Adoptability of management information systems (MIS) in consultancy organizations in Sri Lankan construction industry

Abstract

Management Information systems (MIS) have been a dominant application in the era of computing due to the widespread commercial availability of computing technologies. This is the best information and communication technology (ICT) concept which performs easily and increases efficiency. MIS projects are identified for the high cost and time involved. The implementation and adoption of MIS are costly and lengthy. Many organizations in Sri Lanka are about to adopt MIS. However, it is questionable whether most firms realize the true importance of MIS. Hence, this research investigates the adoptability of Management Information Systems (MIS) in Consultancy Organizations in Sri Lanka. First, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to understand the MIS concept, types of MIS used by organizations, pros & cons of using MIS, and requirement for MIS in an organization. Next, the convergent mixed method research design approach was adopted for data analysis. Initially, nine interviews were held over the phone, using an interview guideline with industry experts from the three specific types of consultancy companies, i.e., Quantity Surveying, Engineering, and Architecture. Simultaneously, a detailed questionnaire survey was distributed among 72 industry professionals, including Quantity Surveyors, Engineers, Architects, Project Managers, and Draughtsman, with a response rate of 69%. The study is limited to the consultants’ perceptions, such as Engineering, Quantity Surveying, and Architecture consultancy firms. It was not extended to clients and contractors. It discovered that the findings from literature were primarily appropriate to the Sri Lankan framework through the feedback provided by the experts. Additionally, it revealed that the Sri Lankan construction industry is at a preliminary phase of developing and using MIS in consultancy organizations. Further, this study found that most companies consist of a small group of employees handling small and medium-scale projects. They do not feel the requirement of working and analyzing the project progress through MIS and are used to following the traditional manual methods. In addition, it is confirmed that adopting MIS supports organizations to stay competitive or enter innovative markets and convert the business procedure system. The research findings disclosed some significant benefits such as data sharing, providing a valuable time-saving profit to the humans, flexibility and responsiveness, integrity, entree to appropriate knowledge and reports, balancing conflicting requirements, and development in structure and division techniques. Challenges such as the high-cost factor of developing new computer systems and losing information due to website and server crashes obtained the highest frequency percentage as identified. Finally, the study provides some recommendations for better and more accurate performance for the consultancy companies adopting appropriate MIS model/s