Chapter 5: Conclusions
5.1.1 Objective 1 Identify the current practices and challenges for ICT-
This objective was achieved thorough a literature review, desk study and survey research, of which the main findings of research are presented in Section 1.3-1.5 of Chapter 1, Section 2.1- 2.5 of Chapter 2, and Section 4.2 of Chapter 4. The results of the research are also published in Papers 1-3.
The research work began with examination of the SCM and SRM literature. The literature review revealed that the application of cSCM has not been an easy task, predominantly due to the structural and cultural dynamics which are largely governed by the temporary, one-off, project specific, irregular and disjointed supply chain interactions (Section 2.3). In terms of relationship management, a desk study was conducted to identify the key characteristics of collaborative supply chains (Paper 2, Appendix C). Trust, partnering and collaboration were identified as the key attributes associated with the collaborative and integrative supply chain relationships. Given that there are multitude of relationships in an organisation’s supply network, a relationship taxonomy was developed which classified the industry relationships into four main types (transactional, series of transactions, project collaboration and long-term strategic partnerships) based on 17 relational attributes identified in the relational marketing literature (Paper 1, Appendix B).
To have a better understanding of the construction-specific SCM and SRM practices by contractor organisations, a survey questionnaire was developed and administered to large UK contractor firms (Paper 3, Appendix D). The questionnaire study sought to investigate the two key aspects of cSCM: the contractors’ relationship with their downstream supply chain firms, and the systems, technologies and processes they employ to manage these relationships. In line with the literature review findings, the study confirmed that the current application and practice of the cSCM and SRM falls short of the intended vision and strategy behind the SCM concept, which is concerned with the transformation of an entire supply chain into a ‘value chain’. Although, the findings revealed that some contractor-supplier relationships are beginning to stretch beyond the immediate tier in the supply chain (for example, as a result of project specific, financial, technical and contractual demands), the study concluded that current form of cSCM by contractor organisations is that of ‘supplier management’ rather than ‘chain level’ management. A relationship-oriented framework was developed to address the management, coordination and control needs in dyadic and extended network of supply chain firms (Paper 3, Appendix D).
Similarly, in relation to the latter point, the study revealed that ICT-enabled mechanisms adopted for cSCM are largely focused on supply chain operations with the immediate firm in the supply tiers (both downstream and upstream). There exists a variety of ICT-enabled systems and technologies (most notable being the BIM, Project Extranets and Electronic
Document Interchange systems), however the study found inconsistent use of these technologies along supply chain tiers. Although, the findings revealed the importance of utilising a variety of inter-organisational systems and technologies to facilitate efficient, timely and cost-effective supply chain interactions, the study concluded that it may be inherently difficult to introduce, or adopt, integrated solutions with the firms in extended tiers unless contractor organisations have the influence and power to exert pressure on their downstream supply chains.
The final task in Objective 1 was to investigate the technological landscape to assess the technological solutions that facilitate integration and collaboration between supply chain firms (Section 4.2.3). The findings drawn from the vendor analysis matrix in Section 4.2.3 indicates that most vendors offer solutions for project-related workflow activities, where the Document Management and Project Management leads the most implemented suit of functionalities. Although a significant proportion of vendors offer procurement and ERP packages, the functionality of these solutions are split between two core tasks: (i) facilitating the sourcing needs of projects, such as tendering, or (ii) commercial management of supply chain
Table 5:1 Summary of key findings.
Research Objectives / Research Tasks: Findings:
1. Identify the current practices and challenges for ICT-enabled Supply Chain Management by contractor organisations 1.1 Review the state-of-the-art on construction-
specific SCM and SRM.
Transactional, one-off and adversarial relationships are the norm in the industry with the exception of some integrated, collaborative practices with upstream supply chain firms.
1.2 Explore and identify the current practices and challenges for ICT-enabled SCM
technologies by contractor organisations.
ICT-enabled mechanisms for management of supply chain firms do not extend beyond the immediate tier in the supply chain. BIM, Project Extranets, and Integrated Databases are the top three ICTs for sharing of project and commercial data with upstream/downstream supply chains. 1.3 Explore the current AEC-specific Software-
As-A-Service solutions that facilitate the collaboration and management of construction supply chains.
Current SaaS vendors provide bundles of capabilities/functionalities for Document Management and Project Management which leads the most mature solution amongst the majority of vendors. Currently, no vendor offers a single, comprehensive solution for end-to-end functional or collaborative integration.
2.Examine the main challenges and barriers in Inter-Organisational Information Systems (IOIS) implementation projects and identify the key factors for successful implementation
2.1 Examine the main challenges and barriers during supplier on-boarding phase of an IOIS implementation project.
In what follows from the case study findings, technical factors did not emerge as being significant factor in the supplier on-boarding process of the IOIS implementation. Rather, the findings point to a number of ‘soft’ organisational and management issues such as lack of top management support/commitment, absence of IOIS implementation strategy and, poor communication and coordination.
2.2 Examine the post-implementation challenges; the user adoption and on-going use of a private B2B e-Marketplace system.
Issues of user/system-interface design, interfacing of the IOIS with the supplier’s systems, and end-users’ perceived significance of suppliers for integration, underpin the successful adoption, and continuance use of the IOIS.
3. Develop a guideline for IOIS implementation by contractor organisations 3.1 Synthesize the previous work and develop a
strategic guideline for contractor firms seeking integration with supply chain firms.
Successful implementation of an IOIS is dependent on the dynamics of relationship between the large contractor firm and its supply chain firms, as well as the IOIS provider and other third-party service providers. A practice-oriented best-practice framework for IOIS implementation was developed and presented in Section 4.4 of this thesis.
organisations. However, it was revealed that majority of these solutions are focused on internal processes and lack integration functionality to seamlessly interact with or, support the re-use of information generated by external systems.
5.1.2 Objective 2. Examine the main challenges and barriers in Inter-
Organisational Information Systems (IOIS) implementation projects
and identify the key factors for successful implementation
This objective was achieved by undertaking a case study research which is detailed in Section 4.3 of Chapter 4. The findings of an earlier desk study are also partially presented in Section 2.5-2.7 of Chapter 2. The results of the research are published in Paper 4, along with another research article presented in Appendix F of this thesis (currently under review).
A longitudinal case study research strategy was adopted to analyse the main challenges and barriers in IOIS implementation. The retrospective analysis of the case study IOIS allowed the research to establish the crucial implementation factors in two distinct phases of the IOIS project’s lifecycle. In the earlier supplier on-boarding phase, the IOIS project was investigated, and during the post-implementation phase the research focused on the IOIS artefact.
Evident from the case study, implementing IOIS to facilitate integration with supply chain partners is a complex endeavour which not only demands joint commitment from suppliers, but also requires significant re-engineering of the existing internal (and external) business processes. In terms of the systems development activities, the challenges and barriers that commonly crop-up in IS development projects also seem to appear in the earlier stages of the IOIS project delivery. However, due to the number of supply chain firms (and other third- party technology solution providers) involved in the planning, design, development, and the implementation, there are a few distinct challenges that require further attention by senior-level management. These are categorised as technical, coordination, organizational, and integration issues with the IOIS intermediary, which are discussed in more detail in Section 4.3.1 and in Paper 4. The research concludes that majority of these issues stem from poor IOIS implementation strategy and, points to several critical success factors that needs to be taken into account during IOIS strategy development.
In relation to the second task (the post-implementation evaluation of the IOIS), the research adopted a well-established theoretical framework (DeLone and McLean IS Success Model) to explore the case study IOIS’s adoption, acceptance and continuance use over a 12- month period, in eight business units, across 42 projects, and by 135 users (Paper 5). The data was obtained through two questionnaire surveys (administered in 6 months interval), system usage data, and issue logs to investigate the six IS success variables (system quality, information quality, service quality, use, user satisfaction and net benefits). The study identified several important (system, service and information quality) issues from the questionnaire surveys which were also supported with the evidence gathered from the issue logs (See Section 5 of Paper 5). In terms of usage, the findings from the study revealed that IOIS adoption rate varies significantly amongst the user base, projects, and business unit levels. Differences in perceived significance of suppliers by end-users were also validated to assess the net benefits of the IOIS. For example, one of the supplier integration projects was found to be failing in realisation of the full benefits of IOIS implementation, which highlight the importance of supplier selection process in the earlier phases of the IOIS implementation.