Achieving an Integrated Data Environment: A Strategic Initiative
During the past decade the construction industry has witnessed dramatic improvements in electronic data generation and management.
The industry recognizes that these improvements offer opportunity for enhanced performance and competitiveness. Thus, companies acting individually or with key customers are pursuing electronic data management opportunities that offer immediate payback. As a result, many successful examples exist of CAD drawing utilization and transfer, electronic purchasing, and related applications. This has resulted in the creation of “islands of automation.” These islands continue to be linked, however, by low technology bridges such as facsimile and paper documents.
The full benefit of electronic data management will not be attained until the low technology bridges are eliminated and industry work practices are modified to fully exploit the technology. When this occurs throughout the entire industry, the integrated data environment will have arrived.
The industry doubtlessly will achieve the integrated data environment. Questions do remain, however, about whether it will be achieved at a timely pace and in a fashion that is compatible with industry needs. This publication describes the barriers that threaten to limit the pace and effectiveness of the industry’s drive towards the integrated data environment. It also presents a series of pragmatic recommendations for individual companies and the industry as a whole to remove these barriers. The effectiveness with which the industry implements these recommendations will impact its future competitiveness and growth.
CII Publication 20-1, EDI: Concepts and Applications, and CII Publication 20-2, An Introduction to Integtrated Database Systems, are companion reports to this document.
The research describes the barriers that threaten to limit the pace and effectiveness of the industry’s drive towards the integrated data environment. It also presents a series of pragmatic recommendations for individual companies and the industry as a whole to remove these barriers. The effectiveness with which the industry implements these recommendations will impact its future competitiveness and growth.
The research team found that there were direct benefits to be gained from an integrated data environment, such as increased productivity and shorter cycle times. In addition there were indirect benefits that were probable and harder to quantify due to the lack of sufficient data in the industry and include: 1) a more high tech industry which will improve recruiting, innovation and marketing, 2) enhanced information flow between customers and suppliers will create better relationships with respect to each other’s needs leading to product improvements, and 3) data integration becoming an ally of TQM. (RS20-3, p. 14)
