DOCSLIB.ORG

Collaborative Technologies for Mobile Workers and Virtual Project Teams

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Collaborative Technologies for Mobile Workers and Virtual Project Teams Collaborative Technologies for Mobile Workers and Virtual Project Teams Sean Thomas McAndrew British Telecommunications plc (BT) Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE) BT Exact Department of Civil & Building Engineering Adastral Park Loughborough University Martlesham Heath Loughborough Ipswich Leicestershire Suffolk LE11 3TU IP5 3RE Ut"lff.?3'fi'ush Thesis Access Form Copy No Location... Author Sean Thomas McAndrew Title Collaborative Technologies for Mobile Workers and Virtual Project Teams Status of access IOPEN / RES+RIGFED / €€NFID'EN+FAL] Moratorium period: .....years, ending . I 204. G.*" conditions of access proved by (cAPITALS): ....... E+OAfE Director of Research (srgnature) 5:l5 \-/ Department of Civil and Building Engineering Author's Declaration: I agree the following conditions: OPEN access work shall be made available (in the University and extemally) and reproduced as necessary at the discretion of the University Librarian or Head of Department. It may also be copied by the British Library in microfilm or other form for supply to requesting libraries or individuals, subject to an indication of intended use for non-publishing purposes in the following form, placed on the copy and on any covering document or label. The statement itself shall apply to ALL copies: This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. Restricted/confidential work: A11 access and any photocopying shall be strictly subject to written permission from the Universify Head of Department and any extemal sponsor, if any. Author's signature ..1 r"t...'[3.... O, . 2/A\ Users declaration: for signature during any Moratorium period Q'{ot Open work): I undertake to uphold the above conditions: Date Name (CAPITALS) Signature Address Ui,iTf*3'!i"ush Certificate of Originality This is to cerlify that I am responsible for the work submitted in this thesis, that the original work is my own except as specified in acknowledgments or in footnotes, and that neither the thesis nor the original work contained therein has been submitted to this or any other institution for a higher degree. Author's signature Date !3, ol, ?{11 COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MOBILE WORKERS AND VIRTUAL PROJECT TEAMS By Sean Thomas McAndrew A dissertation thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Engineering Doctorate (EngD) degree at Loughborough University July 2009 © by Sean Thomas McAndrew 2009 British Telecommunications plc (BT) Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE) BT Exact Department of Civil & Building Engineering Adastral Park Loughborough University Martlesham Heath Loughborough Ipswich Leicestershire Suffolk LE11 3TU IP5 3RE Acknowledgements ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr Tarek Hassan and Professor Chimay Anumba, both of whom provided support, encouragement and showed the patience of Saints by persevering with me. Professor Dino Bouchlaghem, Professor Tony Thorpe, Jo Brewin, Sara Cowen, Colette Bujdoso and Nadine Smith at the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering at Loughborough University. The friendly and unique culture and diversity of the Centre and its staff is in no doubt attributable to its success and attraction as one of the UK’s leading academic institutions providing applicable research and development to industry. Alistair Duke and Ian P Smith, my supervisors at BT. BT and the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) for graciously sponsoring me. My old colleagues at Taylor Woodrow, especially Rob Ramsay and Jon Taylor. My late mother, Bridie, and father, John, who always provided the best for me. Emma, who married me. Finally, my present compliment of children: Molly, Nancy, Finbarr, and Martha whom I am sure will never read this. iii Collaborative Technologies for Mobile Workers and Virtual Project Teams ABSTRACT Information Technology is advancing at a frightening pace. Cloud computing and its subset, Software as a Service (SaaS), are rapidly challenging traditional thinking for enterprise-level application and infrastructure provision. The project-centric nature of the construction industry provides an environment where the utilisation of SaaS is commercially appropriate, given its ability to provide rapid set-up and predictable costs at the outset. Using project extranets, the construction industry has been - unusually for it as an industry sector - early-adopters of this cloud computing model. However, findings from the research highlight that there is a gap in the information and documents that pass from the construction phase into the operational phase of a building. This research considers examples of the SaaS IT model and how it has been used within a construction and facilities management industry context. A prototype system was developed to address the requirements of facilities management work order logging and tracking process. These requirements were gathered during detailed case studies of organisations within both the construction and facilities management sectors with a view to continue the use of building-specific information through its full life-cycle. The thesis includes a summary of the lessons learnt through system implementation within the construction-contracting organisation Taylor Woodrow, and it concludes with an IT strategy proposal that was developed based on a cloud computing model. KEY WORDS Collaboration, Project Extranets, Mobility, SaaS, Cloud Computing, Document Management, Content Management, Internet, Construction Industry, Virtual teams iv Preface PREFACE The research presented within this thesis constitutes the requirements of the EPSRC- supported Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programme run by the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE) at Loughborough University. The Engineering Doctorate is a four-year postgraduate award intended for the UK's leading research engineers who want a managerial career in industry. It is a radical alternative to the traditional PhD, being better suited to the needs of industry, and providing a more vocationally oriented doctorate in engineering. The EngD is examined on the basis of a thesis supported by peer-reviewed publications or technical reports. One journal paper and two conference papers support this thesis. Specific detail on the research can be found in papers presented in the appendices of this thesis, whilst the preceding chapters of the discourse provide the reader with a broader overview of the work undertaken throughout the period of the research. v Collaborative Technologies for Mobile Workers and Virtual Project Teams USED ACRONYMS / ABBREVIATIONS 3G 3rd Generation Wireless Communication Technology AEC Architectural, Engineering and Construction AJAX Asynchronous JavaScript and XML ASP Application Service Provider BAA British Airports Authority BEng Bachelor of Engineering BT British Telecommunications CAD Computer Aided Design CICE Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering CMS Content Management System CRM Customer Relationship Management DETR Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions DSSS Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum DTI Department of Trade and Industry EDMS Electronic Document Management System EngD Engineering Doctorate EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council FM Facilities Management GPRS General Packet Radio Service GPS Global Positioning System GSM Global Systems for Mobile Communications HSDPA High-Speed Downlink Packet Access ICT Information and Communication Technologies vi Used Acronyms / Abbreviations IE Internet Explorer IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IP Internet Protocol IPR Intellectual Property Rights IS Information Systems ISBN International Standard Book Number ISP Internet Service Provider ISSN International Standard Serial Number IT Information Technology KM Knowledge Management LAMP Solution stack of software: Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP/Perl/Python MSc Master of Science MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology MRT Mobile Repair Technician NCCTP Network for Construction Collaboration Technology Providers O&M Operation and Maintenance PC Personal Computer PDA Personal Digital Assistant PFI Private Finance Initiative PHP PHP: Hypertext Pre-processor1 R&D Research & Development RFI Request for Information RFID Radio-frequency Identification RFQ Request for Quotation 1 PHP is a recursive acronym that stands for PHP: Hypertext Pre-processor vii Collaborative Technologies for Mobile Workers and Virtual Project Teams ROI Return on Investment SaaS Software as a Service SLA Service Level Agreement UAT User Acceptance Testing UK United Kingdom URL Uniform Resource Locators Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity WLAN Wireless Local Area Network XML eXtensible Mark-up Language viii Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................iii Abstract ........................................................................................................................... iv Key Words ...................................................................................................................... iv Preface .............................................................................................................................. v Used Acronyms / Abbreviations.................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ..........................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Andrew Magub Thesis
    EXPERIENCES OF THE PHENOMENON OF INTERNET USE FOR INFORMATION SHARING ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND SKILLS SET IDENTIFICATION FOR EFFECTIVE PROJECT PARTICIPATION BY ANDREW MAGUB B.App.Sci (Built Environment) B.Arch (Hons) M.Proj.Man A thesis submitted to the Queensland University of Technology School of Construction Management and Property in fulfilment of the requirements of a DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (IF49) 13 February 2006 Supervisor: Associate Professor Stephen Kajewski ABSTRACT AND KEY WORDS The use of Information Technology in construction is below best practice when compared to other industries. The construction industry is now, however, on the verge of widespread acceptance of internet technology and the communications benefits this can bring. Construction collaboration technology, where project teams use the internet as an interface for project communications, have emerged as a potentially valuable tool. Little research has been focused in this area, particularly on how this phenomenon is being experienced. The aim of this research is to develop a better understanding of the way people experience the use of the internet for information sharing on construction projects and the preliminary identification of the skills set (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities – KSAs) required for industry members to effectively participate. Phenomenography was selected as an appropriate research methodology to provide an empirical, representative and descriptive research approach and to provide a qualitative based study in a field dominated by quantitative studies. This is a ‘second-order approach’ which focuses on the experiences of the participants as described by them. A pilot and three major case studies were selected to identify research participants for interviews.
    [Show full text]
  • Getting to Grips with the NEC Engineering and Construction Contract
    2 sa[ice] Joint Civils Division Getting to grips with the NEC Engineering and Construction Contract - A day with Dr Martin Barnes, the originator of the NEC - Midrand 26 August 2009 Information and briefing pack 1 Conference programme 2 Profile of presenters 3 Powerpoint handouts of presentations Session 1: Why use the NEC on a construction project? (Dr Martin Barnes) Session 2: Target cost contracts and their potential application in South Africa (Dr Ron Watermeyer) Session 3: Getting the best out of using the NEC (Dr Martin Barnes) Session 4: Assessing compensation events (Andrew Baird) Session 5: Implementing the NEC Contracting System (Dr Marin Barnes 4 Reference material 4.1 Martin Barnes (1999). Smeaton to Egan - The Extraordinary History of Civil Engineering Management (ICE 1999 Smeaton Lecture) 4.2 Ron Watermeyer (2009), Getting to grips with the NEC3 ECC target contract with activity schedule. Civil Engineering. January / February. 4.3 Ron Watermeyer and Inba Thumbiran (2009). Delivering infrastructure at scale in developing countries: numbers or systems? The Fourth Built Environment Conference hosted by ASOCSA, Livingston, Zambia, May. 4.4 Andrew Baird (2009). Assessing compensation events in NEC Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC3) Option A & B 5 NEC Users’ Group News Letters (http://www.neccontract.com/news/index.asp?Type=Newsletters) Issue 47 July 2009 Issue 46 April 2009 Issue 45 January 2009 Issue 43 July 2008 Dr Martin Barnes CBE FREng BSc(Eng) PhD FICE FCIOB HonFAPM FInstCES CCMI Martin Barnes has been working in project management for the last 30 years. The management consulting business which he founded merged with what is now PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1985.
    [Show full text]
  • An XML Standard to Enable Project Transfer Between Heterogeneous
    AN XML BASED STANDARD TO ENABLE BULK PROJECT DATA TRANSFER BETWEEN HETEROGENEOUS SYSTEMS SUBMITTED: January 2008 REVISED: September 2008 PUBLISHED: October 2008 EDITOR: J.C. Brewin Scott Moses, Research Engineer Centre for Innovative Construction Engineering, Loughborough University email: [email protected] Tarek M Hassan, Senior Lecturer and Director of the European Union Research Group Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, United Kingdom email: [email protected] Ashraf El-Hamalawi, Senior Lecturer Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, United Kingdom email: [email protected] Tim Cole, Director Causeway Technologies, Bourne End, United Kingdom email: [email protected] SUMMARY: The objective of the work reported in this paper was the development of an XML based standard which would enable project data, such as contacts, drawings, documentation, instructions and emails, to be transferred between collaborative systems provided by different software vendors and used by construction organisations. The primary aim being to create a transfer mechanism which would allow project data transfer without modification of existing collaborative system deployed by vendors. This paper discusses the business and technological needs for such a transfer capability between collaborative systems, by examining the current use of these tools and related problems encountered by clients. It sets out the main components that underlie the majority of construction specific collaborative systems which forms the basis of the generic collaborative system model which has been developed, contrasting this with previous data exchange efforts. This paper shows how the XML Schema was developed and the procedures undertaken to ensure that it could be utilised by the maximum possible set of vendors.
    [Show full text]
  • Constructing Excellence Annual Report 2007
    Constructing Excellence Annual Report 2007 © Constructing Excellence. Requests to reproduce any part of this document should be sent to Constructing Excellence. Published: September 2007. Front cover photographs (from top, clockwise) courtesy of: Lemon Tree House – supplied by William Sutton Homes, The Oxford Castle Malmaison Hotel – supplied by the Osborne Group, NHBC. Constructing Excellence, Warwick House, 25 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PP T 0845 605 5556 E [email protected] W www.constructingexcellence.org.uk Constructing Excellence is committed to reducing its carbon impact. Foreword Improving industry performance The last year has been one of significant change as we finished the transition from DTI grant Constructing Excellence is the leading corporate membership organisation dedicated to funding to a thriving membership-governed organisation which also manages government improving performance and showcasing best practice across the UK construction industry. Our programmes and commercial commissions. vision is to inspire a demonstrably better built environment, with members that include clients, contractors, consultants, specialists and suppliers across the housing, buildings and estates and DTI was delighted with the value we gave them under the prior infrastructure sectors. As such, we provide a unique bridge between industry, clients, arrangement, but on 31 March 2007 we reached a major milestone in the history of the industry change movement, becoming an independent and government and the research community at national, regional and local levels across the UK, sustainable organisation able to support a range of customers and supported by a network of 12 regional and national partners and 42 local business clubs. stakeholders with quality objective advice.
    [Show full text]
  • Front Matter
    e-Business in Construction e-Business in Construction. Edited by Chimay J. Anumba and Kirti Ruikar © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN: 978-1-4051-8234-8 e-Business in Construction Edited by Chimay J. Anumba and Kirti Ruikar Foreword by Professor Ronald McCaffer A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication This edition fi rst published 2008 © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing programme has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientifi c, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell. Registered offi ce John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom Editorial offi ces 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, United Kingdom 2121 State Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50014-8300, USA For details of our global editorial offi ces, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of the author to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.
    [Show full text]
  • Building Success
    ■ The projects Foreword 3 Summary of the findings 4 Checklist for success 5 Babtie-Kent Partnershp on Kent Highways 7 Rolling out Marks & Spencer food stores 11 A Procure 21 project at Cheshire & Wirral Partnership 15 Exchequer Partnership for HM Treasury PFI 19 Defence Estates Prime Contract for Single Living Accommodation in Northern Ireland 23 Upgrading the King’s Lynn Compressor Station, for National Grid Transco 27 A landmark development at St George Wharf, London 30 Enhanced Water Treatment Project for the Arsenic Removal Programme at Severn Trent 34 Estate & Community Improvements, for Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association 38 Larwood Special School extension, for Hertfordshire Schools 42 Acknowledgements 46 Getting help 47 2 Constructing Excellence Foreword ■ In recent times, much of the change that has occurred in the construction industry has been driven by large experienced clients. This study shows the latest thinking from a variety of them and is, in many ways, a guide to the future for others. This report throws up some interesting points. There is a marked difference between experienced clients, like utilities, who have a large number of projects in the same environment, and property developers, whose projects and end-users may be different. Their experiences have led them to adopt subtly different ways of working that create success. Yet, the underlying aims have been the same. What they have sought to do is to provide a supply chain environment in which the ‘hands- on’ experience of first and second tier contractors and key suppliers is harnessed in such a way that innovation is encouraged and value is created.
    [Show full text]
  • Collaborative Technologies for Mobile Workers and Virtual Project Teams
    This item was submitted to Loughborough’s Institutional Repository (https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/) by the author and is made available under the following Creative Commons Licence conditions. For the full text of this licence, please go to: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ Collaborative Technologies for Mobile Workers and Virtual Project Teams Sean Thomas McAndrew British Telecommunications plc (BT) Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE) BT Exact Department of Civil & Building Engineering Adastral Park Loughborough University Martlesham Heath Loughborough Ipswich Leicestershire Suffolk LE11 3TU IP5 3RE COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MOBILE WORKERS AND VIRTUAL PROJECT TEAMS By Sean Thomas McAndrew A dissertation thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Engineering Doctorate (EngD) degree at Loughborough University July 2009 © by Sean Thomas McAndrew 2009 British Telecommunications plc (BT) Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE) BT Exact Department of Civil & Building Engineering Adastral Park Loughborough University Martlesham Heath Loughborough Ipswich Leicestershire Suffolk LE11 3TU IP5 3RE Acknowledgements ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr Tarek Hassan and Professor Chimay Anumba, both of whom provided support, encouragement and showed the patience of Saints by persevering with me. Professor Dino Bouchlaghem, Professor Tony Thorpe, Jo Brewin, Sara Cowen, Colette Bujdoso and Nadine Smith at the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering at Loughborough University. The friendly and unique culture and diversity of the Centre and its staff is in no doubt attributable to its success and attraction as one of the UK’s leading academic institutions providing applicable research and development to industry. Alistair Duke and Ian P Smith, my supervisors at BT.
    [Show full text]