The Editor's Viewpoint
CHANGE IS CONSTANT MANAGE IT, OR IT WILL MANAGE YOU
To quote John Sculley, Former CEO of Apple Computers: "We live in a period of incredible change, and the one thing we can predict about the future is that change will only increase at a more rapid pace". And so it has. Indeed, computers are changing the way we do business so rapidly that the articles devoted to computers in construction in this issue of the CSRF Newsletter seem conservative in light of today's changing environment.
You can blame change on the chip makers, the PC, the Web or Silicon Valley in general, but it's going to take even more effort to keep up in the future.
One very astute commentator on the scene wrote recently that the next decade will be a very difficult one for both the computer industry and those that use computers. He contends that the next couple of years will be devoted to "downsizing" or client/server computing. As the cost of PCs drops and their power and memory increases to equal that of the larger systems, the day of "the mainframe on the desk" will be here. Connectivity between users and databases is rapidly becoming an accepted fact, so that everyone will have access to all the information about a project that they need. Colin Gilboy's article in this issue suggests even more universal connectivity with sources of construction information and products.
Just a few years ago, a speaker at an APEC Conference suggested that a user could have a machine on his desk that had the power of 100 MIPS (million instructions per second). The audience laughed and asked what he had been smoking. Today almost any user can afford many more than 100 MIPS of computer power on his desk, connected to almost any other location or resource desired. And that's creating a competitive problem for many A/E/C firms in the construction industry, who decide not to take advantage of the computing power available.
Coping with Change and the Information Age
As Bob Johnson points out in his article, no longer is a multi-million dollar investment necessary for the purchase and maintenance of a mainframe computer, plus associated software and staff programmers. This cost reduction permits anyone to be as efficient and productive as the larger firms. It means that the small, two to five man firm can turn out work, if they have the professional expertise, that is as sophisticated as the large firms. Another benefit is the fact that the small firm may not be able to find or afford CADD operators, so the principals and project A/Es are forced to design on the screen themselves. This is having an enormous effect on design development and creativity in many firms. Not being inhibited by an outmoded database of office practices, design standards and similar data, the new entrepreneurs are free to break new design ground, and use all the computer-supported information and databases they can find.
What's developing in the construction industry, particularly the design professions, is an increasing contrast between firms who are knowledgeably embracing the use of computers and those who are not. As some have said, it's "mind set", and doesn't seem to have anything to do with age or experience.
One thing is becoming increasingly apparent: those who take knowledgeable advantage of the computer's ability to support them in design, construction and operation of facilities are enjoying a competitive advantage.
The CSRF newsletter is published for SPECTEXT® subscribers and others involved in design and construction. To obtain your copy of Creating a Common Language®, please contact the CSRF Support Center by telephone at 1-877- SPECTXT or 410-838-7561 or you may e-mail us at supportcenter@csrf.org
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