TECHNICAL PAPERS
Jul 15, 2004

Impacts of Design/Information Technology on Project Outcomes

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 130, Issue 4

Abstract

This paper describes a collaborative effort by industry, government, and academia to evaluate the use of design/information technology (D/IT) and to relate the degree of use to project performance. A detailed statistical analysis of 297 projects in the Construction Industry Institute database is used to produce baseline measures of performance and D/IT use. The relationship between these measures is used to assess the economic value of using the technologies. A set of projects that excelled in the use of D/IT and that scored high on performance measures is then examined. These exemplary projects provide a basis for further in-depth analyses through on-site interviews with key project representatives. The results of this study establish that projects benefit from D/IT use. Both owners and contractors can expect construction cost savings of approximately 4% by increasing the use of D/IT. For owners there is clear evidence of schedule compression as well. Although the statistical analyses do not support schedule compression benefits for contractors, findings from the on-site interviews provide anecdotal support.

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References

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Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 130Issue 4August 2004
Pages: 586 - 597

History

Received: Jul 24, 2002
Accepted: Feb 24, 2003
Published online: Jul 15, 2004
Published in print: Aug 2004

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Authors

Affiliations

Stephen R. Thomas, M.ASCE
Associate Director, Construction Industry Institute, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78759.
Sang-Hoon Lee
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Engineering Technology, Univ. of Houston, Houston, TX 77204.
John D. Spencer
Project Manager, Lower Colorado River Authority, Austin, TX 78767.
Richard L. Tucker, F.ASCE
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712.
Robert E. Chapman
Economist, Office of Applied Economics, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

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