Information technology (IT) has been widely applied across many economic sectors in order to increase competitiveness and reduce costs. This paper identifies that uptake of IT within construction is low. It is argued that significant barriers preventing construction organizations from investing in IT include uncertainty concerning the identification and measurement of benefits associated with applications. In particular, it is argued that difficulties in quantifying benefits associated with improved information availability and decision making prevent effective IT cost/benefit analysis. Existing approaches to evaluating IT within construction are reviewed. A framework is presented which identifies metrics by which IT impacts both management and operational processes within construction in order to deliver value. An evaluation methodology tailored to one specific IT application, high‐density bar coding in maintenance management, is presented to illustrate the quantification of both the costs and benefits of applying IT.

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It is widely recognized that building design has a significant impact on construction productivity and quality. Constructability rules are one way of transferring construction knowledge to building designers. These rules are statements, such as ‘design for minimum time below ground’, which encapsulate a specific aspect of construction best practice. Although constructability rules are relatively easy to formulate and/or obtain, there is little evidence of their successful application. Indeed, architects continue to be held responsible for productivity and quality problems because of their lack of construction knowledge. This paper reports research that informed and included the development of guidelines for successful application of constructability rules to bespoke buildings - those being buildings that are designed to fulfil the requirements of one particular client and/or a single specific location. Findings suggest that there are actions that can be taken to widen the application of rules and increase their success. Potential sources for rules are described. Guidelines are introduced, and information about how they can be actioned by different construction organizations is provided.Constructability Rules, Construction Productivity, Construction Quality,

Automatic identification (auto-ID) technologies such as bar coding have become widespread within manufacturing, medicine and retailing. Bar coding has also attracted many applications within the US construction industry, providing tangible cost savings through improved speed and accuracy of data entry. However, over the past decade the rate of adoption of auto-ID among UK construction firms has been significantly lower than the US. This paper presents the findings of a UK survey of construction organizations, designed to ascertain key factors which attract firms to use auto-ID, the barriers which have prevented some from doing so, and future developments which are perceived as important in encouraging more widespread adoption of the technology within the UK construction supply chain. Key issues identified include a low level of awareness of auto-ID technologies and the absence of appropriate industry standards. Recommendations include the establishment of a standards body and educational initiatives to promote auto-ID solutions.Auto-id, Bar Coding, Barriers, Standards,