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Quantity Surveying Project Topics

The Effects of Digital Innovation in Quantity Surveying Service Delivery in Jos, Plateau State

The Effects of Digital Innovation in Quantity Surveying Service Delivery in Jos, Plateau State

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The Effects of Digital Innovation in Quantity Surveying Service Delivery in Jos, Plateau State

Chapter One

Objectives of study

Inย achievingย the aimย ofย theย study,ย the followingย objectivesย wereย outlined.

  1. To identify the digital innovations / software used by QS in Jos, Plateau state,
  2. To identify the effect of the use of digital innovation in Quantity Surveying delivery in Nigeria and
  3. To identify the challenges of the use of digital innovation by QS in Jos, Plateau state.

CHAPTERย TWO

LITERATUREย REVIEW

ย ย INTRODUCTION

The literature review for this study is covered in this chapter. There are two sections to the review. The first section focuses on digital innovation and the Construction Industry as a Whole; it offers a working awareness of challenges connected to information and communication needs in construction as well as the present roles of digital innovation in construction. The second section examines the use of ICT in the construction industry by quantity surveying professionals, ICT tools and applications for the industry, and perceived implementation problems. An overview of the Nigerian quantity surveying market concludes the chapter.

ย ย THEย CONSTRUCTIONย INDUSTRY

In many economies, the building industry is the most significant sector. The Nigerian construction sector, for instance, has a 2010 GDP estimate of approximately GHC 3,900 million (Nigeria Statistical Service, 2010) and hence has a greater potential to affect GDP than any other service sector in the nation.

Additionally, the nature of the construction industry differs significantly from that of other sectors, like the industrial or retail sector, where procedures and the workplace are well-defined and managed (Gann, 2016).

One-off locations, one-off design solutions, one-off project teams, and typically large numbers of geographically dispersed organizations and individuals frequently reflect the transient nature and uniqueness of construction projects. This leads to a more fragmented communication platform and inevitably makes project communication activities complex.

In addition, the industry is distinguished by its distinctive products, on-site manufacturing, and ad hoc project teams with a high turnover rate. The industry depends on the usage of copious volumes of information over the course of a project in all these endeavors.

Constructionย Challenges

Today’s construction companies must adapt to a number of new problems, such as the need to focus more on clients, become more competitive, and increase productivity (Love, 2016). These difficulties can be attributed to elements that influence the working environment, such as the globalization of the economy, higher client performance standards, increased competition amongst local contractors, ongoing work practice reorganization, and labor relations. In light of this, several nations at various stages of socioeconomic development have realized the necessity and significance of taking action to enhance the performance of their building industries in order to fulfill their objectives for developmental goals (Ofori, 2000). The necessity to embrace technology and innovations in order to improve project performance is one of these methods.

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Mohamed and Stewart (2003) claim that the majority of information about the building process is primarily reliant on conventional communication channels including in-person meetings and the exchange of paper documents such technical drawings, specifications, and site instructions. This is the reason why the construction industry has endured access issues, outdated information, and incomplete information for a long time (Shoesmith, 2015). Construction management, like most other businesses, depends on correct information, thus there is a long-standing demand to improve information management efficiency by exchanging vast amounts of information quickly and at a cheap cost (Deng et al., 2001).

 

CHAPTERย THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

ย INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study seeks to identify the challenges of digital innovationย in the field in Quantity Surveying delivery in Jos, Plateau state. This chapterย presents the research methodology for the study. This chapter of the study presents the studyย design, population and target population, sampling, and data collection techniques as well as theย data

RESEARCHย DESIGN

For this study, exploratory research design was used. This was used because, the researcher aimsย at identifying the effect of digital innovation in the field in Quantity Surveying delivery in Jos, Plateau state.

POPULATIONย OFย THE STUDY

Population is the entire aggregation of items from which population can be drawn for a studyย (Opoku-Amankwa,ย 2009).ย Accordingย toย Passerย (2004),ย aย sampleย frameย representsย theย โ€œoperational definition of the populationโ€. The population for this study was registered QS firmsย in Jos. The list of registered QS firms in Nigeria was obtained from NIS. The listย provided 46 registered quantity surveying firms in Nigeria with their respective locations andย contactย details.ย Accordingย toย Nigeria Institution of Surveyors NIS (2017), the membership of the quantity surveying division locatedย in Jos, Plateau consisted of 43 firms. Therefore, the population for this research is 43ย quantityย surveyingย firms.

CHAPTERย FOUR

PRESENTATIONย ANDย DISCUSSIONย OFย FINDINGS

SAMPLEย CHARACTERISTICS

Toย accomplishย theย goalsย of theย study,ย a totalย of fifty (50) respondentsย were sampledย for theย study. The characteristics have been presented in tables and charts in order to be subservient toย theย comprehensionย andย generationย ofย confidenceย inย theย reliability andย veracity ofย theย dataย collected.

CHAPTERย FIVE

CONCLUSIONSย ANDย RECOMMENDATION

ย INTRODUCTION

This chapter summarizes the results from the research and draws conclusions from the collatedย data. It begins by summing up all the core issues discussed earlier in previous chapters includingย a review of how the key objectives were satisfied and a summary of the results are described.ย Finally,ย conclusions are drawn andย recommendations forย actionย areย alsoย included.

SUMMARYย OFย THEย RESEARCHย FINDINGS

Asย mentionedย earlierย inย chapterย one,ย thisย researchย wasย setย outย toย identifyย theย challenges of digital innovation(ICT) in the field in Quantity Surveying delivery in Jos, Plateau state, three research objectives were adopted in order to collectivelyย satisfyย this aim. Theย studyย produced someย significant findings that areย summarized below.

CONCLUSION

Fromย theย foregoing,ย itย canย beย concludedย thatย theย technologicalย innovationย hasย positivelyย impacted on the quality of quantity surveying services in the country. In addition, it could haveย enabled the firms to meet the high expectations of the client were it not for the poor ICTย infrastructural facilities and inadequate power supply in the country. In this wise, the Nigeriaย Government and the professional institutions like the Nigeria Institution of Surveyors has a vitalย role to play at improving the ICT professional education, infrastructural facilities and powerย supply in the country to fully exploit the benefit of the technology in Jos, Plateau state. In all, the positive impact of the technology on the overall quality of the services of theย QS practitioner is an indication that it is a suitable and veritable tool for enhancing or improvingย theย services of theย Quantityย Surveyingย Industryย inย the country.

RECOMMENDATIONS.

On the basis of findings and conclusions drawn from the study, the following recommendationsย areย proposed.

Financialย supportย for digital innovationย investmentย inย constructionย industry.

Investing in ICT is no longer primarily buying a piece of hardware or software. It is now more ofย a potential long term investment in the process of change itself (Cleveland 2019). Due to obviousย tight margins for funding ICT within mostย firms as revealed in this study, there is the need forย someย internalย policiesย towardsย ICTย investmentsย inย quantityย surveyingย andย constructionย firms.ย Itย is therefore recommended that, the construction firms should be motivated by the direct benefitsย of digital innovation and draw deliberate policies that provide some proportion of their internal budget for digital innovationย investments. This will aim to improve both productivity and profitability for their benefit. Again,ย based on the understanding on the returns on digital innovation investment, financial institutions can assistย consultants and contractors in Nigeria to finance their ICT investment by offering flexible creditย facilitiesย toย firmsย seekingย toย investย inย ICT.ย Thisย willย supportย theirย operationsย toย improveย efficiency and payback the facility. Furthermore, construction client may support contractorsย upon request, to procure ICT equipments for their contracts as a means to support efficiency andย collaborationย onย theirย projects.ย Thisย willย beย deductedย onย installmentsย fromย theirย progressย payments.

ย Trainingย andย managementย supportย for digital innovationย inย firms.

As observed from the study, the management of construction activities is gradually moving fromย the traditional paper based format to more digital processes. It is therefore recommended thatย adequate ICT training and technical support for professionals especially the quantity surveyors inย the construction firms should be vigorously promoted by employers and other stakeholders suchย asย variousย professionalย bodiesย andย associationsย ofย theย industryย inย Nigeria.ย Thisย shouldย aimย at providingย theย necessaryย awarenessย andย buildย capacityย toย meetย futureย challengesย inย thisย marketplace.

Increaseย ICTย contentย inย constructionย educationย atย allย level

As explained by Foresight 2000, the advent of computer and ICT integration in the constructionย processes creates the need for โ€œcross disciplinary educationโ€Ÿ. By recognizing the importance of digital innovation education in quantity surveying and for that matter construction, it is recommended that aย robust content of digital innovation education which will generate adequate construction digital innovation skill acquisitionย should be incorporated in construction courses as a supplement to technical knowledge andย expertiseย inย variousย fieldsย ofย constructionย study.ย Aย re-thinkโ€Ÿย inย thisย respectย willย helpย toย deliverย theย requireย ICT skillsย forย the Nigerianย Quantityย Surveyingย industry.

Thisย willย alsoย beย significantย toย developย andย supportย theย understandingย ofย howย ICTย couldย beย useย toย supportย construction processย at allย levels toย facilitateย theย necessaryย change and innovation.

REFERENCES

  • Adeoye,ย A.A.ย (2016)ย Computerizedย Informationย Systemย forย Surveyors,ย Informationย Managementย Consultants,ย Lagos.
  • Adetola,ย F.O.ย (2018),ย โ€œQuantityย surveyingย andย technologyย developmentย inย theย nextย millenniumโ€,ย NIQS 18thย Biannual Conference.
  • Akintoye, A (2001) Quantity Surveying; An art or Science? A researchersโ€™ Perspective, in:ย Moneke, G.O. (Ed.): Quantity Surveying and Total Cost Management, The Nigerianย Instituteย of Quantityย Surveyors,ย Lagos, 19โ€“41
  • Castle,ย G.ย (2002),ย Newย technology:ย opportunity orย threat?ย In:ย D.ย (ed.)ย Newย aspectsย ofย quantityย surveyingย Practice, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, UK, 189-220
  • Chartered COBRA 2009: The Construction and Building Research Conference of the Royalย Institutionย ofย Surveyorsย Heldย at theย Universityย of Capeย Town,ย 10-11 Septemberย 2009
  • E-BusinessW@tch(2005):ย Sectorย Reportย No.ย 08-Iย (Julyย 2005)ย ICTย andย Electronicย Businessย inย theย Constructionย Industry, Keyย issues and caseย studies.
  • Faragetย alย (2009).ย Usageย ofย Informationย Technologyย inย constructionย firms;ย Malaysianย Construction Induatry. European journal of scientific research, Vol 28 No3, pp 412-ย 429

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