A framework for data-driven informatization of the construction company

Abstract

With the advent of big data era, the construction industry has focused on processing large quantities of engineering data and extracting their value. However, inaccurate manual entries and delayed data collection have created difficulties in making full use of information. Meanwhile, difficulty sharing data and weak interoperability of data among business information systems also leaves company headquarters without the resource integration that can facilitate decision making. To overcome these challenges, we proposed a big data infrastructure called the enterprise integrated data platform (EIDP) for use by construction companies. We discuss a case study, and offer a framework for future business improvement that contributes to closed-loop construction supply chain management, cost management and control, knowledge discovery, and decision making. The proposed informatization solution provides a theoretical basis for realizing data sharing and interoperability between business management and project management. On this basis, it will help construction companies to improve the efficiency of both company operations and project delivery by optimizing the business process and supporting decision making.

Introduction

The construction industry is highly data intensive. Vast data is generated during the construction process, but its value is far from fully utilized [1]. Because traditional technology was not able to guarantee the authenticity, consistency, traceability, and sharing of the engineering data, the construction industry is facing the challenges of backward management and low efficiency. Project schedule, costs, quality and safety are often not effectively controlled.

The emergence of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology has brought opportunities for the development of the construction industry. It integrates engineering data, processes, and resources from different stages of the project lifecycle into a model. An increasing amount of data from various sources are accumulating routinely in BIM, such as engineering basic data, documents at various stages, records generated during daily management, and data collected by sensors or radio frequency identification (RFID) [2]. In recent years, scholars have studied BIM’s processing and utilization capability of engineering data. For instance, Cai and Park [3] proposed a WBS-based, dynamic, multi-dimensional BIM database structure for total construction as-built documentation; Irizarry and Karan [4] integrated BIM and geographic information system (GIS) to improve the visual monitoring of construction supply chain management; Cheng and Teizer [5] proposed streaming data from real-time positioning sensors to a real-time data visualization platform, which is applied to construction safety and activity monitoring. This research renders the data generated by the project life cycle uniformly organized and effectively utilized, allowing project stakeholders to collaborate on a unified platform.

Although BIM has improved the management and collaboration capablities of the project’s life cycle, it is still limited to individual projects [6]. A construction company often has many projects simultaneously underway. Because project costs cannot be accurately estimated and procurement prices are difficult to control, budgetary overspending is very common. At present, little emphasis is placed on the informatization of construction companies, especially the management and control of projects at company headquarters. The informatization inherent in construction companies is divided into two dimensions: business management and project management, but the integration of the two has not been satisfactory [7]. The main reason is the lack of data interoperability, so managers are not able to obtain the data relevant to construction project status in real time. Also, for this reason, it cannot support top managers for their strategic decision-making.

Some construction companies tried to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) that was developed from MRP II (manufacture resource planning) of manufacturing industry [8]. Its core idea is to optimize enterprise management processes based on supply chain. In many manufacturing companies, ERP has become a successful management platform supporting business operation and providing decision support for senior managers by realizing the effective integration of logistics, capital flow, and information flow [9]. However, unlike manufacturing, the products in the construction industry are not standardized, and the generation process is not uniform, so it is impossible to produce standard bills of materials (BOM) [10]. As a result of the lack of accurate material requirement planning and project cost information, the ERP system is unable to achieve complete construction supply chain management and budget control. In addition, frequent project changes can change the cost of the project dynamically, but the information in the ERP cannot be updated synchronously because of the lack of reliable data sources from the construction site. That means the ERP can only incorporate project expenditures that have already been made, but the procurement demand and the planned cost are difficult to control effectively. The extensive management mode mentioned above has been an obstacle to improving the construction industry.

Furthermore, both technology and construction management currently relies heavily on individual knowledge and experience. If an experienced engineer or manager leaves the organization for any reason, it is often difficult for their successor to find and utilize the same level of knowledge and experience [11]. Due to the lack of a unified data resource management platform, after completion of a project, it is difficult to use the project’s historical data to provide value for future projects. It is therefore necessary to establish a knowledge management (KM) system based on historical data mining.

To address these challenges, we propose a framework of business data integration platform (EDIP) to realize the integration and sharing of engineering data and business data in construction companies. We discuss a general contracting construction company as a case study, along with the framework for a potential informatization for construction companies.