THE EFFECTS OF COMPUTERIZATION ON THE BUILDING INDUSTRY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON QUANTITY SURVEYING
The introduction of computerization into the operations of the building industry began in the late-1950s. The earliest applications of computer technology in the building industry were related to project scheduling. Computerization of the quantity surveying function did not begin until the late-1970s. Quantity surveying is the formal process of determining quantities from drawings and specifications, and is a part of the broader process of estimating wherein costs are associated with such quantities.
The effects of computerization on the building industry are reviewed in this research. A special emphasis is placed on the application of computer technology to the quantity surveying function within building industry operations.
Computer Applications in the Building Industry
The scheduling and control of large construction projects have been major tasks of construction management since the advent of large construction projects in the pre-Christian era. Although a great deal is known about many of these early projects, very little (nearly nothing) is known about how these projects were managed during their construction. As strange as it may seem, little is known about the management of large construction projects that were completed right up to the beginning of the twentieth century (some data are available from the late-1890s).
In the early years of the twentieth century, Frederick Taylor developed the concept and techniques of scientific management. Scientific management was a system designed primarily for use in manufacturing management. Scientific management was intended to "increase the output of the average worker and to improve the efficiency of management." These same needs of manufacturing operations also existed with respect to construction operations.
Soon after the development of scientific ...