The Effectiveness of Tablet Computers in Driving Positive Technological Transformation within the Construction Industry (2014)
Technological Transformation within the Construction Industry Dissertation – Technological applications in the construction industry have as yet failed to effectively modernise the industry. Various governmental reports continue to call on the industry to modernise and become more efficient and point to technology as the key. By literature review this study will highlight the pressure to modernise and how these pressures should design the next wage of technology.
Unique industry problems will demonstrate areas that have stalled modernisation techniques and add to the list of roadblocks that new technology needs to overcome. A focussed case study aims to reveal the personal tablet as a possible answer to these problems and will highlight software applications that tackle site based problems with a description of a proposed valuation software designed to help mobile quantity surveyors (QS).
Interviews of construction company based QS revealed support for the argument that modernisation must have priority. The interview responses also indicated support for the proposed application with time and data efficiencies recognised as key. The conclusions of the report recommend that field-testing of a working application is essential for future development.
The impact of technology within the industry will show how certain applications have helped to improve the industry and how future applications could be the solution. This research paper will investigate the pressures that force the industry to modernise. Reasons why this modernisation has been problematic will be shown and how previous technological applications have attempted to alleviate these difficulties.
A focussed case study will highlight a new technology that could be key to modernising the industry and how this new technology attempts to overcome many of the issues faced by previous technology. The dissertation objectives are:
- Demonstrate that the construction industry is under pressure to modernize
- Demonstrate that there are problems unique to construction that have made modernizing problematic
- Technology may be the key, show how past applications have succeeded and failed to modernize the industry
- By case study and interviews show that tablet technology can hold the key to successful modernization
- 15,000 words – 50 pages in length
- Excellent use of literature
- Good analysis of subject area
- Well written throughout
- Includes interview transcripts
- Ideal for quantity surveying students
1 – Introduction
Research background
Research methodology
Research aim / hypothesis
Research objectives
Dissertation contents
2 – Pressure To Modernize
Latham and Egan – Government recognition
Building information modelling (BIM)
Modern data culture
Global pressure and lean construction
3 – Unique Industry Problems
Cultural impact
Geographical dislocation
Quantity surveyors and technology through the years
4 – Previous Technology
Accessibility of data in quantity
Real time data access
Data collection
Problems with past technologies
Literature review conclusion
5 – Methodology
Overview
Case Study
Questionnaires of interviews?
Other considerations and limitations
Interview format and identification statistics
6 – Case Study – Personal Tablets
Personal tablets
Cost and culture
Universal functionality and mobility
Personal tablets in other industries
Current construction industry applications
Quantity surveyor focused application
7 – Results and Discussion
Interviewee statistics
Interview format
Pressure to modernize
Construction problems
Solution technologies
Making valuations more mobile
Limitations
8 – Conclusions and Recommendations
Research Hypothesis
The modern QS and personal tablets
Recommendations and further study
Final Conclusions
References
Appendix Section
Questionnaire
Interview Transcripts