Rationalizing the Implementation of Web-Based Project Management Systems in Construction Projects Using PLS-SEM
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 140, Issue 7
Abstract
While web-based project management (WBPM) systems have been widely implemented in most construction projects, the current literature lacks any clear consensus on rationalizing such decisions across the industry. In an attempt to understand the factors influencing the implementation of web-based systems and their performance in construction projects, a theoretical structural model has been established, termed the partial least-square structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The effect of six latent variables on the performance of WBPM systems has been analyzed using the empirical data collected from a questionnaire survey of 77 respondents within the construction industry. The results of the data analysis suggest that the implementation of web-based systems (PMB) is rationalized with the two key factors being complexity (PC) and information streamline (IS) in the project. The general perception of increased users’ satisfaction (US) and transparency and accountability (TA) has no strong empirical basis for rationalizing the use of web-based systems across projects. Effective monitoring and control (EMC) during project delivery can only be marginally enhanced by implementing WBPM systems. The key significance of this research is the unfolding of tacit knowledge of these key factors and addressing the limitations reported in previous research in the context of implementation of WBPM systems. Appropriate consideration of these factors would potentially contribute to the development of company procedures or to enhance existing knowledge within the construction industry.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Adriaanse, A., Voordijk, H., and Dewulf, G. (2010). “The use of interorganisational ICT in United States construction projects.” Autom. Constr., 19(1), 73–83.
Ahuja, V., Yang, J., and Shankar, R. (2009). “Study of ICT adoption for building project management in the Indian construction industry.” Autom. Constr., 18(4), 415–423.
Aibinu, A. A., and Al-Lawati, A. M. (2010). “Using PLS-SEM technique to model construction organizations’ willingness to participate in e-bidding.” Autom. Constr., 19(6), 714–724.
Alshawi, M., and Ingirige, B. (2003). “Web-enabled project management: An emerging paradigm in construction.” Autom. Constr., 12(4), 349–364.
Baldwin, A. N., Thorpe, A., and Carter, C. (1999). “The use of electronic information exchange on construction alliance projects.” Autom. Constr., 8(6), 651–662.
Campbell, D. T., and Fiske, D. W. (1959). “Convergent and discriminant validity by multitriat-multimethod matrix.” Psychol. Bull., 56, 81–105.
Cassel, C., Hackl, P., and Westlund, A. H. (1999). “Robustness of partial-least-squares method for estimating latent variable quality structures.” J. Appl. Stat., 26(4), 435–446.
Chan, Swee-Lean, and Leung, Nga-Na (2004). “Prototype web-based construction project management systems.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 935–943.
Cheung, S. O., Suen, H. C. H., and Cheung, K. K. W. (2004). “PPMS: A web-based construction project performance monitoring system.” Autom. Constr., 13(3), 361–376.
Chin, W. W. (1998). “The partial least square approach to structural equation modeling.” Modern methods for business research, G. A. Marcoulides, ed., Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, 295–336.
Deng, Z. M., Li, H., Tam, C. M., Shen, Q. P., and Love, P. E. D. (2001). “An application of the internet-based project management system.” Autom. Constr., 10(2), 239–246.
Dijkstra, T. (2010). “Latent variables and indices: Herman wold’s basic design and partial least squares.” Handbook of partial least squares: Concepts, methods and applications in marketing and related fields, V. E. Vinzi, W. W. Chin, J. Henseler, and H. Wang, eds., Springer, Berlin, 23–46.
Dossick, J., and Sakagami, M. (2008). “Implementing web-based project management systems in the United States and Japan.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 189–196.
El-Gohary, N. M., and El-Diraby, T. E. (2010). “Dynamic knowledge-based process integration portal for collaborative construction.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 316–328.
Fellows, R., and Liu, A. (2008). Research methods in construction, 3rd Ed., Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, U.K.
Forcada, N., Casals, M., Fuertes, A., Gangolells, M., and Roca, X. (2010). “A web-based system for sharing and disseminating research results: The underground construction case study.” Autom. Constr., 19(4), 458–474.
Fornell, C., and Larcker, D. F. (1981). “Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement errors.” J. Market. Res., 18(1), 39–50.
Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., and Mena, J. A. (2011). “An assessment of the use of partial least squares structural equation modelling in marketing research.” J. Acad. Marketing Sci., 40(3), 414–433.
Hulland, J. (1999). “Use of partial least square (PLS) in strategic management research: A review of four recent studies.” Strat. Manage. J., 20(2), 195–204.
Lee, S. H., Pena-Mora, F., and Park, M. (2006). “Web-enabled system dynamics model for error and change management on concurrent design and construction projects.” J. Comput. Civ. Eng., 290–300.
Lee, S. H., Thomas, S. R., and Tucker, R. L. (2005). “Web-based benchmarking system for the construction industry.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 790–798.
Mitropoulos, P., and Tatum, C. (2000). “Forces driving adoption of new information technologies.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 340–348.
Mohamed, S., and Stewart, R. A. (2003). “An empirical investigation of users’ perceptions of web-based communication on a construction project.” Autom. Constr., 12(1), 43–53.
Mooney, R. J., and Bunescu, R. (2005). “Mining knowledge from text using information extraction.” ACM SIGKDD Exp. Newsletter—Nat. Lang. Process. Text Min., 7(1), 3–10.
Nitithamyong, P., and Skibniewski, M. J. (2004). “Web-based construction project management systems: how to make them successful?” Autom. Constr., 13(4), 491–506.
Nitithamyong, P., and Skibniewski, M. J. (2006). “Success/failure factors and performance measures of web-based construction project management systems: Professionals’ viewpoint.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 80–87.
Nunnally, J. C. (1976). Psychometric theory, McGraw-Hill, New York.
O’Brien, J. W. (2000). “Implementation issues in project web sites: A practitioner’s viewpoint.” J. Manage. Eng., 34–39.
Reinartz, Werner J., Michael, Haenlein, and Jorg, Henseler (2009). “An empirical comparison of efficacy of covariance-based and variance-based SEM.” Int. J. Market Res., 26(4), 332–344.
Stevens, J. (2002). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences, 4th Ed., Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.
Stewart, R. A., and Mohamed, S. (2003). “Evaluating the value IT adds to the process of project information management in construction.” Autom. Constr., 12(4), 407–417.
Stewart, R. A., and Mohamed, S. (2004). “Evaluating web-based project information management in construction: Capturing the long-term value creation process.” Autom. Constr., 13(4), 469–479.
Thomas, S. R., Lee, S. H., Tucker, R. L., and Chapman, R. E. (2004). “Impacts of design/information technology on project outcomes.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 586–597.
Thorpe, T., and Mead, S. (2001). “Project-specific web sites: Friend or foe?” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 406–413.
Vaus, D. A. (2001). Research design in social science, Sage, London.
Whyte, J., Bouchlaghe, D., and Thrope, T. (2002). “IT implementation in the construction organization.” J. Eng. Constr. Archit. Manage., 9(5–6), 371–377.
Williams, T., Bernold, L., and Lu, H. (2007). “Adoption patterns of advanced information technologies in the construction industries of the United States and Korea.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 780–790.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 4, 2013
Accepted: Feb 19, 2014
Published online: Apr 21, 2014
Published in print: Jul 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Sep 21, 2014
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.