Current use of EDM systems in the Finnish construction industry

Triggered by the very quick proliferation of Internet connectivity and the use of email, electronic document management (EDM) systems are now rapidly being adopted for managing the documentation that is produced and exchanged in construction projects. Nevertheless there are still substantial barriers to the introduction of such systems, mainly of a psychological nature. Relatively little research has been carried out concerning the use of EDM in construction, compared to product modelling. This paper presents the results of an empirical study carried out in the spring of 2002 concerning the current level of use in Finland as well as the barriers to the introduction. The study was carried out partly as telephone interviews with key personnel from 100 randomly chosen construction projects, partly through interviews with representatives for half a dozen of vendors of EDM systems and ASP-services. The telephone interview indicated that while around 1/3 of big projects already have adopted the use of EDM, very few small projects have adopted this technology. The interviews with vendors of ASP solutions shed a lot of ligth on the dynamics of the market for this type of services and illustrated the diversity of business strategies adopted by vendors.