Technology planning frameworks to guide national IT policy in construction

Abstract

The effective application of IT in construction requires a combination of strategic and tactical developments. Much of the work of the research community has focused on tactical concerns relating to technology. One of the strategic considerations relates to the planning frameworks by which effective IT application is enabled or encouraged. Reflecting the concerns of global enterprises in a competitive economy, Earl (1989) describes the planning frameworks as those relating to: awareness, opportunity and positioning. These planning frameworks are commonly used in sectoral and business planning to guide IT developments. There is scant evidence of them being applied in construction practice or research. This paper discusses the results of an initial analysis of how these planning frameworks can be used in construction. It does so at five levels of the construction sector: the national construction industry, the professional institution, the construction enterprise, the project and the constructed product. This discussion is illustrated throughout the paper with a number of examples of conceptual planning frameworks developed at these levels. These are drawn as much as possible from the author's experiences and contributions in Singapore at the national level. The result of this analysis is an indication of how the important strategic component of planning frameworks may contribute to the overall objective of effective IT application.