Construction informatics in Turkey: strategic role of ICT and future research directions

Construction Informatics deals with subjects ranging from strategic management of ICTs to interoperability and information integration in the construction industry. Studies on defining research directions for Construction Informatics have a history over 20 years. The recent studies in the area highlight the priority themes for Construction Informatics research as interoperability, collaboration support, intelligent sites and knowledge sharing. In parallel, today it is widely accepted in the Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) industry that ICT is becoming a strategic asset for any organisation to deliver business improvement and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. However, traditionally the AEC industry has approached investing in ICT with a lack of strategic focus and low level of priority to the business. This paper presents a recent study from Turkey that is focused on two themes. The first theme investigates the strategic role of ICT implementations from an industrial perspective, and explores if organisations within the AEC industry view ICT as a strategic resource for their business practice. The second theme investigates the ‘perspective of academia’ in terms of future research directions of Construction Informatics. The results of the industrial study indicates that ICT is seen as a value-adding resource, but a shift towards the recognition of the importance of ICT in terms of value adding in winning work and achieving strategic competitive advantage is observed. On the other hand, ICT Training is found to be the theme of highest priority from the academia point of view

Construction informatics in Turkey: strategic role of ICT and future research directions

Construction Informatics deals with subjects ranging from strategic management of ICTs to interoperability and information integration in the construction industry. Studies on defining research directions for Construction Informatics have a history over 20 years. The recent studies in the area highlight the priority themes for Construction Informatics research as interoperability, collaboration support, intelligent sites and knowledge sharing. In parallel, today it is widely accepted in the Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) industry that ICT is becoming a strategic asset for any organisation to deliver business improvement and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. However, traditionally the AEC industry has approached investing in ICT with a lack of strategic focus and low level of priority to the business. This paper presents a recent study from Turkey that is focused on two themes. The first theme investigates the strategic role of ICT implementations from an industrial perspective, and explores if organisations within the AEC industry view ICT as a strategic resource for their business practice. The second theme investigates the ‘perspective of academia’ in terms of future research directions of Construction Informatics. The results of the industrial study indicates that ICT is seen as a value-adding resource, but a shift towards the recognition of the importance of ICT in terms of value adding in winning work and achieving strategic competitive advantage is observed. On the other hand, ICT Training is found to be the theme of highest priority from the academia point of view

SITUATIONAL ROADMAP DEVELOPMENT FOR BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT VIA A MODELING TOOL

The integration of new technologies as well as the need to increase customer satisfaction and reduce costs require companies to continuously analyze and improve their business processes. Hence, Business Process Improvement (BPI) ranks high on the agenda of many companies. However, existing methods like Six Sigma are often perceived as overly complex for projects with a limited scope. Therefore, more and more companies focus on the application of a few selected BPI techniques only, which are logically arranged in the form of “roadmaps” to tackle process weaknesses. Against this backdrop, the concept of “tool-supported situational roadmap development for BPI” along with a corresponding prototype are introduced. The approach builds on conceptual modeling and is technically realized by means of a metamodeling platform. Accordingly, the research offers practitioners a solution to systematically create project-specific roadmaps for BPI to improve process performance

An evidence based approach to technology roadmapping

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of technology roadmapping within commercial and industrial domains at a sector or industry wide level, and to develop an information model that could be used to enhance the generic technology roadmapping process. The study focused on the development of version three of the Foresight Vehicle technology roadmap to support the development of low carbon vehicles in a global marketplace. The development of a ‘real’ sector level technology roadmap enabled ideas in relation to data collection elements to be tested, especially in terms of personnel, participants and publication channels. The various tools currently used to develop technology roadmaps were identified and assessed for their suitability for use in this study. A mixture of data collection techniques were used to generate data and investigate the process of developing a core data set, associated data, as well as the identification of the relationship between potentially disparate items of information. FV Thematic Group members took part in workshops to elicit data, inform the evolution of the data collection process and inform the development of the information protocol. Results from the data collection exercise indicated that not all technology issues were technology focused, non technology issues presented a challenge not only in terms of representation but of ownership as well. Tools such as Technology Readiness Levels were adapted and utilised to create a ‘rich picture’ of multi-dimensional and customised roadmap views. The study presents an information protocol to support the development of technology roadmaps primarily in a digital format and considers elements such as data collection, information management, preservation, representation, scope and validation,. The findings of this study suggest that the development of a generic information model to support the technology roadmapping process is timely and that inclusion of all elements of the protocol lead to the development of a technology roadmap that is fit for purpose

Digital Preservation Services : State of the Art Analysis

Research report funded by the DC-NET project.An overview of the state of the art in service provision for digital preservation and curation. Its focus is on the areas where bridging the gaps is needed between e-Infrastructures and efficient and forward-looking digital preservation services. Based on a desktop study and a rapid analysis of some 190 currently available tools and services for digital preservation, the deliverable provides a high-level view on the range of instruments currently on offer to support various functions within a preservation system.European Commission, FP7peer-reviewe

Technology development roadmaps : a bibliometric analysis of scientific literature

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to identify research sub-areas and to investigate methodological deficiencies in technology development roadmaps. Design/Methodology/Approach: For achieving the objective of this study, a critical analysis of literature and bibliometric analysis was carried out, through the analysis of 2610 relevant Scopus-indexed documents. The time frame of the analyzed period covered the years 1984-2019. On these grounds, a bibliometric map was developed using the VOS mapping technique – visualization of similarities. Findings: The analysis of interrelated key terms made it possible to identify clusters as research sub-areas related to the subject of technology roadmaps. The names of clusters were proposed, which made it possible to identify research sub-areas and main research issues, in which the authors of the publications used technology development roadmaps. The main areas in which technology development roadmaps are used include among others: estimating the potential environmental impact of technology change and anticipating its effects, determining the future of technological progress in companies, at various levels of government agencies and other organizations or designing directions of technology development in the context of sustainable development. Practical implications: This issue is important not only in the theoretical aspect, but also to increase the awareness of companies to help further improve strategic management related to technology management. Originality/Value: It was proposed to develop a methodology for the designing of technology development roadmaps, which will allow for a comprehensive look at the analyzed problem and will enable to determine the directions of technology development in a comprehensive way.peer-reviewe

Technology roadmapping methodology for future hypersonic transportation systems

This paper discloses an innovative methodology for the generation and update of technology roadmaps to support strategic decisions for future hypersonic transportation systems, specifically targeting non-profit oriented R&D. The methodology is fully integrated into up-to-date conceptual design activity flows. It consists of five main steps that through mathematical and logical models moves from stakeholders’ analysis up to planning definition and results evaluation. Complementary to the traditional experts-based methodologies, the rational process here presented allows for a well-structured logical definition of activities and/or missions required to enhance the readiness level of technologies, including a more accurate and reliable budget and time resources estimation to support the technology development plan. This methodology is exploited in the framework of the H2020 STRATOFLY Project to assess the potential of hypersonic civil vehicles to reach Technology Readiness Level 6 by 2035 with respect to key technological, societal and economical aspects. The paper discloses a unique assessment of the readiness level of the European air-breathing propulsive technologies. The final results confirm the crucial role of air-breathing propulsive technologies in the development of future hypersonic transportation system and highlight the urgent need to invest in in-flight demonstration missions with increasing functionalities, to target 2050 as entry in to service of the first Mach 8 civil transport

Business Process Innovation using the Process Innovation Laboratory

Most organizations today are required not only to establish effective business processes but they are required to accommodate for changing business conditions at an increasing rate. Many business processes extend beyond the boundary of the enterprise into the supply chain and the information infrastructure therefore is critical. Today nearly every business relies on their Enterprise System (ES) for process integration and the future generations of enterprise systems will increasingly be driven by business process models. Consequently process modeling and improvement will become vital for business process innovation (BPI) in future organizations. There is a significant body of knowledge on various aspect of process innovation, e.g. on conceptual modeling, business processes, supply chains and enterprise systems. Still an overall comprehensive and consistent theoretical framework with guidelines for practical applications has not been identified. The aim of this paper is to establish a conceptual framework for business process innovation in the supply chain based on advanced enterprise systems. The main approach to business process innovation in this context is to create a new methodology for exploring process models and patterns of applications. The paper thus presents a new concept for business process innovation called the process innovation laboratory a.k.a. the Ð-Lab. The Ð-Lab is a comprehensive framework for BPI using advanced enterprise systems. The Ð-Lab is a collaborative workspace for experimenting with process models and an explorative approach to study integrated modeling in a controlled environment. The Ð-Lab facilitates innovation by using an integrated action learning approach to process modeling including contemporary technological, organizational and business perspectivesNo; keywords