Preface
The rapid advancement of information technology has significantly transformed the management of construction projects, enhancing economic efficiency, technological capabilities, and engineering applications. This progress has elevated construction management to a new standard. Since the 1980s, China’s construction industry began its journey towards digitalization, initially led by major design institutes promoting computer graphics. By the late 20th century, government departments in China accelerated their digital transformation, especially in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and other provincial capitals, where e-government initiatives were increasingly adopted.
However, the growth of the construction industry across China remains uneven. While most design institutes have switched to computer-aided drawing, their level of informatization is still relatively low, with traditional methods predominating for tasks such as drawing review and approval. Many construction companies continue to rely on manual drafting and documentation. Furthermore, supervisory departments overseeing construction project management have been slow to embrace digitalization. Compared to developed countries in Europe and North America, China’s construction industry faces gaps in technology, management, efficiency, cost control, and information management, which restricts its development and fails to meet modern demands.
The construction industry is highly segmented and labor-intensive, characterized by a large workforce, complex procedures, decentralized and mobile operations, and one-time use of resources. According to surveys and statistics from Europe and America, under traditional management models, engineering designers spend about 35% of their daily work consulting drawings and coordinating communications. Construction managers may spend up to 50% of their work hours searching for information and exchanging data, greatly reducing productivity. Remote management and file transfer contribute around 10% of the total project cost. China, with the world’s largest engineering volume, faces urgent challenges in efficiently organizing, archiving, classifying, querying, and retrieving technical documents and drawings. Efficient management and sharing of design information, collaboration in design and construction, and workflow automation are crucial to improving productivity. To align with international standards, the construction industry must adopt advanced technology, strengthen scientific management, and accelerate informatization.
The Characteristics of Construction Project Management and the Necessity of Information Management
The purpose of construction is to create buildings with specific functions. The nature of building products—fixed location, diverse forms, complex structure, and large scale—means that construction projects involve long production cycles, extensive resource utilization, and high spatial mobility. Effective construction project management requires careful planning, organization, and control of both the construction process and the resources involved, including human, material, and financial assets. The main characteristics of construction project management are:
1. Wide Scope: Construction project management is a comprehensive discipline, involving multiple departments and specialties. It covers not only production management but also areas such as technology, quality, materials, planning, safety, and contracts.
2. Heavy Workload: Building construction consumes a vast array of materials and involves numerous activities. Thorough management of all processes and resources is essential, highlighting the complexity and intensity of both production and material management.
3. Strong Constraints: Project management must follow the natural progression from preparation to final acceptance. Compliance with relevant regulations and coordinated, orderly arrangement of tasks are crucial.
4. High Information Flow: Information is a vital resource for social and economic development. Management activities within construction projects are interdependent, necessitating frequent information exchange and transmission. The complexity and workload of construction projects result in intricate and frequent information flows.
Traditionally, information storage in construction projects relies on paper documents and manual calculations, with communication often conducted verbally. Information retrieval depends on browsing physical documents, causing slow information flow and increasing the risk of errors. As modern engineering projects expand in scale and complexity, information exchange between departments intensifies, and the limitations of traditional management methods become more apparent. These constraints hinder the competitiveness and sustainability of construction enterprises.
In recent years, leading construction firms have begun adopting advanced computer technology to assist with project management. For instance, budget estimators use specialized software for cost calculations, planners employ network scheduling tools, and technical staff use AutoCAD for drawing production. These tools have greatly improved the quality and efficiency of construction project management. However, individual and isolated use of software leads to data silos, lack of information sharing, and repeated data processing. Inconsistencies in data standards further complicate comprehensive decision-making. Thus, while computer technology is being applied, its use is not yet sufficient or fully integrated.
It is essential to recognize that information management in construction extends beyond simply using computers for internal processes. It involves real-time collection, processing, transmission, and sharing of all relevant information, reducing redundant work and facilitating reliable decision-making. Information management enables timely supervision, inspection, feedback, and advanced planning based on accumulated project experience, resulting in more scientific organization and improved automation in construction management.
Application of Project Management Informatization
To illustrate the application of informatization in project management, consider the case of power construction enterprises.
1. Preparation Work: Before implementing project management informatization, system implementers and business managers collaborate using advanced network planning techniques and P3 project management software. This preparation ensures: (1) accurate representation of project processes; (2) understanding of time parameters and their significance; (3) identification of critical paths and key tasks based on construction experience; (4) comprehension of progress, resource, and cost relationships; (5) dynamic tracking and control of project implementation via target management and network planning.
2. Division of Management Levels: The headquarters management team utilizes the online version of P3 software, while project department managers access the P3 network via standalone or VPN methods. Projects are managed separately but coordinated centrally, allowing optimal allocation and analysis of personnel, materials, and machinery.
- Headquarters Management Team: Acts as the owner’s supervisor and general contractor, with overall planning involving departments such as finance, materials, business planning, archives, quality, and safety. Responsible for controlling project progress, cost, contracts, safety, quality, and coordination, collecting comprehensive data for analysis and decision-making.
- Project Management Team: Manages construction site operations, implements project schedules, controls resources, ensures safety and quality, and reports progress, resource usage, and costs to headquarters regularly.
- Construction Team Management: Provides real-time data from the construction site, arranges tasks according to the schedule, and reports daily and weekly progress.
Project personnel input progress, resources, and costs using the P3 standalone version, exporting the data for headquarters review. Alternatively, they may log into the company’s P3 server via VPN to submit information online.
3. Classification of Engineering Management Information Coding: Project information coding in P3 includes WBS (Work Breakdown Structure), job classification codes, resource codes, expense codes, calendar codes, custom codes, and more.
4. Preparation and Review of Project Schedule Plan: Schedule managers divide projects into four levels of schedule plans: (1) Milestone schedule determined by the owner/constructor; (2) Overall control plan combining guiding plans and contractor schedules; (3) Detailed construction master schedule prepared by headquarters, submitted for supervisor approval; (4) Specific guidance schedule prepared by project departments and approved by headquarters. All plans are interdependent and linked to WBS codes.
Planners use P3 software to integrate multiple layers of plans for management, generate target plans, and update them dynamically. By analyzing actual progress against target schedules, they use quantitative data to inform project management decisions.
With a project management information system, enterprise leaders and relevant personnel can monitor progress, costs, and fund utilization across all projects, enabling fast and accurate decision-making regarding future operations, resource allocation, and financial planning. Implementing such a system enhances the company’s core competitiveness and positions it advantageously in the increasingly competitive market.
The implementation of information management in construction projects is both necessary and feasible. Adhering to proper development steps is essential for building high-quality information management systems. Information management facilitates collaboration among project participants, reduces errors caused by communication barriers, and improves overall economic benefit and efficiency.
Source: China Architecture News
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up