De nouvelles plateformes pour améliorer la gestion de l'information sur le chantier

Abstract

For a long time now, the use of traditional methods in construction projects have been controversial. During the last decade, new contractual approaches such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) have emerged, based on modern values like collaboration and stakeholders’ shared interests. As they run with cloud computing, Mobile Technologies (MT) are very suitable tools for such values. Indeed, cloud computing allows an easy on demand access, anywhere, to project data and communication tools. The use of MT for information management thus make possible data centralization for a construction project and virtual gathering of all the stakeholders through the app. Some early adopters among Québec construction industry see the potential of MT. However, studies show that Québec is lagging behind other countries in terms of MT adoption. The cause of this gap is the low proportion of the efforts focusing on implementation strategies. MT must be seen as a tool helping the change instead of the change itself. The research question of this thesis is “How can we computerize on site information management via MT?”. To answer this question, a change proposal, following the “organization, technology, procedure” concept, is made towards the current situation of Québec regarding the use of MT in construction. On the one hand, three common construction project processes (relating to three major stakeholders: contractor, architect and client) have been mapped and then improved with the introduction of a mobile solution, highlighting optimization possibilities. On the other hand, the development of a toolkit meant to help and guide construction firms in the setting up of a MT in their construction projects answers the strategic problem. The main element of the toolkit is an Implementation Guide, not only based on previous studies but also new case studies conducted with different construction professionals. This guide suggests a strategic approach divided in six key steps: needs, profile, technological choice, preparation, implementation and improvement. The two other elements of the toolkit are a decision table to steer the technological choice, and a business case template, which is a checklist to estimate the profitability of the implementation. Finally, part of the Implementation Guide has been tested by applying the three first steps in the real context of a construction firm (general contractor), showing the benefits it can bring for a firm.

Date	23 Jun 2016
Original language	French
Awarding Institution	École de technologie supérieure
Supervisor	Daniel Forgues (Supervisor)