E-readiness in construction (ERiC) : self-assessment framework for UK small and medium enterprise building services providers

The construction industry’s ability to innovate in order to improve its practices has been widely debated. As organisations in other sectors globally are addressing technology challenges, is the UK construction industry e-ready? Of particular concern is the plethora of small and medium enterprises (SME) that constitute over 80% of the UK construction industry. There are noticeable SME laggards in the uptake of new processes and technologies. This paper aims to assess the e-readiness levels of UK SME building services provider in order to leverage the advantages of technology opportunities in the future. The resultant self-assessment ERiC framework enables SMEs to quantify and measure e-readiness from an organisation, technical and process perspective

E-readiness in construction: an incongruous paradigm of variables

The construction industry has witnessed unprecedented levels of technological change over the last 10 years in particular, the corollary of which has required key decision makers to fundamentally re-think the way they: (a) have undertaken business in the past; (b) are currently doing business at the moment; and, (c) will need to change their business practices in order to compete in the future. This research attempts to understand this trichotomy, with a specific emphasis on understanding key decision makers' perception of e-readiness within the context of the construction industry. Research findings highlighted the importance of People, Process and Technology, along with five core enablers that are deemed priority areas for operationalisation. The rubrics for managing these dependences are also discussed in the context of future leveraging opportunities. This research reports the significant importance of ICT to capture, store and reuse knowledge in the organisational and demonstrates the need for the organisation to be e-ready