IT Barometer New Zealand – A Survey of Computer Use and Attitudes in the New Zealand Construction Industry

Abstract

Building productivity in New Zealand lags other countries and industries which invest more heavily in technology. Improved productivity of the construction sector is widely touted as a significant factor in boosting the performance of the country as a whole. Application of IT has for some time been hailed as the key to implementing such productivity gains. International initiatives such as BuildingSMART and Integrated Design & Delivery Solutions (IDDS) are very strongly oriented around improving construction through IT and associated processes. To use their findings, and to allow informed decision making in IT investment, development and education, the New Zealand construction industry needs more information on the current state of IT use. This paper reports on a national survey undertaken in 2009/2010, based on the IT Barometer questionnaire. Elements of a 1997 New Zealand survey of construction IT use were also incorporated to allow longitudinal analysis. The target population was the construction and facility management sector of New Zealand and the questionnaire was delivered to 388 companies. Eighty completed responses were received, a response rate of 21%. Results show that while most companies use computers, for many it is primarily used for administrative functions, rather than a tool in construction processes. As found in the 1997 survey, many specialist construction-focused programs are used, but few are standard across the sample. Project webs have come into more common use since the earlier survey but do not appear to be well regarded by users. Mobile computing is used only to a limited extent. A fundamental barrier to increased use of IT is the cost of investment, with several respondents commenting that this is due to the staff time and disruption involved and not simply the financial cost of the hardware and software required