PDAs

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PDAs Construction ManagementLearning to
Evaluate Applications for the Field

• Scott Fee, Assistant Professor
• Construction Management Program
• Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Construction Management A major, a discipline,
an industry

• MSU Program
• 200 majors 40 graduates/year
• 90 Building Construction 50/50 Commercial
  Residential
• Others ? road, utility, subs, sales, etc.
• MSU CM Grads
• Dont perform trade work
• Are often several levels away from the field
• Learning to assess technology vs. application
  training

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Tools at our Disposal

• 16 iPAQ Pocket PCs
• Nearly one per student
• Wireless card
• Wireless access point in the classroom
• UCompass Educator wireless site

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Assignment

• PDA Product Review Project Guidelines
• Topic A digital tool for PDAs (software,
  accessory, website, electronic catalog,
  newsgroup, etc.) designed to improve scheduling,
  estimating, or project management in the
  construction industry
• Guidelines for Report
• The report will consist of your PowerPoint
  presentation and extensive notes for each slide.
• Include a minimum of five (5) reference sources
  properly cited
• one source must be a personal contact (interview,
  e-mail, etc.)
• one source must be from a peer-reviewed JOURNAL
  (very different from a magazine)
• one source must be from an unbiased website
  related to your topic
• Submit a hard copy of ten (10) slides of content,
  not including title, summary and bibliography
• Include a properly formatted bibliography (use
  APA Format from Publication Manual of the
  American Psychological Association)

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Student ExamplesfromCM 414Advanced
Scheduling Estimating
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On-Site Project Management

• L3Solutions Asia Wireless
• Presenters
• David Assumpcao
• Patrick Barnett

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Background

• Ultra thin and stylish
• Easy to expand and customizable
• 206 MHz Intel StrongARM Processor
• 64MB of storage memory
• Infrared port (IrDA) 115k
• USB cradle interface

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Background

• iPAQ vs. Palm

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L3Solutions, LLC

• WallCalc
• Drywall
• Paint
• Wall Paper

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L3Solutions, LLC

• FloorCalc
• Carpeting
• Ceramic Tile
• Resilient Tile
• Hardwood Flooring

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L3Solutions, LLC

• Disadvantages
• No price to finish estimate
• The two programs are not combined

• Advantages
• Easy to use
• Good customization
• Great take-off numbers

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REALMobileConstruction

• Developed for Pocket PC
• Application suite with 8 modules
• Site Investigation
• Foundation
• Labor Management
• Defect Inspection
• Building Maintenance
• Safety Checking
• Asset Management
• Project Management

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REALMobileConstruction
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REALMobileConstruction
Case Study

• A leading construction company in China
• Initially purchased 30 HP iPAQs
• Improves inspection process
• Paperless solution
• Saves time

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REALMobileConstruction

• Advantages
• Reduces time spent on paperwork
• Accurate generation of reports
• Up-to-date info
• Open platform
• Environmentally friendly

• Disadvantages
• Must train employees
• Updates are more critical
• Dependent on network
• User acceptance
• Difficult to contact

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MSU A Modern University

• President Davenport has set the goal for MSU of
  becoming the Modern University
• Dynamic
• Innovative
• Collaborative
• Technological
• The wireless PDA project supports, and is
  supported by, the concept of the Modern
  University. . .

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Modern University DYNAMIC

• Far beyond textbook learning
• In step with a rapidly changing industry world
• Requires students to think on their feet learn
  how to learn quickly
• Untested, requiring flexibility problem-solving

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Modern University INNOVATIVE

• Different than other CM programs
• Preparation for Fees 6-month Prediction
• Preparation for career challenges success -
  critical and creative thinking

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Modern University COLLABORATIVE

• Not focused on skill-building (technical
  literacy), but decision-making
• Forces students to ask questions to others
  outside the classroom
• Teamwork training

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Modern University TECHNOLOGICAL

• the obvious they're PDAs and they're the latest
  in technology
• the less-obvious technology is seldom a solution
  it is a tool to extend human abilities
• Students must realize they are the solution the
  technology (hardware, software, etc.) simply
  assists them in implementing what their wet-ware
  has come up with

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Summary

• How We Used Them
• Advanced Scheduling Estimating Course
• Accessed MSU Nokia Wireless Network
• Accessed UCompass Classroom Mgmt. Platform
• Assessed applications accessories for the
  devices
• What We Learned
• Viewer v. Creator
• Many apps available, but . . .
• Many are only in Beta form and . . .
• Only a fraction of the of Palm apps available
• Students can assess limitations areas for
  improvement . . .
• That may affect our industrys expectations in
  the field
• High potential (in time)
• Whats Next
• Industry-led problem-solving
• Upgrades notepads