et al.  Building Information Modeling ( BIM ) : Benefits , Risks and Challenges , 2008 .

[21]  R. Zmud,et al.  Information technology implementation research: a technological diffusion approach , 1990 .

[22]  Ghang Lee,et al.  Editorial - Case studies of BIM in use , 2008, J. Inf. Technol. Constr..

[23]  Olle Samuelson.  IT-Innovationer i svenska bygg- och fastighetssektorn , 2010 .

[24]  Bo-Christer Björk,et al.  CAD standardisation in the construction industry — A process view , 2010 .

[25]  D. Walker,et al.  Exploratory factors influencing information and communication technology diffusion and adoption within Australian construction organizations: a micro analysis , 2005 .

[26]  Peter A. Todd,et al.  Understanding Information Technology Usage: A Test of Competing Models , 1995, Inf. Syst. Res..

[27]  Olle Samuelson.  IT-Barometer 2000 - The Use of IT in the Nordic Construction Industry , 2002, J. Inf. Technol. Constr..

[28]  R. Yin.  Case Study Research: Design and Methods , 1984 .

[29]  Yusuf Arayici.  Building information modelling , 2015 .

[30]  E. Rogers,et al.  Diffusion of Innovations, 5th Edition , 2003 .

[31]  Bo-Christer Björk,et al.  End-User Attitudes toward EDM Use in Construction Project Work: Case Study , 2007 .

[32]  K. Ramamurthy,et al.  Organizational and Interorganizational Determinants of EDI Diffusion and Organizational Performance: A Causal Model , 1999, J. Organ. Comput. Electron. Commer..

[33]  M. Mclaughlin,et al.  Federal Programs Supporting Educational Change , 1975 .

[34]  Lars-Erik Gadde,et al.  The construction industry as a loosely coupled system: implications for productivity and innovation , 2002 .

[35]  Martin Betts,et al.  Information technology for construction , 1997 .

[36]  Robert Amor,et al.  Information Technology for Construction: Recent Work and Future Directions , 2002, J. Inf. Technol. Constr..

[37]  Jeffrey V. Nickerson,et al.  Developing web services choreography standards - the case of REST vs. SOAP , 2005, Decis. Support Syst..

[38]  Richard L. Tucker,et al.  Impacts of Design/Information Technology on Project Outcomes , 2004 .

[39]  L. G. Tornatzky,et al.  Innovation characteristics and innovation adoption-implementation: A meta-analysis of findings , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

[40]  Patrick C. Suermann.  Evaluating The Impact Of Building Information Modeling (BIM) On Construction , 2009 .

[41]  Sherif Ali Mohtady Mohamed,et al.  An empirical investigation into the link between information technology implementation barriers and coping strategies in the Australian construction industry , 2004 .

[42]  E. Rogers,et al.  Diffusion of innovations , 1964, Encyclopedia of Sport Management.

[43]  Christine Nadel,et al.  Case Study Research Design And Methods , 2016 .

[44]  D. Gann,et al.  Innovation in project-based, service-enhanced firms: the construction of complex products and systems , 2000 .

[45]  Edward W. Pauly,et al.  Federal Programs Supporting Educational Change, Vol. 2: Factors Affecting Change Agent Projects. , 1975 .

[46]  E. Sarah Slaughter,et al.  Models of Construction Innovation , 1998 .

[47]  Kurt Löwnertz.  Change and Exchange - Electronic Document Management in Building Design , 1998 .

[48]  R. Yin,et al.  Case Study Research: Design and Methods (4th ed. , 2009 .

[49]  Olle Samuelson.  The IT-barometer - a decade's development of IT use in the Swedish construction sector , 2008, J. Inf. Technol. Constr..

[50]  John A. Gambatese,et al.  Factors that influence the development and diffusion of technical innovations in the construction industry , 2011 .