Abstract:
Today, construction industry is becoming complex due to rapid improvement in
design and technology. Completing construction project without time and cost
overrun is a great challenge. In Sri Lankan condition, the need for efficient
management is more urgent than ever before. In fact, inefficient construction
management has contributed to long drawn-out projects in the past with inflated costs
and delayed utilization. Professional construction project management input is a
mandatory requirement for successful project completion and one tool the project
manager can effectively used to manage the project is dedicated project management
software.
This study report, research in to the application of dedicated project management
software in construction management by building contractors in Sri Lanka. The focus
of this research was to gather industry experience in the use and application of
construction management software and to assess the difficulties face & benefits
realised by the industry. It was based on a survey of local C1, C2, C3 & C4 grade
contractors, engaged specially in building construction, registered at ICTAD. The
industry experiences in usage of dedicated project management software were studied
under three main areas of project management, planning, scheduling and controlling.
This was done through a questionnaire based interview.
Over 80% of firms are using MS Project as project management software & usage
was limited only for initial basic facilities provided by software and very less usage in
cost & resource related activities. Providing easy administration of works, integration
& approach to repetitive tasks, Force due to competitors & consultants are most
important factors highlighted as reasons for usage. Non availability of trained staff &
lack of interest among top management are significant difficulties faced. Only 35% of
firms have a plan to develop their software systems.
