We humans have always managed projects. If you ever read an introductory book on Project Management, I’m willing to bet that at some point the building of the pyramids in Egypt or the Colosseum in Rome were mentioned as examples of how old project management is.What do all of those examples have in common?They were not just projects, but construction projects.We have been managing construction projects for a very long time with various degrees of success. While they may not have finished on time or on budget, construction projects typically result in the production of a massive building or structure, and after years of it being part of the landscape we tend to forget how much they cost and how long it took to build it. Their mere existence and physical integrity seem to become the measure for success as time goes by.As a result, the construction industry can be reluctant to embrace new technology at times. Does any of this sound familiar?”We have built the same way for a long time and it works. Why do we need new technologies?””There’s no time or money to fiddle with new things. We were the lowest bidder for a reason! “
However, we live in a rapidly changing world, and sometimes the push for change trickles down even to the ancient construction industry. As an example, McGraw-Hill has recently conducted a study showing how the use of BIM (Building Information Modeling) tools will increase as the push for “green” buildings continues to grow. Here’s a link to the story:
This is a great example of how an external factor (in this case the current global push for environmentally-friendly projects) can dictate change. In times of worldwide recession, it is important to have an edge over the competition, and that usually means doing things more effectively. To achieve that, you need to innovate and see the value of technology.Despite the recession, innovation is necessary. Change is still here. Just like the pyramids.
Cesar Abeid