4 ]Re is a de la Cons ucción
Volumen 8 No 2 - 2009
Sis ema de Con ol In eg ado
pa a PYMES del sec o de la
Cons ucción
An In eg a ed Con ol
Sys em o SMEs in he
Cons uc ion Indus y
Au o es
PELLICER, E. P o eso Ti ula
Uni e sidad Poli écnica de Valencia, Escuela Técnica Supe io de
Ingenie os de Caminos, Canales y Pue os, España
email: [email p o ec ed].es
Fecha de ecepción
Fecha de acep ación
12/06/2009
07/08/2009
PELLICER, T. M. P o eso Con a ado Doc o
Uni e sidad Poli écnica de Valencia, Escuela Técnica Supe io de
Ingenie os de Caminos, Canales y Pue os, España
email: [email p o ec ed].es
CATALÁ, J. Ca ed á ico
Uni e sidad Poli écnica de Valencia, Escuela Técnica Supe io de
Ingenie os de Caminos, Canales y Pue os, España
email: [email p o ec ed].es
páginas: 4 - 17 [ 5
Re is a de la Cons ucción
Volumen 8 No 2 - 2009
[
Pellice E. - Pellice T. M. - Ca alá J.
]
Mos cons uc ion companies a e small
and medium-sized en e p ises (SMEs)
ha manage p ojec -based and business-
ocused ac i i ies simul aneously.
Comme cial so wa e packages a e no
ully de eloped o o e a unique solu ion
ha ackles bo h. To ill his gap, his pape
desc ibes an in eg a ed managemen
sys em speci ically de eloped o SMEs
in he cons uc ion indus y, whe he
con ac o s o consul ing enginee ing
and a chi ec u al i ms. Bo h, p ojec
and business unc ions a e add essed
and handled by he sys em as a whole.
Pa icula a en ion is gi en o he
p ocu emen p ocess because i is
essen ial o he s a egic planning o
hese companies, which mus na u ally
engage new con ac s o emain in
business. The sys em is based on a clien /
se e a chi ec u e ha is a anged in
h ee ie s: p esen a ion (use in e aces
La mayo pa e de compañías de la
indus ia de la cons ucción son pequeñas
y medianas emp esas (PYMEs) que
ges ionan simul áneamen e ac i idades
basadas en los p oyec os y en los
negocios. Las aplicaciones in o má icas
come ciales no se han desa ollado
su icien emen e pa a o ece una solución
única que abo de ambos aspec os. Con
el in de cub i es a ca encia, el p esen e
a ículo desc ibe un sis ema in eg ado de
ges ión diseñado especí icamen e pa a
PYMEs del sec o de la cons ucción, sean
cons uc o as o consul o as de ingenie ía
y a qui ec u a. Ambas unciones,
p oyec uales y emp esa iales, son
abo dadas y ges ionadas conjun amen e
po el sis ema. Especial a ención o igina
el p oceso de con a ación debido a que
es undamen al pa a la plani icación
es a égica de es as emp esas, las cuales
deben consegui nue os con a os con
el in de man ene se en el me cado. El
sis ema es á basado en una a qui ec u a
clien e/se ido que se es uc u a en
and o ms), applica ion (que ies), and
da a ( ela ional ables). The sys em uses
MS AccessTM as a da abase managemen
sys em. Use s a e ca ego ized acco ding
o hei unc ions wi hin he hie a chy
o he company, and he e o e se e al
di e en in e aces a e designed o each
pe sonnel ca ego y. The sys em wo ks in
eal- ime, so e e y employee wi h a p e-
es ablished igh o access can ob ain
in o ma ion ins an aneously. This is c ucial
o making immedia e decisions when
p oblems a ise, allowing p omp ac ions
om e e y manage in he hie a chy and
esul ing in no ewo hy ime sa ings. This
compu e -based applica ion has been
success ully implemen ed by ou Spanish
SMEs in he cons uc ion indus y. The
sui abili y and ad an ages o he sys em
implemen a ion a e highligh ed in his
pape wi h speci ic da a ega ding i s
cu en ope a ion.
es ni eles: p esen ación (in e aces
del usua io y o mula ios), aplicación
(consul as) y da os ( ablas elacionales).
Se u iliza MS AccessTM como sis ema
ges o de la base de da os. Los usua ios se
ca ego izan de acue do con sus unciones
den o de la je a quía emp esa ial y, po
lo an o, se diseñan di e en es in e aces
pa a cada ca ego ía de pe sonal. El
sis ema abaja en iempo eal, de modo
que cada empleado, con sus de echos de
acceso p ees ablecidos, puede ob ene
in o mación ins an áneamen e. Es e
aspec o es undamen al pa a oma
decisiones inmedia as cuando su gen los
p oblemas, pe mi iendo que los ges o es
en cualquie ni el je á quico ac úen
ápidamen e, y ob eniendo aho os de
iempo sus anciales. Es a aplicación
in o má ica se ha implemen ado con éxi o
en cua o emp esas españolas del sec o
de la cons ucción. La adap abilidad y
en ajas del sis ema se des acan en el
a ículo, incluyendo da os conc e os sob e
su uncionamien o eal.
Resumen
Palab as cla e: Ges ión de negocios, emp esas cons uc o as, bases de da os
elacionales, ecnología de la in o mación, adminis ación de p oyec os.
Key wo ds: Business managemen , cons uc ion companies, ela ional da abases;
In o ma ion Technology (IT), p ojec managemen .
Abs ac
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Pellice E. - Pellice T. M. - Ca alá J.
]
In oduc ion
The cons uc ion indus y is managed p ima ily by
p ojec s, on he one hand, and i is basically composed o
small and medium-sized en e p ises (SMEs), on he o he .
Fo each phase in he cons uc ion p ocess ( easibili y,
design, cons uc ion, ope a ion, and di es men ),
di e en kinds o p ojec s a e needed and, consequen ly,
specialized p ojec -based companies ha e been se up o
add ess his need (Gann and Sal e 2000; Winch 2006):
mainly consul ing enginee ing and a chi ec u al (CEA)
i ms and cons uc ion companies (con ac o s). Mos
o hese companies can be conside ed as SMEs (DTI
1998; Pea ce 2003; Robei o and Lo e 2003) since, o
ins ance, in he Eu opean Union he e is an a e age o
i e wo ke s pe company ope a ing in he cons uc ion
indus y (Eu os a 2006).
Taking all hese in o accoun , many companies in he
cons uc ion sec o manage hei business as a pool
o p ojec s, ocusing on each p ojec in i sel (Engwall
2003). P ojec - ocused compu e ized ools ha e been
de eloped o manage indi idual p ojec s and ensu e ha
in o ma ion on he s a us o each p ojec is a ailable;
ne e heless, hese ools ha e no been su icien ly
de eloped o gua an ee good manage ial p ac ices
no hey do p o ide a s a egic di ec ion o companies
(Gann and Sal e 2000). Addi ionally, in o ma ion is
no always sha ed among p ojec s and he bene i s o
le e aging and in eg a ion a e ne e ealized (Engwall
2003).
As a esul , hese companies usually look owa d business
in eg a ion (Da enpo 1998). The e a e comme cial
so wa e packages, gene ally called en e p ise esou ces
planning sys ems (ERPs) ha can be implemen ed in any
company om wha e e sec o . ERPs a e composed o
a se o s anda d modules: p oduc ion, dis ibu ion,
sales, human esou ces, accoun ing, inance, and so
o h. These modules a e in eg a ed o allow all he
depa men s o he company o wo k on he same
compu e sys em, sha ing a common da abase.
Addi ionally, ERPs aim o imp o e business e iciency
p o iding accu a e in o ma ion on ime in o de o
ake op imum decisions while diminishing he a ic o
documen s among wo k pos s (Shi and Halpin 2003).
Mos o he adi ional indus ial en e p ises and he la ge
cons uc ion co po a ions ha e al eady implemen ed
ERPs (Bo a-Genoulaz e al., 2005). Ne e heless, some
au ho s ha e iden i ied wo basic p oblems wi h ERP
sys ems. Fi s , he cos is ypically wo o six pe cen o
he company’s annual u no e , conside ing no only
he p ice o he so wa e, bu also i s implemen a ion
and s a aining (Da enpo 1998; Shi and Halpin
2003; Ehie and Madsen 2005). Second, i is necessa y
o adap he sys em o he o ganiza ional p ocesses
and cul u e o he company and no he o he way
a ound (Da enpo 1998; McA ee 2003; Ehie and
Madsen 2005). Fu he mo e, he implemen a ion o ERP
comme cial packages has been somewha disappoin ing
as epo ed o SMEs (Huin 2004), he se ices sec o
(Bo a-Genoulaz and Mille 2006), and he cons uc ion
indus y (Shi and Halpin 2003).
Following his end, Ta a i e al. (2007) ca ied ou a
su ey among 101 cons uc ion companies (con ac o s,
and CEA i ms) mos ly om he USA. They concluded
ha only 4% o hese companies used ERPs o hei
daily p ojec -based ac i i ies. Addi ionally, only 16% o
he esponden s we e epo ed o be pleased wi h hei
p esen le el o business in eg a ion.
In b ie , comme cial so wa e packages o e limi ed
solu ions o SMEs in he cons uc ion indus y. Some
p o ide ope a ional ools (p ojec - ocused so wa e),
bu no business managemen ools (company- ocused
so wa e). By con as , ERPs a e gene ally sui ed o
la ge-scale s anda d and epe i i e ope a ions and
managemen p ocesses, jus he opposi e o wha
p ojec -based i ms usually ace. Consequen ly, he main
goal o ou esea ch is he de elopmen o an in eg a ed
compu e -based managemen sys em, wo king in eal-
ime, and speci ically designed o SMEs, aking in o
accoun bo h p ojec ac i i ies and business ac i i ies
ha ake place in e e y cons uc ion company.
Acco dingly, his pape is s uc u ed as ollows. Fi s ,
he esea ch objec i es and he me hodology a e
speci ied. Second is a e iew o he cu en esea ch as
applied o he sec o . A model o business o ganiza ion
is hen p oposed. Nex , he in eg a ed managemen
con ol sys em is p esen ed and explained by means o
some illus a ions. The echnical easibili y and ac ual
implemen a ion o he sys em a e highligh ed la e .
Finally, conclusions a e d awn and ecommenda ions
o u u e esea ch a e made.
Resea ch objec i es and me hodology
We a gue ha e ec i e managemen o a ypical
p ojec -based SME in he cons uc ion indus y equi es
he a ailabili y o a lexible and easy o implemen
compu e ized in o ma ion sys em speci ically designed
o his kind o companies. The sys em mus deal wi h
bo h p ojec -based and business- ocused ac i i ies. Ou
pu pose is o desc ibe a compu e ized managemen
sys em ha can be easily implemen ed in SMEs in he
cons uc ion indus y in acco dance wi h hei cu en
needs. This sys em is adap able and wo ks in eal-
ime wi h a clien -se e a chi ec u e ha mee s he
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equi emen s o hese companies. I uses cus omized
applica ions o common comme cial so wa e.
The e a e h ee addi ional objec i es o his s udy:
• To e iew he cu en s a e o he a on he
subjec .
• To design and de elop a concep ual managemen
model conside ing p ojec and business managemen
ac i i ies.
• To e i y he echnical easibili y o he sys em.
The sys em desc ibed he ein is subjec ed o a ho ough
heo e ical analysis as well as implemen a ion p ojec s o
assess i s easibili y. The sys em is de eloped h ough a
quali a i e analysis om di e en case s udies o Spanish
cons uc ion i ms. The esul s a e ob ained om di ec
obse a ion, in e iews and ollow-ups; hey a e he
base o design he heo e ical and compu e models.
Summa izing, he cases unde assessmen we e:
• An e hnog aphic s udy o one medium-sized company
( om 1997 o he p esen ), which is specialized in ci il
enginee ing design and cons uc ion managemen .
• Th ee addi ional case s udies: one con ac o and wo
CEA companies.
• Se en in e iews wi h SMEs ( h ee con ac o s and
ou CEA companies) ca ied ou in 2001 and 2002,
wi h ollow-ups in 2003–2005, and 2007–2008.
Li e a u e e iew
Mo e han a decade ago, Rao e al. (1997) p oposed
he use o in e connec ed componen s om comme cial
so wa e ools as an al e na i e solu ion o de eloping
a compu e ized managemen sys em. Thei p oposal
consis ed o exclusi e, cus omized compu e applica ions
assembled om o - he-shel so wa e packages. The
in e connec ion o modules and p og ams, which a e
gene ally amilia o he use , led o educ ions in
de elopmen e o and aining (Rao e al., 1997).
Following his cus omized applica ions philosophy,
esea che s a he Cen e o In eg a ed Facili y
Enginee ing (S an o d Uni e si y, USA) ha e wo ked
o many yea s o de elop in eg a ed models o manage
p ojec s in concu en enginee ing (see Kunz e al.,
2002, o a summa y o hei wo k).
Se e al cus omized sys ems o manage cons uc ion
p ojec s ha e al eady been de eloped. All o hem
we e c ea ed o p o ide solu ions a he p ojec
managemen le el, wi hou aking in o conside a ion
he managemen o he whole business. Abudayyeh
e al. (2001) desc ibed an in ane -based cos con ol
sys em capable o p oducing ins an epo s on demand,
ocused on cos s gene a ed a he wo k si e. Elza ka
(2001) sugges ed he in eg a ion o MS AccessTM, MS
P ojec TM, and MS ExcelTM wi h Au oCADTM using isual
basic echnology in o de o manage cons uc ion
p ojec s du ing he design phase. Cheung e al. (2004)
p oposed an in e ne -based p ojec managemen con ol
sys em using pe o mance indica o s ( o people, cos ,
ime, quali y, sa e y, en i onmen , clien sa is ac ion,
and communica ion) ha achie e a be e moni o ing o
he p ojec and e en benchma king. Pe e a and Im iyas
(2004) in oduced a ime and cos in o ma ion sys em
o p ojec managemen , in eg a ing MS AccessTM
and MS P ojec TM, which is specially sui ed o SMEs
in he cons uc ion sec o . Al-Reshaid e al. (2005)
de eloped and implemen ed a web-based p ojec
con ol sys em o p econs uc ion s ages: easibili y,
design, and ende ing. Finally, Li e al. (2006) designed
a eal- ime in e ne -based p ojec managemen sys em
ha gene a es cons uc ion p og ess epo s using he
ea ned- alue me hod.
Kim and Liu (2007) ook one s ep u he . They
a emp ed o sol e he issue o in eg a ing cos da a
om mul iple p ojec s in o co po a e managemen ;
hus, a cos objec was designed as he basic elemen
o he model in o de o p ocess da a and e ie e
in o ma ion. Likewise, Benjao an (2008) de ised a cos
con ol sys em o cons uc ion p ojec s, sui ed o
SMEs, and based on he ea ned- alue concep .
Kanoglu and A di i (2001) success ully deal wi h he
p oblem o in eg a ing p ojec managemen and business
managemen unc ions using a holis ic app oach. These
au ho s de eloped a compu e -based in o ma ion
sys em, called ASAP, o manage he in o ma ion low
among pa icipan s in CEA i ms. This sys em makes
use o MS P ojec TM o planning pu poses a he p ojec
le el. I also includes ex e nal da abases o s anda ds,
speci ica ions, codes, and egula ions. ASAP is no only
ocused on indi idual p ojec s bu also on he business
as a whole.
Shi and Halpin (2003) encou aged he use o
in eg a ed managemen sys ems adap ed o he unique
cha ac e is ics o he cons uc ion indus y, as dis inc
om he manu ac u ing sec o . They also enume a ed
he basic ea u es ha should be equi ed o an ERP
sys em implemen ed in a cons uc ion company: p ojec
o ien ed, in eg a ed, pa alleled and dis ibu ed, open
and expandable, scalable, emo ely accessible, and
anspa en , as well as eliable and obus .
O he au ho s only handle some pa o he global
challenge, which is none o he han in o ma ion
exchange using web-based echnology (Chan and Leung
2004; Zhiliang e al. 2004). As a las con ibu ion,
Fo cada e al. (2007) de eloped a web-based sys em
o documen a ion managemen speci ically applied o
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8 ]Re is a de la Cons ucción
Volumen 8 No 2 - 2009 páginas: 4 - 17
Pellice E. - Pellice T. M. - Ca alá J.
]
SMEs in he cons uc ion indus y; his sys em allows
in e ne exchange o documen a ion among di e en
s akeholde s o he p ojec wi h app op ia e egis a ion
and access con ols.
All hese con ibu ions, om bo h p ojec and business
app oaches, conside ed a ela ional da abase as he
co e o he sys em. This kind o da abase managemen
sys em (DBMS) is highly sui able o building cus omized
managemen sys ems a ound i (Da e 2000; Benjao an
2008).
Managemen sys em
Business o ganiza ion
Ou a ge o ganiza ion is a p ojec -based company
wo king in he cons uc ion indus y, ei he a con ac o
o a CEA company. Fo his kind o en e p ise, business
managemen p esen s addi ional di icul ies ha can be
summa ized as ollows (Gann and Sal e 2000; Shi and
Halpin 2003; Pellice 2005):
1. S a egic (long- e m) planning: o ecas ing u u e
con ac s is a complex ask; hus, a good p ocu emen
s a egy is essen ial o he su i al o he business.
2. Ope a i e (sho - e m) planning: p ojec s a e
subjec ed o delays o changes in speci ica ions
ini ia ed by clien s o hi d pa ies; hus, an in e nal
eo ganiza ion is needed o ealloca e esou ces.
3. O ganiza ion: in eg a ion o each membe o he
p ojec eam wi hin he company’s hie a chy, and he
inc easing numbe o subcon ac o s in ol ed may
lead o complex s uc u es.
4. Coo dina ion: pe sonnel mus be kep well mo i a ed
and adequa ely lead.
5. Con ol: delays o changes in sho - e m planning
mus be moni o ed closely o de ec de ia ions so
ha co ec i e ac ions can be aken as needed.
A ypical business model is ou lined in Figu e 1, and
is based on an open sys ems app oach in which he
company in e ac s wi h he ex e nal en i onmen . Each
p ojec o igina es in a bid p epa ed by he company
o ul ill a eques om a clien . A signed con ac
be ween a company and a clien ollows, al hough his
con ac may be a e bal one. The aim o he con ac
can be any wo k ha a company can pe o m du ing
he cons uc ion p ocess: easibili y s udies, design
documen s, buil in as uc u es, main enance wo ks,
e c. The p oduc ion o he company is un by p ojec s.
Resou ces a e needed o deli e he end p oduc . They
may be in e nal (human esou ces, equipmen and
in as uc u e) o ex e nal (supplies and subcon ac ing
o human esou ces and equipmen ). I is likely ha some
o he company’s esou ces mus be anspo ed om
he cen al o ice o he wo k si e in o de o ca y ou a
cons uc ion p ojec . In addi ion, he i m is hie a chically
o ganized, wi h well-de ined pe sonnel ca ego ies and
wo k pos s. No only manpowe , echnicians and expe s
a e needed, bu also adminis a i e pe sonnel. Mo eo e ,
e e y employee has one supe iso ha o e sees his/he
wo k.
The ac i i ies ha ake place in a cons uc ion i m
(CEA o con ac o ) can be p oduc i e o adminis a i e.
The o me a e p ojec -based, whe eas he la e a e
business- ocused (Gann and Sal e 2003). Adminis a i e
ac i i ies a e non-p oduc i e ac i i ies, ca ied ou mainly
by adminis a i e pe sonnel ha canno be exclusi ely
associa ed o a speci ic con ac ; consequen ly, hey a e
calcula ed as o e head (Pellice 2005).
Sys em a chi ec u e
A DBMS p o ides he company wi h cen alized
da a con ol. A DBMS has many ad an ages (Da e
2000): sha ing da a, educing edundancy, a oiding
inconsis ency, suppo ing ansac ions, main aining
in eg i y, and en o cing secu i y. The main p inciple
unde lying a DBMS is ha each da um can only be
inpu one ime. Two main kinds o da a a e conside ed:
p ima y con igu a ion da a, in oduced by he
sys em adminis a o , and ope a i e da a, en e ed by
pe sonnel.
The sys em a chi ec u e equi es addi ional
elemen s ha a e a anged in h ee ie s
(Figu e 2): p esen a ion ie (use in e aces and o ms),
applica ion ie (que ies), and da a ie ( ela ional ables).
Inpu da a a e in oduced h ough he i s ie (in e aces)
and p ope ly s o ed in ables ( hi d ie ). In o ma ion is
hen e ie ed om he i s ie ia epo s and pi o
ables (in e aces) using da a s o ed in he hi d ie wi h
he adequa e exploi a ion o da a (second ie ).
Ou in eg a ed managemen con ol sys em, called
COGEST, is de eloped using MS AccessTM as he DBMS.
This so wa e ool is widely used, and i is also linked o
he Mic oso O iceTM package. Subsequen upg ades
o COGEST also un in MS SQL Se e TM. Besides, MS
AccessTM and MS ExcelTM a e in eg a ed using ODBC (open
da abase connec i i y) and Visual Basic o Applica ionsTM.
S uc u ed Que y Language (SQL) is used o que ies.
The sys em is based on clien /se e a chi ec u e.
The se e is he DBMS i sel , and he clien s a e he
applica ions ha un on op, bu on di e en compu e s.
Thus, he i s and second ie s un on clien s and he

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Figu e 1
Business o ganiza ion model
se e holds he ela ional ables. Cu en ly, he sys em is
main aining 143 ela ional ables, 170 que ies, 30 pi o
ables, and 197 o ms.
COGEST pe o ms in eal- ime. E e y employee wi h a
p e-es ablished igh o access can exchange in o ma ion
wi h he sys em ins an aneously. This a ibu e leads
o ema kable ime sa ings. I is i al o ake quick
decisions when p oblems a ise, and he e o e, COGEST
allows o imely ac ions o be aken by e e y manage
in he hie a chy.
Se e al di e en in e aces a e designed o each
pe sonnel ca ego y wi hin he company. The use s a e
ca ego ized acco ding o hei unc ions, di e en ia ing
ca ego ies by ype o company (con ac o o CEA i m).
Common ca ego ies o bo h ypes o companies a e
sys em adminis a o , chie execu i e o ice , head o
depa men , adminis a i e pe sonnel, and ecep ion
desk pe sonnel. The e a e h ee speci ic ca ego ies o
cons uc ion companies: cons uc ion si e manage ,
ield enginee / o eman, and basic use ; while speci ic
ca ego ies o CEA companies a e p ojec manage ,
p ojec enginee , and basic use . Table 1 summa izes
he pe sonnel ca ego ies in a hie a chical s uc u e,
which also indica es i he wo k pos is adminis a i e
o p oduc i e ( o CEA company o con ac o ). Those
use s ha can be conside ed in mo e han one ca ego y
a e shadowed in Table 1.
The access le el o he di e en sys em capabili ies and
he secu i y s age acqui ed depend on he loca ion o
he wo k pos wi hin he o ganiza ional hie a chy o he
company, as well as he adminis a i e and manage ial
speci ica ions. COGEST asks o he use ’s ID and passwo d
when logging on o he sys em; howe e , i he compu e
is se o a ce ain indi idual, hen i only asks o he
passwo d. I he in ended use is accep ed, he use ’s
pe sonal in e ace is displayed. The access le els can be
upda ed by he sys em adminis a o i necessa y.
Taking all his in o accoun , he basic scheme o da a low
in he o ganiza ion is illus a ed in Figu e 3. I is based
on ou logical s eps: da a inpu and alida ion, da a
s o age and exploi a ion, ou pu o in o ma ion, and
ac ion. E e y employee inpu s ime spen on di e en
asks o he co esponding con ac ; expenses, such as
es au an meals, anspo a ion, pa king, supplies, and
he like, can also be cha ged. Employees wo king in
ne wo k-equipped o ices inpu da a e e yday h ough
he compu e sys em, whe eas employees wo king on-
si e in oduce da a di ec ly h ough he in ane , o by
means o pape o e-mail epo s deli e ed weekly o
he adminis a i e s a .
On a daily basis, adminis a i e pe sonnel inpu
supplies, en ed equipmen , ou sou cing se ices and
subcon ac ing o each con ac h ough he compu e
Figu e 2
Concep ual sys em a chi ec u e
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sys em. In oices a e also eco ded o he co esponding
con ac s. Addi ionally, adminis a i e employees can
also inpu ex e nal da a ( a ios, o example) o be
a ailable o benchma king pu poses.
In e nal supe iso s check he da a inpu by hei
subo dina es, being p oduc i e o non-p oduc i e
ac i i ies. This supe ision p ocedu e can be so ened o
ha dened acco ding o wo k pos s, unc ions, asks, and
con ac s, always depending on he co po a e policy.
Wi h all necessa y da a in he ables o he DBMS, use ul
in o ma ion can be gene a ed h ough que ies using
SQL. This in o ma ion is aken ou by way o epo s
and pi o ables. Repo s a e speci ically designed o
ob ain ce ain in o ma ion ela ed no only o cos
and ime (pe pe son, ask, con ac , depa men , o
company), bu o bids and con ac s ( ega ding hei
s a us, esou ces, budge , e c.) as well. Figu e 4 shows
a ypical mon hly epo ega ding ime (inpu hou s,
heo e ical hou s, o e ime, accumula ed deb ime om
p e ious mon hs, and cu en hou s o be ecupe a ed
by he employee), and subsis ence cos s (mileage, a el
displacemen s, es au an meals, o he s ela ed o a el
such as pa king, and supplies).
Pi o ables use MS ExcelTM o ac i ely analyze he many
a iables ha a ec he pe o mance o he company,
such as he annual e olu ion o p oduc i i y and
p o i abili y, o inancial a ios. They can also be used
o compa e pas ac i i ies wi h he cu en s a us, o
o o ecas u u e scena ios. This ea u e is ex emely
impo an bo h o a oid po en ial p oblems, and o
acili a e benchma king; ex e nal a ios can be inpu o
he sys em and may be used o con as and o ob ain
aluable conclusions.
Concep ual da a model
Acco ding o Da e (2000), a concep ual da a model
is a heo e ical, logical de ini ion o he en i ies and
ela ionships modeling he s uc u e o he da a. An
en i y is any dis inguishable objec o be ep esen ed in
he da abase, whe eas a ela ionship is a bidi ec ional link
among en i ies. The en i ies e lec in o ma ion abou
he company, in gene al, and each p ojec , in pa icula .
The DBMS is concep ually modeled using ela ional
ables. COGEST is comp ised o 50 en i ies, g ouped
unde eigh headings (see Table 2): egula inpu s,
pe sonnel, esou ces, con ac s, asks, in o ma ion,
p ocu emen , and communica ions.
The unique ela ionships among en i ies a e complex
in na u e. A ull accoun o he in e wo king o hese
ela ionships is beyond he scope o his pape ; howe e ,
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF CEA COMPANY PERSONNEL CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL
Sys em Adminis a o
Chie Execu i e O ice
Head o Depa men
Adminis a i e Pe sonnel P ojec Manage Cons uc ion Si e Manage
P ojec Enginee Field Enginee / Fo eman
Recep ion Desk Pe sonnel Basic Use
Table 1
Use ca ego ies by hie a chy
Figu e 3
Basic scheme o da a low
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he ollowing desc ip ion o he eigh g oupings should
se e o illus a e he unc ionali y o he sys em.
Fu he mo e, Figu e 5 illus a es hose ables linked o
he p ocu emen g oup o en i ies and hei ela ionships
as hey appea in he da abase (in Spanish language).
The i s g oup, “Regula Inpu s”, is he co e o he model;
i ecei es he ope a i e pe iodic da a (daily, weekly, o
mon hly) ha eed he sys em, and makes hem a ailable
o he o he en i ies ha depend on hese inpu da a: ime
o pe sonnel, and money o supplies, en ed equipmen ,
subcon ac ing, and in oices. Analy ical, budge a y and
gene al accoun ing a e ob ained om he inpu da a by
using comme cial accoun ing so wa e ha is linked o
he sys em. Figu e 6 displays he basic inpu in e ace in
which each use en e s he ime spen and he subsis ence
cos s o he di e en asks o he speci ic con ac s.
The second g oup o en i ies, “Pe sonnel”, con ains a
desc ip ion o each wo k pos and he indi idual ha
occupies i . No only a e he cha ac e is ics o he wo k
pos aken in o conside a ion, bu also he con ac ual
condi ions o each indi idual wi hin he i m. The
sys em keeps a con inuous eco d o any changes in
condi ions (see Figu e 7). These da a allow he sys em
o au oma ically calcula e he cos pe hou o any
employee, aking in o accoun he company’s o e head.
The heo e ical me hodology, he implemen a ion
p ocedu e, and he calcula ions o uni a y cos s
applied a e ho oughly explained in Pellice (2005). This
me hodology, combined wi h he capabili ies o he
sys em, enhances he managemen o he i m by limi ing
o e head, imp o ing p oduc i i y, e ealing a eas o
e iciencies and ine iciencies, and g adually adjus ing
he en i e p ocess.
As pa o he “Pe sonnel” g oup o en i ies, he
o ganiza ional hie a chy de ines he s uc u e o he
business: boa d o di ec o s, depa men s, p ojec s,
uni s, e c. Each indi idual, h ough his/he wo k pos ,
has a place in he hie a chy o he company. Likewise,
con ac s mus be assigned o he co esponding
depa men and uni i he company wishes o ha e
ull knowledge o how each is pe o ming.
Figu e 4
Mon hly epo on pe sonnel
o ime and subsis ence cos s
G oups o En i ies En i ies
Regula Inpu s (6) Dia y – Ca ego y – Concep – Daily Hou s – Documen – Da a
Pe sonnel (7) Wo k Pos – O ganiza ional Hie a chy – Quali ica ion – Labo Ag eemen – Wages – Desc ip ion
– Complemen a y Da a
Resou ces (6) Vehicles – Equipmen – Ma e ials – Auxilia y Facili ies –Supplie s – Manpowe Ou sou cing
Con ac s (10) Clien s – Join Ven u es – Budge s – Con ac ing – Sub Con ac ing – In oicing – Desc ip ion
– Na u e – Codi ica ion – S a us
Tasks (3) Ac i i ies – Sub Complemen a y – Sub Basic
In o ma ion (3) Accoun s – Ex e nal Reco ds – Uni P ices Da aBase
P ocu emen (10) Tende s – Bids – Type P ocu emen – Awa ded – Demand – Join Ven u es – Ex e nal Tende s Da a
– Type Gua an ee – Type Paymen – Wa an y
Communica ions (5) Le e – Fax – Minu es – Elec onic Mail – In e nal Mail
Table 2
Concep ual g oups o en i ies
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Figu e 5
Da abase ables o
p ocu emen p ocess and hei
p ima y ela ionships
The “Resou ces” g oup includes all esou ces ha he
company needs o ca y ou i s di e en p ojec s. Six
en i ies a e conside ed: ehicles, equipmen , ma e ials,
auxilia y acili ies, supplie s, and manpowe ou sou cing.
The la e includes ex e nal p o essionals as well as
expe s. Figu e 8 depic s he inpu da a equi ed by he
sys em o an ex e nal company.
The ou h g oup o en i ies is “Con ac s”, which
na u ally includes any da a ele an o he con ac :
desc ip ion, na u e, and s a us. Any gi en con ac mus
be ela ed o a clien who pays o he wo k. I also akes
in o conside a ion he in oicing phase, acco ding o
con ac speci ica ions. I is di ec ly linked o he esou ces
en i y, since di e en kinds o supplie s a e needed:
ma e ials, ehicles, equipmen , o subcon ac ing. The
“Budge s” en i y e lec s he budge a y da a ha will
p o ide o sui able cos con ol; Figu e 9 illus a es he
main o m o he con ac en i y. Finally, he possibili y
o join en u es is con empla ed by he sys em.
Figu e 6
Basic en y o he sys em o p oduc i e pe sonnel
Figu e 7
Desc ip ion o employee and wo k pos