IT-användning i byggande och förvaltning

Sammanfattning: The development of information technology, IT, has resultedin big changes in the last decade. Personal computers, mobilephones andaccess to the Internet have been widely spread, andthe development of software and systems has contributed to newways of working and new possibilities for communication. Inmany industries, the use of IT has lead to increasedeffectiveness and productivity. In the construction industrymuch effort has been made to improve processes with the help ofIT, but the industry has not achieved increased productivity tothe same extent as others. The aim of this research is tocreate a better understanding of how different parts of theSwedish construction industry make use of IT and how theyjustify their investments in IT. The work has been carried outusing surveys. Postal questionnaires as well as interviews havebeen used. The research project started with the design anddevelopment of a questionnaire, which has been used twice inSweden. The same questionnaire has also been used in Denmarkand Finland on the same occasions. The results of the postalsurveys have, to some extent, been compared with similarsurveys regarding other industries in Sweden, as well as theconstruction industries in other countries. The findings fromthe postal surveys have also been used as a basis for aninterview study with twelve companies in the Swedishconstruction industry, with the purpose of explaining theexisting level of IT use. The conclusions that were reachedwere that the access to IT is widespread in the industry, andthat the use is concentrated in the areas of: administration,communication and design. There is a lack of use and investmentin advanced systems such as product models, virtual reality andelectronic trading. The contractors use IT to the least extentin the industry. The reasons for adopting and using IT, or notdoing so, have been divided into five areas ¡V economical,organisational, knowledge based, practical and cultural ¡Vwhich are discussed in the thesis. The practical benefits forthe individuals in each profession seem to be the mostimportant reason for adopting IT. Economical factors are thegreatest obstacles to using IT, and few companies are preparedto invest venture capital in advanced systems even if thepotential benefit is great.KEYWORDS:Construction industry, information technology,surveys, CAD, communication