ITcon Vol. 8, pg. 29-41, http://www.itcon.org/2003/3

Project management with a project web

submitted:November 2002
revised:May 2003
published:May 2003
editor(s):B. Bjork
authors:J. L. Andresen, Research assistant professor,
Department of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby
email: Jan.Andresen@mail.tele.dk

K. Christensen, Associate professor,
Department of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby
email: kc@byg.dtu.dk

R.W. Howard, Professor,
Department of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby
email: robhoward@constcom.demon.co.uk
summary:Using a project web in building now occurs in an increasing number of projects. There is an emphasis, especially in large building projects and by large companies, on using a project web because it is expected to lead to benefits and increased efficiency. A number of Danish case studies, with the aim of investigating three different aspects of the usage of a project web, are presented in this paper. These are: project management, functionalities, and cost/benefit. Based on the data collected and analysed from four case studies using the same lead contractor, this paper contains a summary of the data and a presentation of the conclusions. One of the major findings is that the planning of why and how the project web should be used is often rushed and this results in over hasty usage where the problems begin to exceed the expected efficiency gains. In general the project web service used in the case studies contained the required functionalities, but often it was evident that they were implemented too quickly, resulting in users losing patience and thereafter completing their task using traditional means. Evaluation using the method “Measuring the Benefits of IT Innovation” revealed that a series of projects, led by the same contractor and using the same project web, did not produce a positive payback (in monetary terms), however a significant number of non-economically measurable benefits were identified.
keywords:Project web, Project management, IT evaluation.
full text: (PDF file, 1.505 MB)
citation:Andresen J L, Christensen K, Howard R W (2003). Project management with a project web, ITcon Vol. 8, pg. 29-41, https://www.itcon.org/2003/3