1. Align an IT Strategy to the Industry Vision

2. Introduction Aim Use of the Guide
This presentation is prepared to support and give a general overview of the ‘How to Align an IT Strategy to the Industry Vision’ Guide and should be read in conjunction with the publication.
Use of the Guide
This guide:
Considers why it is important to develop a vision for the future
Includes Construct IT’s own vision for the future of IT in construction projects to help a company develop a vision
Offers step-by-step procedure for developing and implementing an IT vision
This presentation and the original guide should be reviewed in conjunction with the ‘How to Develop Your Information Strategy Plan’ guide.

3. Why an IT Vision?
Construction industry needs to communicate large volumes of complex information
Diversity of projects and large number of different stakeholders make it difficult
IT can help construction companies reduce problems of communication and information sharing
Under-investment in IT and lack of common standards and formats still major barriers

4. Why an IT Vision? By developing an IT vision:
Construction companies can gain a competitive advantage in their business.
The can also squeeze more value from their expenditure on IT.

5. Why an IT Vision?
A company can start to establish an IT vision by asking two familiar questions:
What is our position in today’s market?
Where do you want to be in the future?

6. Why an IT Vision?
Vision is… a wide and distant vista of the future in which the desirable image of the company is set, directing its course and generating strategies there.1
Visioning is… a multi-phased process which includes the generation, implementation and renewal of a vision. It is a highly imaginative process. However, the managers must be careful to create real visions, instead of extending the past. The important point is visioning is not static however it is an on-going process. 2
[1] Okazaki-Ward, L. (1998) “The Practical Side to Visioning: The Case of Toray Industries Inc.”
[2] Korac-Kakabadse, N. and Kakabadse, A.P. (1998) “Vision, Visionary Leadership and the Visioning Process: An Overview”

7. Lack of Vision Causes3: Organisational turbulence
Direction is provided by each individual manager
Short-term orientation
Achieving results would become the only common denominator shared
Paradoxical empowerment
Messages from upper management leads
to confusion
In-fighting
One manager’s view may compete with another
[3] Kakabadse, A., Nortier, F., and Abramovici, N. “Visioning: Promoting a Shared Perspective Towards Organizational Success”

8. Construct IT’s Vision
Construct IT has formulated an IT vision for the management of construction projects and the way their processes will be supported by IT
Purpose of this vision is to:
Paint a picture for the industry
Gain competitive advantage
Platform for discussion and debate
Dynamic ‘picture’
Identify gaps between research and implementation
Increase academic/industrial collaboration and knowledge exchange
Identify barriers
Realisation
Illustrate how IT could benefit the industry

9. Seven Major Themes Model driven information management
Life cycle thinking between project phases
Knowledge Management
e-Procurement
Visualisation
Simulation
Change management & process improvement

10. Seven Major Themes
Model driven information management Sharing project information via a shared concept or process model. Information is entered once and can then be used by all the different stakeholders during a project.

11. Seven Major Themes
Life cycle thinking IT allows information to be shared seamlessly between the life cycle phases.
Knowledge Management
The construction industry should rely on past project knowledge and information when dealing with new projects

12. Seven Major Themes
e-Procurement Internet brings new opportunities for the tendering and procurement phases of construction companies.
Visualisation
Communications between the construction parties could be enhanced by the computer visualisation technologies, such as 3-D walk-throughs.

13. Seven Major Themes
Simulation Simulation would help construction managers to analyse and measure productivity, analyse risk, allocate resources, plan sites, etc.
Change management & Process Improvement
To achieve all the items above, construction organisations must implement fundamental structural changes.

14. Vision Scenario Conception of needs Tendering and team selection
Developed to help interpret the seven proposed themes.
Covers five life cycle phases:
Conception of needs
Tendering and team selection
Design and briefing
Construction
Facilities management

15. Conception of Needs
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) would help site selections
Visualization will offer a better understanding of the project.

16. Tendering and team selection
IT Capability would become a partner selection criteria
Long-term partnering would be preferred
Process Capability would become a partner selection criteria

17. Design and briefing
Sharing visual information would be facilitated by new IT tools
Simulation would be used to make feasibility and buildability analysis
Internet would bring out new procurement approaches

18. Construction
Material flow in construction sites would be improved by new devices such as web, bar coding, hand-held computers etc.
4D Simulation would be used to assess buildability issues

19. Facilities management
Electronic as built information is used for operations and maintenance of the facility
Intelligent tagging will become part of the project and form a base for FM activities

20. Implementation Barriers
Only 5% of the work force understands the strategy
Only 25% of managers have incentives linked to strategy
85% of executive teams spend less than one hour per month discussing strategy
60% of organizations don’t link budgets to strategy
9 of 10 companies fail to execute strategy
The People Barrier
The Learning Barrier
The Vision Barrier
Operations Barrier
Visioning must be integrated into a continuous strategic planning process to overcome these barriers

21. Incorporating Visioning
How to Develop an Information Strategy Plan guide explains how to link business strategy to IT investment
Business Strategy
Continuous Development of Information Strategy Plan from Business Needs 2
Identify your Business Position
Increasing IT Capability Integrated with Business Strategy Planning 6
Develop IT Vision 1
Initiate Information Strategy Planning Project 4
Develop System and Technology Roadmap 5
Prioritise Solutions
Implementation
Continuous Development of Information Strategy Plan due to Changing Technology 3
Examine Capabilities and Technologies
This guide proposes additional stage that ensures the visioning process becomes an integral part of continuous strategic planning.

22. How to Develop an IT Vision
i. Generating Conceptual Vision
The visioning process usually starts with the creation of a vision concept. Construct IT’s vision could be used at this stage
ii. Debating the Vision
Debating the vision brings unforeseen issues to the surface; unresolved issues will cause problems in future.
Develop IT Vision
iii. Testing the Vision
Test if your vision is in line with company strategies and,
If it fits in with your company’s interpretation of Construct IT’s Vision.
iv. Communicating the Vision
Share the company vision with your employees as you need their support during the implementation.

23. Concluding Remarks
Vision is an important motivator that prepares companies for the future.
It must be remembered that developing a vision is a continuous process.
The visioning process is an important step in your ‘Information Strategy Planning’. Consider both of them together.

24. Finally …
In terms of technology uptake, a distinct pattern exists in the way organisations adopt technology.
Think about your place in the ‘Bell Curve’ to understand the intention of your company.