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THEIMPLEMENTATIONOFINFORMATIONCOMMUNICATIONTECHNOLOGY(ICT)IN
CONSTRUCTIONINDUSTRY
byYAPZHIXIN.
FromTURNITINforfinalsubmissionDissertationFinalSubmission(Moodle49750735)(Dissertation
(Moodle12737908))
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papertext:

ABSTRACTInformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)areirreversiblechangebycommunication
technologiesratherthanfacetofaceinteractionintheorganizationintheconstructionindustry.Thiswill
bringbenefitstotheconstructionindustryintermsofcompetitiveness,productivityandprofitability.
However,italsobringsbarrierstotheconstructionindustryintermsofmaintenance,cost,securityand
technologyliteracy.TheobjectiveofthisresearchistoinvestigatethetypesandusageofICTthatbrings
importanceandbarriertowardstheconstructionindustry.Inthisstudy,quantitativemethodwasadopted
tocollectprimarydatathroughdistributingquestionnairetotheconstructionindustry.Thissurveywas
conductedamongpartieswhoarerelatedtotheconstructionindustrysuchasArchitects,Engineers,
QuantitySurveyors,ProjectManagement,Developer,etc.intermssurveyingthemosttypesofICTused,
softwareusedinthecompany,importanceandimpactsofICTintheconstructionindustry.Thefindings
showthatwhatarethetypesofICTmostlyusedintheindustryandwhicharetheimportanceandimpacts
ofimplementationofICTtotheconstructionindustry.ThemaintopusedICTintheconstructionindustryis
theElectronicMail(Email),ComputersandMobileTelephones.Besidesthat,thetopthreeimportanceof
ICTareforTimeSaving,IncreaseSpeedofWorkandIncreaseProductivity.However,thetopthree
impactsareforHighInitialCost,ManagementCommitmenttoICTbysafetyandsecurityand
Maintenance.Keywords:implementation,types,usage,importance,impacts,information,communication,
technology,ICT,construction.

43CHAPTER1INTRODUCTION1.1BackgroundInformationand

communicationtechnology(ICT)basicallyareasan

aggregate

23referencetothecombinationofcomputingtechnologyandinformation

processingincludesawiderangeofspecializedwaytodealwithvariousproblems.
Forconstructionindustry,ICT

isthe

41useselectronicmachinesandprogramsfor

applicationofdecisionsupporttoolsinprocessing,analysis,storage,presentation,controlandtransferof
constructioninformationduringthemaintenanceperiodwhichis

14wholelifecycleofaconstructionprojectincludingpredesign,design,

construction,andoperationandmaintenance

41(ElGhandourandAlHussein2004).Inthe

101950sand1960s,facetofaceinteractionareemphasizedastheprimary

methodofcommunicationinbusinessandorganizations,buttoday
communicationhasbeenirreversiblychangedbycommunicationtechnologies
(EisenbergandGoodall,1993

Daintyet.al,2006).AccordingtoWeippertet.al(2002)andAdriananseet.al(2010),intodaysconstruction
practice,mostofthefirmsinthisindustryhaveincreasinglyawareofrapidadvancesbyinvestingheavily
oninnovativeinternetbasedICTtoolsandsystemtopermitconsistentcooperation

3betweenprojectconsortiums,advancingfastresolutionofongoingproject

issues

consequentlydiminishingneedsforunnecessarytimefortravelandcostoverruns.Nowadays,itisa
responsiblefromICTtointerpret,transmitandgeneratefromthewholeconstructionprocessfromthe
dataandinformationbeinginterpret,transmittedandareproducedtoempowerthebuildabilityofproject
formaintenance,remaintained,reusedandalsorecycled.ICTchangeindividualandorganisation
everydaylifeinthewidespreadofused.

2Ongoingchallengeofchangingandimprovingcurrentwork

practice.The

2constructionindustryisconfrontedwithprogressingchallengeinchangingand
enhancingcurrentworkpractices

sothatitwillbemoreproductive,clientorientated,andcompetitivethroughthe

2adoptionofICTaspartofconstructionprocess(Weippertetal,2003).

Toimprovetheconstructionproductivitymuchefforthasbeenfixedindecreasingthetimeforeffective
communicationaswellasfordataprocessing(OnyegiriandNwachukwu,2011).1.2ProblemStatement
Nowadays,traditionalmeansofcommunicationsuchasexchangepaperdocumentsandfacetoface
meetingsandintheformoftechnicaldrawing,specificationsandsiteinstructionsareheavilyusedinthe
constructionbusinessprocesses(Stewardet.al,2005).Thisleadstoconstructionindustryisoften
criticizedwithissuesthatconcerningefficiency,productivityandqualityofproductsdelivered.Mostofthe
Contractorsandmajorpartiesoftenputtheblamedonthissituation.Thisleadsafundamentalissuethat

33contributingtotheconstructionindustriespoorperformancein

communicationandexchangeofinformationanddataamongsttheprojectteam

(Daintyet.al,2006).Numerousissues

5concerningcommunicationhavebeenreported,withanattentiononintra

suppliercommunicationintheconstructionsectordemandsupply
communicationduringthedesignphaseandcommunicationbetweenand
withinsingledemandandsupplysideparties,duringthewholeconstruction
process.Inthisdivisionthedemandsidecontainsrepresentativeswhichis
users,principals,investors,etc.Ontheotherhand,thesupplysideincludesub

contractors,architects,advisors,etc

(EmmittandGorse,2003).Projectdelays,expensivereworkingandbuildingdefectsarealwayscausedby
thecommunicationproblembetweentheteammemberssoimprovingthecommunicationlinkiscrucialto
furtherregaininginconstruction(Huanget.al,2002).Besidesthat,lackofstandardisationalsoaffectthe
productivityinconstructionindustry.Byusingthehandwritingmethod,employeeshavefreereignin
collectingdataastherequiredfieldswilltendstobeskippedandnotprecise.Thiswillalsolimitthedata
capturedespeciallyinafiendwhichismeticulousasconstruction.Paperarelimitedinthecollectionof
datawhichwillberequiredtofilloutaspectsofreportsuchasdescriptionsandphotosseparatelywhich
theinformationrequiredlongertimetocompile.However,thiswillpromptanissues,forexample,
descriptionorphotosmismatchedthatcandiminishtheaccuracyoftheinformationcollected(Masanque,
2014).Thedelayedofinformationsharingalsoimportantinconstructionindustry.Constructionsitesare
reliantonthecommunicationparticularlyamongfieldandofficeworkerthatareintherealmoftracking
timewithdailyworkreports.Reportsarebasicallyfilledoutbypaperformandneedtobetransportedall
thewayfromthesitetofillthenafteritisdoneithavetobesendbacktotheofficethistakestimesfor
reportstobacklogtoofficeemployees.Thedelaysofdatawillaffecttheabilitytomakedecisionsto
changeinconstructionmatter.TheimplementationofICTwouldhelpcompaniestokeepcostandalso
keepprojectsfinishontime(Masanque,2014).1.3PreviousSimilarStudiesResearchhasbeendoneby
Onyegirietal.(2011)onICTinconstructionindustrywheretheyfocusontheimportanceanduseofICT
thatraisedproductivitywhichresultedthatcommunications,financialcontrolsqualityandspeedofwork,
willhaveanincrease.Hence,thisstudiesleadtoadefinitivechoice

2thattherapidadvancementofICTofferschancestoimprovecommunication

betweenparticipantsintheconstructionprojectswhichistopermitmoreefficient
andeffectivecommunication.

ThisstudiedthecomputerandinternettechnologyontheessentialvalueofICT,importanceandsome
basicsknowledgethatliesin.Lastly,thisresearchdiscussontheperceptionofinformation,
communication,andtheimportancetowardstheconstructionindustry.Anotherresearchthatare
conductedbyWeippert

29et.al(2003)ontheimplementationofonlineinformationandcommunication

technology(ICT)onremoteconstructionprojects.

Thisresearchstudyon

53theOnlineRemoteConstructionManagement(ORCM)project

that

3proposingtotestfieldtrialandassesstheexecutionofdifferentInternetbased

ConstructionProjectManagement(ICPM)frameworksand

ICToncasestudyprojectstoestablish

3leadershipinencouragingtheutilizationofonlinetechnologiesformanagement,

designandconstructionofcivilandbuildingconstructionprojects.Thefurther

researchand

3development(R&ampD)ofinnovativetoolsandICPMcommunication

systems

areneededbasedontheORCMbestpracticeguidelines.Thisresearchalsoidentifiesdifferent
approachesto

3overcomeindustryculturalbarriers,changingconventionalworkhabitsand
implementtoimproveprocedures

aswellas

3applicationopportunitieswithintheconstructionindustry.Lastly,thisresearch

wasconductedbySekou(2012)onthepromoting

24useofICTintheconstructionindustrybyassessingthefactorshindering

usagebybuildingcontractorsinGhana.

ThisresearchfocusesonthecurrentlevelsofICTpracticesandidentifiesthereasonshinderingitsusage
byBuildingandCivilEngineeringContractorsinGhana.Besides,ICTinfrastructureplatformsofBuilding
ContractorsinGhanacanbeassessed.ThelevelICTusageamongbuildingcontractorsarestudiedin
thisresearch.Thefindingsconcludethatthereisareasonablelevelofawarenessamongthecontractors
aboutthepotentialbenefitsofICT.1.4ResearchQuestionsa.WhydoweneedtoimplementICTin
constructionindustry?b.WhatandhowdoesICTareused

47inconstructionindustry?c.Whatarethebarriersontheimplementationof
ICTin

constructionindustry?1.5AimsandObjectives1.6ScopeandlimitationsThescopeofthisstudywill
focussedmoreontheimplementationofinformationcommunicationandtechnologyinMalaysia
constructionindustry.Thisstudyarerestrictedtothepeoplewhoareinvolvedintheconstructionindustry
suchasArchitect,QuantitySurveying(ConsultantsandContractors),Engineers,ProjectManager,etcin
KualaLumpur,MalaysiathatwithorwithoutusingICTinthecompanyorworkspace.1.7Importanceof
ResearchFindingsThefindingsofthisresearchwillactsasaguideforpartiesrelatedtotheconstruction
industry(Architect,Engineer,QuantitySurveying,SiteManager,ProjectManagerandetc.)in
understandingofwhatarethetypesofICTavailableandtheusageofICTwhichbringsbenefitsand
barriers

4ontheimplementationofICTtotheconstructionindustry.

1.8ChapterOrganizationChapter1isthebriefintroduction

4ontheimplementationofICTinconstructionindustry

whichincludesthebackgroundofthestudy,problemstatement,objectivesandscopeandlimitations.
Chapter2istheoutlinesofthetheoreticalframeworkoftheimplementation

42ofICTinconstructionindustryincludingthe

relevantliteraturessuchastheusageof

42ICTintheconstructionindustry.Besides,the

researchisconductedontheimportancewhytheyaremoreemphasiseintheimplementationofICTinto
theconstructionindustry.Lastly,thebarriersthatappearstoreducetheusageofICToccursin
constructionindustry.Chapter3isthedetailsofthemethodologywhichcanbefoundinthisresearchthat
includedatacollectionandinterviewquestiondesign.Qualitativeresearchwhichisintervieware
conductedamongafewrelatedpartiesinconstructionindustryincludingconsultants,contractorand
developer.Besidesthat,quantitativeresearchwhichispostingquestionnairesareconductedamong
thosewhoinvolvesinconstructionindustrywhichareconsultants,contractors,architects,engineers,
developersandetc.Thedataarethenrecordedbasedoninterviewandquestionnaire.Adocumentary
analysisarecreatedbasedonwhethertheusedofICTbringsbenefitsorriskinconstructionindustry.
Chapter4isthediscussiononthedatawhichareconductedpreviouslyinchapter3.Thedatacollected
frominterviewandquestionnairearethendiscussedbasedontheresearchaimandobjective.Chapter5
isthesummarizationofthefindingsintheresearchstudy.Inthischapter,futurerecommendationand
conclusion

4ontheimplementationofICTinconstructionindustry.

1.9ResearchProgramTable

441.1ResearchProgramCHAPTER2LITERATUREREVIEW2.1IntroductionIn

thismoderndays,the

entireconstructionprocessisresponsiblebyinformationandcommunication

2frominformationbeingtransmitted,producedandinterpretedtoenablethe

build,maintain,reuseandrecycletheproject.SinceindividualsareincreasingwithICTwhichhaswide
spreadtotransformindividualsandorganisations.(Onyegiriet.al,2011)However,theroleofICTin
constructionindustryinMalaysiahasbecomemorecrucialandourconstructionindustryareslowly
adoptingICT.(Shaharudinet.al,2010)Ashighlightedinchapterone,theaimofresearchistounderstand
thetypesofICTandtheirrolesintermsofinformationandcommunicationintheconstructionprocess.
Besidesthat,theobjectivesistoinvestigatethereasons

4ontheimplementationofICTinconstructionindustry.

Apartofthat,theobjectivesaretofindoutthe

49barrierstotheimplementationofICTinconstructionindustry.2.2Definitionof

37ICTTheacronymofICTistakentostandforinformationand

communicationtechnology.

Thewordcommunicationisworriedwithhumaninteractionwhereasforpluralarerefertotheentirefield
ofdatacommunicationsinfrastructure.Thepluralmeanstechnologywhereasthesingularformrefersto
theoutcomeorprocess.Therefore,theacronymofICTistakenin

8apluralform(technologies)whereitiscomprehendedtorequiretheparticular
gadgetsorprocesseswhichtogethermakeupthetechnology.

ThetermofICTis

8seenasanadvancementfromthepredecessorandnarrowlydefinedthetermIT

(InformationTechnology)whichsustainsitsusageinbusiness,governmentand
constructionindustry.(Lloyd,2005)In

theotherhand,ICTisgenerallyidentifiedthose

18technologiesthatareusedforcommunicating,accessing,gathering,
controllinganddisplayinginformation.Thetechnologiesadvancementcould

includehardwaresuchascomputerssoftwareapplicationsandconnectivity
internetsuchasvideoconferencingand

localnetworkinginfrastructure.(Toomey,2001)

9ICTisafieldofworkandstudythatincludestechnologiessuchasdesktop

andlaptopcomputers,software,peripheralsandconnectionstotheinternet
thatareintendedtofulfilinformationprocessingandcommunications
functions.

(Statcan.gc.ca,2015)AnotherdefinitiondefinedbyUNESCOstated

34thatICTisthecombinationofinformaticstechnologywithotherrelated

technologies,suchascommunicationtechnology.(Unesdoc.unesco.

org,2015)InformationTechnologyAssociationofAmerica(ITTA)defined

46ICTistheusedofcomputerapplicationsystemforcapturing,organizing,

storing,

analysing.

11ICTisthestudydesign,development,implementation,supportor

managementofcomputerbasedinformationsystems,particularlysoftware
applicationsandcomputerhardware.Itisnormallydealswiththeutilisationof
computersoftware

aswellaselectroniccomputers

50tosecurely,store,convert,process,protect,transmitandretrieve

information.

(Shaharudinet.al,2010)2.3TypesofICTavailableinconstructionDifferentpartsofconstructionICTare
brokendownwhichisinformationandcommunicationforbetterunderstandingandrolesinconstruction.
ThishavedescribedandbreakdownICTregardingconstructionandthesedifferentwaysofapproaches
andstudyinfigure1.1.Figure2.1Diagramthatshowtheflowofinformationtocommunication(Onyegiri
et.al,2011)2.3.1ComputerSoftwaretechnologyandhardwareintheconstructionindustryaredeveloping
fastdayby

2day.Computersystemsforbuildingandarchitecturalpurposesareimproved

now

compareto1970s.(Howard1998Onyegiriet.al2011)Besidesthat,thiscanbepurchasedspecifically
rangingfromspeedtoitsabilitytohighergraphicsdependsonthepurposesonthespecializeconfigured
system.Differenthardwarecanconnecttocomputersuchasprinters,scanners,lightpens,projector,
telephones,faxmachine,etc.InthehistoryofICT,softwareandapplicationshaverapidlygrow

2andhaschangedconditionsinbuildingprocurementanddesign.In

constructiondifferentapplications

arefabricatedparticularlyforvariouspurposes.Forexample,drawingcanbetransferredtomodelling
softwareafterArchitectcreateitinAutoCAD.ContractorsandQuantitySurveyorswillbeusingdifferent
applicationsthatincludeaccounting,combiningresultsforarchitectsandengineersandpreparing
informationforcontracts.Apartofthat,thosepredefinedmodellinganddrawingsthatinvolvescreation.
2.3.2ComputerAidedDrafting(CAD)ComputerAidedDesignpermitsausertoeditorconstructdrawing
onadisplayscreenwhichhavegraphicsthatarecalledinteractivedrawingsystem.Besides,CAD
systemswillalsosupportscannedpaperbaseddrawingswhichcanbemanipulatedforparticularvisual
effects.ThebasicfunctionofCADistopermitclienttodevelop

12drawingsbymanipulatingtexts,lines,rectanglesandcirclesinteractivelyon

thescreen.CADframeworkprovide

drawingdetailswithmoresystematicediting,constructionanddatabasetechniquestocreatedrawings
andmodelsonbuildings.(Dace,2007)Someofthe

12CADsystemsevenprovidegraphicallibrariesofcommonlyusedbuilding

elementssuchasdoorsandwindows.

(Richens,1990Sun&ampHoward2004)OriginallyCADsystemsareonlysupportedwithCADtwo
dimensionaldrawingcapability.Butnowadays,CADsystemscombine3Dfeaturesalong

28withanimationwhichenableuserstoobtainafullvisualofarchitecturaland

engineeringdevelopmentspriortoconstruction.

2.3.3SpreadsheetsandwordprocessorsIntheconstructionorganisations,theinformationprocess
includespreadsheet,wordprogramandpresentation.Spreadsheetareusedformeasurementtoprepare
BillsofQuantities(BQ).Traditionalmanualmethodforcompletingofficeworksdonecanbesolvein
postponementsanddelays.(SunandHoward,2004).Microsofttoolsincludingpresentation,wordand
spreadsheetareessentialastheyusedforeverydaytoproduceimportantreportsuchasBillsof
quantities(BQ),documentsandpresentationoftheworkprogressinthecompany.Besidesthat,theyare
commonlyusefulforreportingfinancialdataandpresentationsincludingeditablecharts,graphsand
tables.CADsoftwarearecompatibletomostoftheletters,documentation,calculationsandpresentations
thatweredoneonspreadsheets.

152.3.4BuildingInformationModelling(BIM)Intheconstructionindustry

computersareutilizedtoautomateandsimulatehanddraftingmethodsand3D
modelshave

aidedwithdemonstratingtheexternalfeaturesofthebuilding.

2BIMsoftwarehavetheabilitytointeractivelyanddirectlypresentconceptsof

designinaformwhichrepresentphysicalandrealimagesofthebuildingto
alloweasefordesignerstoidentifyclientsneedsandtoeffectivelyprovide
solutionstotheseneeds(Dace,2007).

Thiswillincreasethedesignimprovementduringdesignphasethatmanyindividualsfromdesign,
management,constructionandoperations.Besidesthat,

21theyhavetheabilitytoreenacttimefunctionbyconnectingittoPCbased

constructionpackagessuchasspreadsheetsandCAD.

2.3.5FacsimilemachineFacsimilemachineisaveryessentialtoolforremotecollaborationbetween
partiesintheconstructionindustry.Solutioncanbecommunicatedtominimiseeffortandmaximiseclarity
ondigitaldrawingsthathavecomplex3Dproblemsclarity(VenkatramanandYoong,2009).Facsimile
machineprovidesrapidtransmissionofdocumentimagesandreceiptfacsimilecopiesofdocumentsover
telephonelines.Itisascanandsendtechnologythroughemailsystemsthattransferpaperdocuments

fromonelocationtoanother.Thiswasthenessentialtousebecauseoftherapiddocumenttransfer
withoutrelyingonmessengerservicesordocumenttransportationcompanies.Besidesthat,itprovidethe
proofofsendingwhichisusefulintheconstructionindustryassendercankeepasevidenceby
substantiatehisclaims.(Schreiner,n.d.).2.3.6MobiletelephonesCellularphonesempoweredtoutilizean
assortmentofcommunicationstechnologiesincludingBluetooth,wirelessfidelity(WiFi),virtualprivate
networks,dialupservicesanddatanetworkingservices.Mobiletelephonescoulddelivertheconstraint

19regardingtocollaboratingwithavailabletechnologiesanywhereand

anytime.

Eventhoughtravellingtooverseas,phonescanalsohelptoconnectthemobiledevicetoahomeofficeor
internet.Thisaredesignedsothatitiseasiertocommunicatewithexistingemail,facsimilemachinesand
internetcomputingfacilities(VenkatramanandYoong,2009).Apartfromthat,themobilephonesshould
meetthedistinctivenecessitiesandperspectivesofdifferentprofessionaldisciplinesthatinvolvedin
constructionprocesseswhichareavailableintermsofcommunicationanddataexchangesystems
(Dawood,2002).2.3.7Electronicmail(Email)Emailisknownastheexchangeofinformationbyusing
internetfromoneindividualsPCdocumentstoanotherindividual.Thishastakenintoconsiderationfor
therapidtransferofbothprintedandgraphicalinformationsuchasdocumentorevenelectronic
attachmenttoacceleratethedecisionmakingandproblemsolvingintheconstructionprocess,andin
additionprovidedaconvenientwayofrapidlytransferwrittenordersandinstructions.(Onyegiriet.al2011)
Inconstruction,emailsareprogressivelywellknown

39methodofcommunicationespeciallyamongstarchitects

&ampmanager

19withdocumentattachmentssuchasCADfiles,scannedimagesand

photographs.Currently,

Designandmanagementdivisionsaregenerallyutilizingemail

39whereitisassistingorganisationinpartakingprojects.

(YoongandCleland,2004)Apartfromthat,emailleadstotheexchangeofnewinformationbutdoesnt
simplyspeedupaswell(SunandHoward,2004).Wirelessnetworkingtechnologyhasovercomemanyof
theproblemspreviouslyassociatedwithutilizingemailinsitebasedlocations.2.3.8Internet(Worldwide
Web)WebbasedsystemsareusedtoenableordersformaterialsinEcommerce.TheInternethas
additionallytakenintoaccountforcentralrepositoriesanddatabasesofdatatobedevelopedwhichcan
beaccessedbyanyprojectparticipant(Dainty,2006).Theworldwideweb(WWW)isanetworking
hypertextofinformationsystem.Thebasicideaoftheworldwidewebistomergethetechniquesof
computernetworkinghypertextandglobalinformationsystemthatcouldeasilyaccessanyinformation
fromanywhereallaroundtheworld.Textandgraphicinformationcanbetransferredbyinternetthatcan
beusedforcommunicationbetweenpeopleintext,audio,visualformat.Atechnologythatallowsagroup
ofpeopletoconfersimultaneouslyfromdifferentlocationswhichcalledteleconferencingthatincludedata
andvideoconferencing.(Harris,2013)2.3.9NetworkingThemajorproblemforthepartiesinthe
constructionisthedistancetoexchangeandshareinformation.Networksandinternetprovide
extraordinaryopportunitiesandbenefitsfordataexchangeandcommunicationamongtheconstruction
industry.WithoutusingadiskorportablestoragedisksuchasUSB,SDcardsandharddisk,thedigital

communicationcreatesaconnectionbetweencomputersordevicestogethertoalloweffortlessdata
transfersuchasdocumentationfiles,pictures,information,etc.(Onyegiriet.al,2011)Figure2.2:Simple
networkingsysteminconstructionindustrycompanies(Onyegiri,2011).

45LocalAreaNetwork(LAN)isahighspeedcommunicationsystemwhichlink

withinasmallgeographicareatocomputerandotherdataprocessingdeviceswhichisconstruction
headquarters.WideAreaNetwork(WAN)arethecombinationofseveralLANthatcanbeinterconnected
withinabuildingtoextendtheconnectivity.Userscansharevitalcomputingresourcessuchasapplication
programs,informationandexpensivehardwaresuchasprintersandCDROMdrives.LANimplementthe
sharedaccesstechnologycanbesharedwithinindividualsorteamsandinformationwithinaconstruction
siteandheadquarters(Onyegiriet.al,2011).2.3.9.1VirtualPrivateNetwork(VPN)AVPNisanideato
createprivatenetworkviatunnellingandencryptionoverthepublic(FergusonandHuston,1988).
Besidesthat,VPNisanenvironmentalcommunicationwhichcanbe

2controlledtoallowpeerconnectionsinacommunityofinterest

inworkspace.MostoftheconstructioncompaniesuseVPNbecauseitgivesextremelysecure
connectionsbetweenprivatenetworks(Onyegiriet.Al,2011)2.3.9.2IntranetIntranet

17isacorporateorprivatenetworkofcomputersthatsharepartsinthedata
andorganizationsoperationswithemployeeswithinthatcommunitybyutilizing

securenetworkconnectionsandspecificinternetprotocols,

forexample,HTTPandFTP.(Muhtadi,2014)IntranetcanbeutilizeonlyinPCandgadgetsin
constructionfirmswherepartiesofferparticulardata,forexample,documents,currentannouncements,
productdetailsandsoontogetdata(Onyegiriet.al,2011).2.3.9.3ExtranetAnextranetallowsexternal
userstoaccessinformationinasecureenvironmentthatisanextensionoffirm.Extensivesecuritywith
specificprogramtogiveclientvalidationtoencryptdata.Theexpansionofthecompanys

2businessapplicationstosuppliers,clients,customers,vendorsorother

businesses.

(Onyegiriet.Al,2011)Extranetslikewisepermittingemployeestotelecommutewhichmakethesharingof
informationeasierandcosteffective.Lastly,

22theinformationintheinternalwebapplicationstosuppliersandtrading

partnerswhocanaccesstheinternalcorporateinformation

canbeknownasmostimperativenewintranetstrategies(Baker,2000)2.3Importanceonthe
implementationofICTBasedonFigure2.2,thishavebeenconcludedthattheimportanceonthe
implementationofICTastheywillhavelostinformationbetweenthetraditionalandorganizationwithout
theexistenceofICT.Figure2.3:Oldfashionedorganizationcomparewiththemoderncentralproject
databasearrangement(Weippertet.al,2002)2.3.1IncreaseproductivityProductivitycanbe

25definedastheratiooftheamountofworkproducedtotheresourcesusein

itsproduction.

Fewerresourcesindoingthesameamountofworkwillincreasetheproductivity.Productivitywillincrease
ifitstakelessresourcestocompletethesameamountofworkaswellasachievemoreonthesame
amountofwork.Internationalcompetitivenessisthedriveforimprovingproductivityintheconstruction
industry(Cattell,2004:Bowdenet.Al,2006).Theproductivitycanbeincreasedbypromotingtheuseof
ICTasatoolthroughautomatingtasksandupgradingthejointeffortprojectorganisations.The

6intercompanycommunicationmethodsarelikeElectronicDataInterchange

(EDI)thatcouldenhancesuppliercoordinationintothecommonwayofworking.
(Hines,1996Villagarciaand

Cardoso,1999)

6Streamlinecommunicationandinterdepartmentalwhichsupportthenew

modesofteamwork

thatcanbeimprovedbyusingEDItechnologies(Ahujaet.al,2009)2.3.2SpeedSpeedofinformation
transfercanbeincreasedbyusing

6communicationtoolandworkspaceformanagingconstructionprojects.

ByusingICT,toolsandspeedcanbeeffectivelytransferasthiswillincreasetheworkprogressonsite.
Unlikethetraditionalmethodwhichofficepeoplehavetogoovertothesitetopassmessageinsitewhich
maytakesupmoretimeandtimewastageonunnecessary.ICTcouldhelp

30totransferhighvolumeofinformationacrosssitestotheheadofficeand

betweenotherfirmsto

overcomesitecosteffectivenessandrequirement.AprojectcanbeplannedeffectivelybyusingBIM
softwarebeforetheactualbuildingwerebuilt.(Ahujaet.al,2009)2.3.3EffectiveCommunication
Nowadays,Internetwhichistheworldwidewebareusedasacommunicationtoolandmanagement
constructionprojectsinaworkspace(Ahujaet.al,2009)Thisarethenbeendiscussedasaneffective
managementtoolsthatexchange

40highvolumeofinformationacrosssiteandheadofficebetweenotherfirms.

Thereliablemeansof

storingandtransmittingprojectinformationistoimprovecommunicationthatwillleadtobetterproject
management.Theadvantagesofthewebbasedsystemsistoaccesstoprojectinformation,lessen
manualdistributioncosts,accessrightsmanagement,documentstorage&ampintegrationof

54projectinformationandminimalsoftwarerequirement.

6Therearealsoimperceptiblebenefitsassociatedwiththeundertakingof

extranets,suchas

lessriskinreduceerrorsorgreatercollaborationacrossprojectterms,greatercertaintyofassuranceof
resultasfarasexpenseandtimeandreducewastedeffortinconstructionprocess.(Chanet.al,2005)
2.3.4TimeSavingThesedayswithouttraditional

32communicationsuchasfacetofacemeetingsandtheexchangepaper

documentsarehardlytreatedtomostofthebuilding.Despiteit

havehugepotentialinsavingtimeforincreasingandpromotequality,speed,volume,speed,qualityand
efficiencyofinformationtransfer.Adoptingnewtechnologiesarehugelyattractedthe
Architecture/Engineering/Construction(AEC)industrythroughoutdataanalysis,informationand
collaboration.(Daintyet.al,2006)ICTmakesaprincipalconditionfortheprojectdeliveryinacomplete
way.Thekeyadvantagetoprofessionalsisthelikelihoodtoconsiderandproduceventurechanges
whenever.Thedesign,constructionandmaintenancedimensionsandmergedisolatedknowledge
advancementswithinaccessibility,time,cost,sustainability,crimeandvisualcomfortonthebuildability
andmaintainabilityintoadecisionmakingtoolsthatareguaranteedwithworkoverdetermination.ICTsis
importanttoaccelerateandimprovevariousprocessesnecessaryforecologicalsustainability.2.4Impacts
ontheimplementationofICTThereareseveralbarriersontheimplementationofICTwhichisthe
securitiesissues,highinitialcostandtechnologyliteracy2.5.1SecuritiesissuesTherearemanymajor
issuescanbefoundintheimplementationofICTwhichisthe

27legalramificationsonelectroniccommunications,misconceptionofsecurity

capabilities,responsibilityforproperty,andmanagementoftheknowledge
generatedduringtheproject.

Recently,manypeopledontthink

1thatelectroniccommunicationswereconsideredavalidfromofformal
communicationespeciallywithdocumentexchanges.Copyrightissuesfor

designplanswerealsomentionedaninhibitorofelectroniccommunications.

ThisisdangerouswherePDFformatdocumentscanbeexchangeeasilywithouttheacknowledgementof
relevantparties.

1Thisissueofprotectionofintellectualpropertyandofdangerwas

fundamentalfortheusageofelectroniccommunications.Otherthanthat,parties
wereknewthatelectroniccommunicationsopenedtherouteforchangestobe
madetoarrangementswithouttheirapprovalorsignoff.Thustheissuesof
trustandcontrolweremainlyonthesupportforretainingpaper

communications.Knowledgemanagementissueswereraisedwiththe
continuousflowofdocumentation

whereparticipantsreports

1thatitwasdifficulttokeepprojectdetailsuptodateespeciallyiftheywere

workingonmorethanoneprojectconcurrently.Therefore,thestorageof
documentfileswillbecomeapriority

ofnecessityinelectronicfiles.Somepeoplewill

1thinkthatelectroniccommunicationswerenottreatedwiththesameurgency
especiallyemailcommunication.

1Emailcommunicationcouldbeusedsubversivelyinsuchawayasto

deliberatelyslowdownsupplychainactivitybyintroducingspuriousnoise
andunnecessarycommunicationtraffic.

Thetechnologicalcapacityalsooneofthefactorswherepartiesare

1engagedinelectroniccommunicationsbuttheirbandwidthandserversize

werenotnecessarycapableofhandlingthedegreeofusage.

Theproblemwillemphasize

1whendealingwithotherorganisationswithintheprojectsupplychain.

1Acrossthesupplychain,thesizeofdrawingandplansfilesisalso

considerableissuewhenaligningintechnologypractices.

(Breweret.al,2005)2.5.2HighInitialCostICTrequiredhighinitialcostonsoftware,devices,internet
accessandsetuponnetworking.Forsmallcompanies,theymightnothavesufficientfundstoinveston
ICT.Forexample,AutoCADandBIMapplicationareusefulhoweverthepricearetoocostlyforthosewho
areoperatingsmallfirmsorcompanysoitisbettertousethetraditionalmethodthanpayingforthehigh
costsoftware.Notonlythat,eventhoughICTareboughtinlargecompanies,wemightalsoconsideron
thepriceofmaintenancecost.Thetechnologicalcapacityoforganisationshouldbeconsiderate.Although
parties

1werenotalwayscapableofhandlingthedegreeof

usages.Therewillfacedprobleminvestinhighpriceasthedrawingfilesandplanarenotfunction
properly.(Breweret.al,2005)2.5.3TechnologyLiteracyTechnologyliteracyis

7anunderstandingofcomputercharacteristics,capabilitiesandapplications,

aswellasanabilitytoimplementthisknowledgeintheskillfulandproductive
useofcomputerapplicationssuitabletotheindividualrolesinsociety
(Simonsonet.al1987).Intheearlydays,computersare

notemphasizedmuchinschools.Thisleadmanypeoplewillhavetechnologyliteracyespeciallythose
whointhe1950and60s.Thismayaffectthemastheythinkthattechnologyisacomplicatedstuffand
preferusethetraditionalwayofcalculating(OliverandTowers,n.d).Notonlythat,someofthesurveyors,
contractor,architectsandengineermighthaveproblemsinadoptingtechnologyonsoftwaresuchas
autoCADandBIM.Thelackofknowledgeintechnologywillcausedfrustration.Frustrationwilloftentend
todelaytimeofcompletionforproject.Thisisbecausetheywillneedtospentmuchmoretimeinlearning
thenewsoftwareandwilltendtomakemistakeduringtheprocessofusingsoftwareandtechnology.2.5
SummaryInthissummary,ICTcrucialinconstructionindustry,Therefore,youcansee

4theimportanceoftheimplementationofICTtoimprovedconstruction

projectintermsoftime,costandquality.However,therearealsoimpactsontheimplementationofICT
likesecuritiesissues,highinitialcostandtechnologyliteracy.Basedonmyopinion,Ithinkthatpeoplewill
thinksabouttheimportanceandwillnottakeconsiderationtocareaboutthebarrierofICT.Peopleare
moreconsentaboutthequality,efficiencyandtimetakentocompletea

51project.CHAPTER3RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY3.1Introduction

26Researchisascientificandsystematicsearchofknowledgeforpertinent

informationonaspecifictopic(Kothari,2004).

Notonlythat,

38RedmanandMorydefineresearchasaSystematizedeffortstogainnew

knowledge.

Amethodologyshowshowresearchquestionsandobjectives.Thischapterdescribesandexplainsthe
researchmethodologyinasystematic

52ordertoachievetheobjectivesofthisstudy.Itis

usedtodesigntheappropriatetechniquestobeimpliedtofind,collectandanalyseonthedatacollected
tocertifythereliabilityontheresearchoutcome.Therawinformationgatheredfromtherespondent
throughquestionnairewillbeanalysed,investigated,interpretedanddoindepthstudybeforeconcluding
theresearch.

163.2ResearchProcessTheresearchprocessisthestepbystepprocedurein

developingresearchandresearchpaperwhichinvolvesidentifying,locating,
assessing,analysingandthendevelopingandexpressing

ideas.(Williams,2013)Figure3.1Theresearchprocess3.3ResearchDesign3.4ResearchTechnique
Datacollectionareseparatedintotwopartswhichisthe

20primarydataandsecondarydata.Primarydatacanbecollectedforaspecific
researchproblemusingthebestproceduresthatfittheresearchproblem

(Kumar,2005).Thisisalsoknownasthefirsthandinformationgathered.Inthisresearch,primarydata
areusedonquestionnaire.

13Secondarydataarethedatathathavealreadybeencollectedbysomeone

elsewhenyouneedtoextracttherequiredinformationforthepurposeofyour
study(Kumar,2005).

Inthisresearch,earlierresearchandpersonalrecordsareusedforsecondarydata.Figure3.2Methods
ofdatacollection3.4.1QuestionnaireQuestionnaireisasetofquestionsgeneratedthataregivento
individualsinordertocollectfactsoropinionswhichistheprimarydatathatrelatedtotheresearchtopic
totheconstructionindustry.Thequestionnairewassetusinggoogleformandsurveymonkey.Bothofthe
formarebeensentoutbyemailandthedatacollectedarethencombinedtogetherfordataanalysis.The
questionnairewasseparatedintothreesectionsasbelow:SectionARespondentsProfileSectionB
TypesofICTusedinConstructionIndustrySectionCImportanceandBarrierontheImplementationof
ICTThequestionnairewasdistributed

4onthetypesofICTmainlyusedintheconstructionindustry,

importanceandimpactsoftheimplementationofICTbasedontheunderstandingtowardacceptanceof
therespondents.Thequestionnaireisbasedonthe5ordinalLikertstomeasuresthelevelofagreement
asinFigure3.2andarebeenratedbasedonTable3.2.Figure3.3LikertScalewith5ordinalscaleTable
3.2:Ratingofeachscale3.4.2SamplingAnefficientmethodisusedtoascertainthesamplesizethatare
requiredtorepresentagivenpopulationintheincreasingdemandforempiricalresearch(Krejcie&amp
Morgan,1970).BasedonthearticlefromtheresearchdivisionoftheNationalEducationAssociation
whichisSmallSampleTechniqueshaspublishedaformulawhichistodeterminethesampleasbelow:
Figure3.4:FormulaforSamplingSizeThepopulationlistisbasedontheboardwhichisPAMDirectory,
LAM,BQSM,CIDM,BEM,MAPMAandREHDA.Basedonthepopulationlist,thereare11,275populations
intheconstructionindustryincludingArchitect,Engineers,QuantitySurveyors,Contractors,Project
ManagerandDevelopers.3.5AnalysisMethodFortheanalysismethod,thecollectionofdatafromthe
questionnaireareanalysesusingthepercentileandmeanmethodinthisresearch.Themeanformulais
asbelow:Figure3.5:Meanformula

31CHAPTER4DATAANALYSISANDRESULTS4.1IntroductionThischapter

focusmoreontheareanalysedandinterpretedtoachievetheobjectivesof

the

48study.Thedataobtainedarefromthequestionnairesurveyregardingthe
implementationonICTinthe

constructionindustrybasedontheresponsefromconstructionindustrywhichisConsultant,Contractors,
DeveloperandOthers.4.2RespondentsResponsesTable4.1:ResponserateoftherespondentsTotalof
questionnairesurveyweredistributedtothepeoplethatrelatedinconstructionindustryArchitectural,
Engineers,QuantitySurveyors,Suppliers,ProjectManagerandSiteManagerbyhandingprinted
questionnairetothecompaniesaswellassendingemailtorespectivecompaniesbutonlyreceived64
responsesfromthetargetedrespondents.Table4.1showsthatonly16.8%respondedoutof380ofthe
questionnairedistributed.4.3SectionA:RespondentsProfileBeforetheycarryoutwiththerestofthe
sectionalloftherespondentarerequiredtofillintheirprofilesregardingontheirorganisation,position
andtheirworkexperiences.Percentagewillbecalculatedoneveryquestionforanalysis.4.3.1Typesof
OrganisationFigure4.1:PercentageofthetypesoforganisationrespondedAccordingtotheresponses
collectedfromthequestionnaire,themajorityresponsescollectedwerefromContractorwhichis48%.,
thenfollowedbyConsultantwhichis28%and13%fromdeveloper.Theremaining11%wasansweredby
otherorganisationwhichisfrompublicsector,government,manufacturerandplantation.4.3.2Current
PositionofRespondentsFigure4.2:PercentagesofrespondentscurrentpositionThisanalysisshows
thatalltherespondentsarefromconstructionindustry.Accordingtotheresponsescollectedfrom
questionnaire,32%respondedareQuantitySurveyorsfromconsultantandcontractorfirms,followedby
16%frombothEngineerandProjectManager.5%ofArchitectsand3%ofSiteManagershaveanswered
inthissurvey.Theremaining28%wererespondedbyotherswhichconsistofcustomerservices,owner,
engineermanager,headoftender&ampcontract,accountexecutive,costandscheduleengineerand
director.4.3.3WorkingExperiencesFigure4.3:PercentagesofworkingexperiencesThisanalysis
concludedthat56%oftherespondentansweredthesurveythathavemorethan10yearsofexperiences
intheconstructionindustry.Thisconsidertohavelongerexperiencesintheconstructionindustryasthis
wouldincreasethereliabilityofthedatareceived.AccordingtotheresponsescollectedinFigure4.3,this
canconcludethatmostoftherespondentsrespondedhave2030yearsofexperienceswhichis35%.
Followby05yearsofexperienceswhicharenewlyfreshgraduatesfromcollegeanduniversity.21%of
therespondentshave1120yearsofexperiencesinconstructionindustry.Lastly,theleastamongallthe
respondentshave610yearsofexperiencesintheconstructionindustry.4.4SectionB:TypesofICT
usedintheConstructionIndustry4.4.1TypesofICTcurrentlyusedinrespondentscompanyFigures4.4:
PercentagesonthetypesofICTusedinrespondentscompanyBasedonFigure4.4,thisshowthat
percentagesonthetypesofICTusedintheircompany.Emailsisthemostfrequentlyusedonthe
companywhichis98.40%oftherespondentansweredthatemailwasusedinthecompanyforsending
importantdocumentaswellasdrawings.SecondfrequentusedICTinthecompanyarecomputerwhich
is95.20%ofrespondsascomputerareusedtoproduceefficiencyandeffectivenesstotheconstruction
industry.Besidesthat,90.5%amongtherespondsanswerthatbothtelecoms&ampmobilesandinternet
respectivelyareusedintheircompany.Telecoms&ampmobilesareusedforcommunicationpurposes
whilstinternetaremoreoninformationpurposes.Afterthat79.40%usedsoftware,followedupby76.20%
whichismessagingandthenfacsimilemachine.Lastbutnotleast,hardware(47.60%)anddigitaldata
(41.30%)arehardlyusedamongthecompany.Hardwareanddigitaldataareseldomusedinthe
companyduetothetechnologicalchangesashardwarearenotportableaswellasdigitaldataare
considerobsolete.4.4.2TypesofSoftwareUsedinTheConstructionIndustryFigure4.5:Percentageson
thetypeofsoftwarecurrentlyusedinthecompanyBasedonFigure4.5,Thetypeofsoftwarethatmostly
usedarewordprocessingandaccountingsoftwarewhichis75%respondedamongalltherespondents.
Wordprocessingandaccountingsoftwarearemainlyusedtocreatedocumentsaswellasforecasting
financialonaccountingsoftware.Architectural/engineeringdesignanddrawingsoftwarearesecondmost
usedwhichis65.10%inthecompanywhichistoeaseArchitectsandEngineerstodesignaswellasease
QuantitySurveyorstoviewdrawingsdrawnbyArchitectandEngineers.Thethreemostusedsoftwareis
presentationsoftwarewhichis58.70%respondedamongalltherespondents.Presentationsoftwareare
importantduringmeetingsbypresentinginformationbetweendifferentparties.Lastly,52.40%used

projectplanningandmanagingsoftwarefollowedbytheleastusedis38.10%whichisthequantity
surveyingmeasurementandestimating.4.4.3UsageofICTintheconstructionindustryTable4.2:
RespondentsresponsesforthetypesofICTusedintheconstructionindustryTheresultofthisresearch
basedonTable4.1clearlyconcludethatthemaintopusedICTintheconstructionindustryisthe
electronicmail(Email)(4.73),computers(4.70)andmobiletelephones(4.69).Followedupbyinternet
(4.41),networking(4.23)andspreadsheetsandwordprocessor(4.19).ThethreeleastusedICTonthe
constructionindustryisCAD(3.95),facsimilemachines(3.55)andBIM(2.38).CADandBIMareleast
usedinMalaysiaastheyrequiredhigherinitialcostonthesoftware.ThecostfortheproductonAutodesk
software(AutoCADLT)are$1,200(RM4840.74)andtheupgradefeeare$840(RM3388.52).This
causessomeofthefirmprefernottouseanysoftwareintheircompanyasitrequiredhighinitialcost.For
facsimilemachine,itcouldbeconsideredobsoleteasthereusedemailasanalternative.4.5`SectionC:
ImportanceandImpactontheImplementationofInformationCommunicationTechnologyTable4.3:
RespondentsresponsesfortheimportanceontheimplementationofICTImportanceonthe
ImplementationofICTFrequency(n=64)MeanIndexRank12345Timesaving00527324.421
Increasesspeedofwork00628304.382Increaseproductivity00729284.333Effective
communication01733234.224Easeofdoingcomplextasks001631174.025Increasesdocument
quality011434153.986Reducesdegreeofdifficulty012130123.837Reducesmistakesin
documents222326113.668Reducesproportionofnewwork15183373.639Reducesconstruction
errors35212873.4810TheresultofthisresearchbasedonTable4.2clearlyconcludethatthemain
topthreebenefitsontheimplementationofICTarefortimesaving(4.42),increasespeedofwork(4.38)
andincreaseproductivity(4.33).Mostoftherespondentthinksthattimesavingisthemainbenefitsas
ICTcanhelptoreducetimetogetthingsdoneintermsofcommunicationaswellasinformationaspects.
Followedupbyeffectivecommunication(4.22),easeofdoingcomplextasks(4.02),increasesdocument
quality(3.98)andreducesdegreeofdifficulty(3.83).Theleast3benefitwhichistoreducemistakesin
document(3.66),reducesproportionofnewwork(3.63)andreducesconstructionerrors(3.48).
RespondentthinksthatICTwillnotreducemistakesindocumentastherewillbesometypo,formatting
andprintingerrorbyusingcomputerinreportandmeasurement.ICTwillalsonotreduceproportionof
newworksasICTonlyincreasethespeedandefficiencybycommunicationanddatatransfer.Notonly
that,itwillreduceconstructionerrorifoneofthepartiesarefamiliarisewiththesoftwareused.Sometimes
themiscalculationbypartieswhichhavetechnologyliteracywillleadtohighcostonconstructionerror.
Table4.4:RespondentsrespondedfortheimpactontheimplementationofICTImpactonthe
implementationofICTFrequency(n=64)MeanIndexRank12345Highcostofprofessionalstoemploy
29301583.281ManagementcommitmenttoICT213232243.202Maintenance116232043.163
Systemandcomputermalfunctionandvirusattacks414251563.084Computermisuseact4132615
63.095TechnologyLiteracy218281152.986Poorsecurityandprivacy217281522.977
InefficiencyfromICT519271122.788Massjoblossesintheindustry51929742.788Poorreturnon
investment62126742.7210BasedontheresultinTable4.3,thisconcludethatthemaintopthree
barriersontheimplementationofICTareforhighcostofprofessionalstoemploy(3.28),management
commitmenttoICT(3.20)andmaintenance(3.16).Mostoftherespondentthinksthatitishighcostof
investmentwhichcausedthemainbarrierontheimplementationofICT.Eventhoughitbringsmore
benefitsbutorganisationmustbeabletospendhighinitialcostonICT.Followedupbysystemand
computermalfunctionandvirusattacks(3.08).Computerandsystemareeasilyaffectedbyvirusattack
whichmaycorruptthesystemorevendataloss.Notonlythat,computermisuseatrankedat5whichis
3.09whichpeoplemisusethenmayhavechancetohackthecomputersystemtostealsomeprivateand
confidentialreport.Afterthatisthetechnologyliteracy(2.98),poorsecurityandprivacy(2.97).Theleast3
barrierfromtherespondsfromrespondentisinefficiencyofICT(2.78),massjoblossesinindustry(2.78)
andpoorreturnininvestment.Thiscanconcludethatpoorreturnininvestmentisnotanimportantbarrier
thatwouldeffectsontheadoptionofICTtotheconstructionindustry.

36CHAPTER5CONCLUSIONANDRECOMMENDATION5.1Introduction
Lastly,thischapteristoconcludethe

overallstudybasedonChapter1to4.Thischaptercoversthesummaryofthefindingsanddiscussionon
theobjectives.Besidesthat,thischapterincludesthefindingsoftheobjective,recommendationsonthe
researchandconclusionthatanalysedfromdataanalysisinChapter4.5.2FindingsInthismodernera,
ICThasanimportantroletowardsthebusinessinconstructionindustry.Thismakesiteasierforclient,
supplierandthedistributortocommunicateamongeachwhenapproachinginbusiness.Fromthestudy
thatwasdone,thefindingisasfollows:5.2.1Objective1:ToinvestigatethetypesandusageofICTin
constructionindustryLiteraturereviewanddatacollectionbythesurveymadefromthetargeted
respondentsarebeenusedtocompletetheobjectivesonthetypesandusageofICT.Thisobjective
clearlylistsdownthemaintypes

14ofICTavailableinthecompanywithintheconstructionindustryand

theusageofsuch

4ICTintheconstructionindustrybasedonthecommunicationand

informationaspects.ThetypesofICTmainlyusedandavailableintheconstructionindustryarebeen
ratedbytherespondentduringthesurvey.ThemaintopusedICTintheconstructionindustryisthe
ElectronicMail(Email),ComputersandMobileTelephones.5.2.2Objective2:Tofindoutthebenefitand
importanceofICTtowardstheconstructionindustryThesecondobjectiveofthestudythathasbeen
determinebasedonresearchonprevioussimilarstudiesanddatacollectionbytherespondentsfrom
survey.Therearetenbenefitsandimportancethatwereidentifiedfromtheliteraturereviewstatedin
Chapter2.Basedontherespondentresponsesonthesurvey,thetopthreeimportanceofICTarefor
timesaving,increasespeedofworkandincreaseproductivity.5.2.3Objective3:

35TodeterminetheimpactsofICTinconstructionindustryThestudywasto

determinetheimpactsofICT

bringsintotheconstructionindustry.Therearetenimpactswereidentifiedfromtheliteraturereview
statedinChapter2.Basedonrespondentresponsesonthesurvey,thetopthreeimpactsareforhigh
initialcost,managementcommitmenttoICTandmaintenance.Manyofthepartiesintheconstruction
industrycouldntaffordtopayastheinitialcostsoftheICTarerelativelyhigh.5.3Limitationsofthestudy
Theresearchlimitationarebeenestablishedforthisresearch.Thetimeframegiventocompleteresearch
isinadequate.TheinadequatetimeindistributionofemailtotheconstructionbasedcompanyinKuala
Lumpur,Malaysia.Italsorequiredsufficienttimeforrespectivecompanytoanswerthequestionnaire.Due
tothetimeconstraints,itishardtoanalyzeallthedatareceivedfromalltherespondents.Thiscanbe
overcomebychoosingasmallerscopewhichistosendresearchtoonlyconsultingandcontractor
QuantitySurveyingfirmscomparetothebigscopewhichisthewholeconstructionindustry.Itisbecause
differentprofessionwillhavedifferentperspectiveeventhoughtheyareinconstructionindustry.Besides,
anotherlimitationistheresponsescollectedfromtherespondents.Thereareonly64responsescollected
outof380questionnairesdistributedtoallthecompanywhicharerelatedtoconstructionindustry.The
poorfeedbackfromtheresponseswillaffecttheaccuracyandprecisionoftheresearch.Thislimitation
canbeovercomefordatacollectionistoconducttelephonesurveytotherespectivecompanyorconduct
qualitativeinterviewsurvey.Limitationoftheresearchisonthelocationofthescope.Thissurveyonly
focusesonKualaLumpur(KL)whichisthemaincapitalcityofMalaysia.KLcanbeconsideredasamore
advancecitycomparetoothercitiesofMalaysiasothescopefordatalimitedtoKLareasonly.5.4
RecommendationstoFutureStudyThroughoutthisstudy,itisrecommendedthatthedatacollectionof
futureresearchareashavebeenidentifiedforfurtherstudyasfollowing:1.Futurestudyshouldbe
conductedandcomparebetweendifferentcountriesbecausedifferentcountrywillhavedifferent

importanceandimpactoftheimplementationtowardstheconstructionindustry.Comparingthedifferent
countrysimportanceandimpactontheICTwillbringsmorevariable.Thedifferencesonthecountrysin
theusageofICTcanbejustified.2.Researchwithqualitativeanalysisoramorereliableanalysis.The
highertheresponsethehighertheaccuracyandprecisiontowardsthedataanalysis.Qualitativeanalysis
shouldbeconductedtogetmorepreciseanswerfromeachofanyrepresentativefromdifferent
professioninconstructionindustry.