The construction industry in Poland suffers from poor project performance because the construction work is fragmented between various stakeholders and different sub-processes. It is crucial for construction practitioners to understand, visualise, quantify and simulate the components which affect construction work. A questionnaire survey was carried out to collect research data for analysis and assessment of IT tools supporting the management of multi-sector projects. The study concerns in particular the use of IT project management softwares in construction companies.
In total,11 companies participated and 20 completed questionnaires were submitted (in some of the companies, more than one employee participated in the survey).
The questions focused mainly on two areas: one was the company’s profile overall fit as a project-management entity, while the other concerned the actual use and assessment of IT tools used by relevant teams in project management (often multi-sector).
In total, 20 respondents representing Poland’s largest construction companies participated in the study, with the breakdown of their roles shown in Fig 1.
Subsequently, to better identify project maturity across the sample, respondents were asked, among other questions: whether a Project Management Office (PMO) or other similar department dedicated to project management was ever established in their organisation, on average how many projects the organisation implements, and whether these include multi-sector projects. Responses are shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, respectively
The average number of projects implemented in these companies was 105 (Fig. 3). The projects included construction contracts covering infrastructures/areas such as: road, rail, industrial, energy, and cubature.
The next question concerned working in a multi-industry environment. As it turns out, the vast majority of the companies (80%, 16 respondents) do indeed pursue multi-sector projects. Construction companies engage teams of specialists from various industries in the implementation of their complex infrastructure investments. And so, for the implementation of a cubature project, for example, professionals qualified in a variety of fields are required, some of these fields being: architecture, construction, electrical installations, sanitary installations. Analysing our results, there were 4 respondents who claimed that no multi-sector projects were being implemented among the company’s business operations. Respondents were also asked whether a project management software was ever adopted by their company. As it turns out, this was the case for 85% of the sample, as reflected in Fig. 4.
After analysing our results in more detail, we found that the negative responses to those questions came, once again, from the representatives of the same company that was not pursuing multi-sector projects at the time of conducting this study. To summarise, a project management software was implemented in 10 out of 11 construction companies.
By analysing the collected survey results, a conclusion can be drawn that with the use of project management software significantly improves the performance of project teams, increases their efficiency, and reduces the risk of overruns and delays as well as of project failure. The advantages of adopting such solutions by businesses far outweigh the disadvantages, whereas the lack of such tools increases the risk of information disorganisation and chaos, which is especially undesirable when many units or industries are involved. The example of the use of IT systems supporting project management in the construction industry points to the increased development of these tools and their functionalities.
Quantim assists architects and project managers by streamlining project planning, tracking, and collaboration. It enables efficient scheduling of tasks, resource allocation, and budget management, ensuring projects stay on track and within budget. They can easily share design documents, communicate with team members, and monitor project progress, enhancing overall productivity and enabling them to deliver high-quality designs on time.
Source- Researchgate-Benefits of using IT systems in multi-sector projects: a case study of the Polish construction industry By Malgorzata Waszkiewicz