Management information system for home building enterprises

Construction is a complex and fragmented process that is carried out by a large number of participants. Information technology (IT) is regarded as an effective tool to reduce the problem with communication and data processing. Since the construction business is highly project-oriented, most of the research efforts have focused on building modeling and web-based project management systems. However, the home building industry is significantly different from other construction sections in terms of structure and management strategies. Homebuilders generally construct tens or hundreds houses simultaneously and organize their production at corporation level. This paper proposes a framework to achieve managing information for home building enterprises by using management information system (MIS) technology. Based on the analysis of the nature of home building practice, fundamental features are identified. The proposed model has a three-tier client/server architecture, and the functions and major components of each tier are discussed.