Uses of Mobile Information Technology Devices in the Field for Design, Construction, and Asset Management (2016)

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14 CHAPTER THREE AGENCY POLICIES FOR MOBILE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USE MOBILE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEVICE IMPLEMENTATION AND PERCEPTIONS When it comes to technology, the engineering and construc- tion industries have a plethora of options to investigate. However, industrywide adoption of a particular technology usually requires that a business case be made for it and that technology decisions are based on solid evidence. This phenomenon is apparent in the survey of state trans- portation agencies’ (STAs’) use of mobile IT devices, where potential practice far exceeded current practice. Although 84% of the states (42 states) provided at least one response to the survey, only 10% believe they are high-level implement- ers (see Figures 17 and 18). Market penetration exists but, at least perceptually, much more remains to be gained from mobile IT device use. Yes 84% No 13% Unsure 3% Does your agency use mobile IT devices in the eld for design, construction, and asset management? FIGURE 17 Agency use of mobile IT devices. High-level implementer 10% Medium-level implementer 38% Low-level implementer 52% To what degree has your agency adopted/implemented mobile IT? FIGURE 18 DOTs’ perception of mobile IT implementation. To assist in the implementation process, some STAs work with others to develop strategies and policies, and to deploy the devices. When IT respondents were asked if they col- laborate with other STAs, 53% said no, 41% said yes, and 6% were unsure. End users were much less certain: 50% were unsure, 28% said their agency did not collaborate with other STAs, and 22% believed they did. As STAs advance in their mobile IT device use, perhaps they will be more receptive to collaborating with other states. DEPLOYMENT AND TRAINING STRATEGIES Agency policies for deploying the devices and training the end users are critical to the success of technology implementation. Issues such as standardization of devices, how an individual obtains one, who is responsible for updating the devices and applications, and how end users are trained to effectively use them can set the agency on a path toward a mobile workforce. Current practices show mixed results in these areas. A majority of agencies do standardize mobile IT devices across their multiple business platforms (Figure 19), espe- cially according to their IT staff. However, the majority have only an informal process to deploy the devices: a “give and go” strategy (Figure 20). Thirty percent to 40% of STAs use some project-specific and software-specific deploy- ment strategies, but they are not consistently applied across all divisions and projects. STAs identified the need for an effective training program for mobile IT devices, and can seek assistance from agencies such as the Associated Gen- eral Contractors of America that have local chapters that can assist in training employees. Yes 47% No 6% Unsure 47% According to end user respondents Yes 73% No 21% Unsure 6% According to IT respondents Does your agency standardize mobile IT devices to be used across multiple business areas? FIGURE 19 Agency standardization of mobile IT devices.

15 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Informal process ("give and go") Software-specic training and deployment Project-specic training and deployment Formal training process Other How does your agency deploy its devices? FIGURE 20 Agency deployment strategies. Although standardization and deployment strategies exist in various forms for STAs, the number of employees who receive a device is relatively low. Whether within their division or throughout the agency, the majority of survey respondents said that fewer than a quarter of their employees are provided with a mobile device (Figure 21). 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0% >0–25% >25–50% >50–75% >75–100% Co un t o f r es po ns es Percentage of employees Division (design, construction, asset management) STA FIGURE 21 Percentage of STA employees provided mobile devices. Once devices are deployed to the appropriate employ- ees, training is the next critical step. Because the types and uses of devices vary across agencies, it is no surprise that the amount of training varies as well. Slightly more than 50% of respondents provide a brief overview of the device’s functionality; while one in five do not provide any training whatsoever for their users (Figure 22). This is because many STAs use only cellphones or smartphones as their mobile IT devices and assume that users do not need any specific train- ing on those devices. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Brief overview of the device's functionality Software- specic training Overview of functionality, presented rules and regulations on their use, and expectations of their use My agency does not currently have a training plan for users l don't know Overview of functionality and how they have been used on other projects User groups that share experiences and best practices If your agency trains employees who are issued mobile IT devices, what level of training do they receive for their mobile IT devices? FIGURE 22 Training strategies. There is little consistency across STAs when it comes to dealing with data collected from mobile IT devices. The most frequently employed strategy is to sync the data to land-based servers (60%); however, 24% of STAs have begun to use cloud-based servers for data storage (Figure 23). States also vary in how they share the data: 42% share project data with other stakeholders, 35% keep the data within the agency, and 16% keep them with the individual data collector (Figure 23). 0 20 40 60 80 100 Device is synced to land-based servers where data is stored and shared Shared on projects with other stakeholders Stay within agency project Synthesized and centralized for future reference to entire agency Data are synced to a cloud server where data is stored and shared Incorporated in project lessons learned Stay with individual data collector Other How are data shared and stored within your agency? FIGURE 23 Data sharing strategies.