March 17, 2006

A roadmap to new technology

New roadmap vision a boon to construction industry

WENDY KUDEBA

correspondent

HAWAII

When it comes to technical changes in the workplace, there are many excuses for not embracing something new.

However, that mindset can quickly curtail progress and innovation in industries, including the construction sector.

“We have no choice,” said Nicole Testa of FIATECH during a Canadian Construction Association convention session. “We either embrace it and learn it, or we evaporate.”

Construction and its future roadmap are key research areas for FIATECH. Testa said a key element to project implementation is looking for innovative ways to use existing technologies or methodologies that can be applied to construction, eliminating duplication of time and expense in creating new ones.

Construction-related projects have included testing concrete types to see how they fare in varying cold weather temperatures, which used Alberta as the test site, and another project that examined the curing rates of concrete. By using a sensor implanted in concrete to gauge when it was set, rather than traditional testing methods, it was discovered the cure rate of some types of concrete was two days earlier than originally presumed.

It didn’t take long for industry leaders to grasp the sensor technology and make it standard practice among its members.

Projects examining how construction materials are tracked from manufacturer to final destination may improve how these tasks are now performed, Testa said.

Software technology is also a key element to streamlining project management. Testa said technology, using existing standards to accelerate and deploy, helps to reduce costs, reduce schedules and eliminate overhead.

FIATECH has developed a Capital Project Technology Roadmap Vision of the Future, which can be applied to the real-time project and facility management, coordination and control of a variety of projects. A specific application outlines an Intelligent and Automated Construction Job Site (IACJS), a tactical plan for the capital projects technology roadmap.

Applying the roadmap vision throughout the process — from client and customer needs to technical plans, resources, detailed work packages and real-time operational status — gives managers a clear vision of how to get through projects in a timely and efficient manner using technology to their utmost advantage.

By bringing industry representatives from all sectors together in the development of these roadmaps, common themes, challenges, and project solutions arise, Testa said. Roadmapping is used to examine trends and common causes, identify common threats and learn how to overcome those threats.

“Roadmapping is used to guide investments in technology and research and development,” said Testa. Although the roadmapping concept is not radical or new, FIATECH has streamlined the process so there are no “hand off points” in business — all information is available to everyone at all times whenever they need it.

Three construction projects underway at FIATECH are Laser Scanning Measurement Assurance (LSMA), Smart Chips and Valuing Emerging Technologies.

Roadmaps are designed as living documents so that as industry changes are implemented or new technology becomes available, the roadmaps can change with them and build upon them.

“The (construction) industry is like a castle in the air and we now need to build foundations,” said Testa of the need for the industry to find ways to identify and deploy innovative technical solutions.

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