1. Decide who needs to be involved. For example, does the IT project cover the whole supply chain from client and end-users to material suppliers, or just the contractors and consultants?
2. Decide exactly what solutions are appropriate. Is email enough or do you need document management, online tendering or 3D modelling?
3. Carefully vet the organisations you ask to join the IT project. Even one or two dissenters could ruin it. Co-operation from the whole team is vital.
4. Take an audit of the members of the project team. Check their experience of the technology and processes involved and their attitude towards the IT project. Carry out training where necessary.
5. Audit the project team's technology. Make sure everyone has the right software, hardware and bandwidth.
6. Budget for system upgrades, training and support not only in the setup phase, but the entire project life cycle.
7. Decide on a system. Consider functionality, price, training and support, similar projects, testimony from other users, customisability, security and the robustness of the supplier. If the project team is unable to decide this, take independent advice.
8. Agree standards. If the system you are using doesn't have a file viewer, decide on which file format to use so team members can pass information around freely.
9. Set up strict privileges so only those who need to change a drawing or document are authorised to do so and the latest version is always the one being worked on.
10. Ensure that all the requirements for your system are defined and appear in the tender documents.
Top 10 tips for running it
1. Hold users' hands, especially if they are new to the system. Push usage and monitor each individual team member.
2. Phase the project in gradually and at the right time. Don't overload the team with concerns about the IT project when the construction project is at a critical stage. The speed you can move at will depend on the team's ability and familiarity with the system.
3. Set realistic targets. Don't be over-ambitious or the project team will become demotivated by its inability to achieve difficult targets.
4. Set some easy targets early on so the team can feel good about achieving them and any sceptical team members will be convinced the IT project will work.
5. Keep a check on the weaker members of the team and offer more support and training if necessary.
6. Identify a procedure to integrate newcomers to the project, such as new subcontractors.
7. Carry out regular reviews of how the system is operating and how effectively information is flowing, consulting all users.
8. Measure the successful IT system performance requirements, including information accuracy, number of users, speed and reliability.
9. Review privileges throughout the IT project to ensure everyone has the right level of access to information, especially if new people join.
10. When the project is finished, review what worked and what didn't, and carry the lessons over to your next project.
Source
Construction Manager
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