Information sharing problems and construction efficiency

Information can be seen as one of the most important assets that an organisation can possess. Utilised correctly, information may allow an organisation, irrespective of its industry or domain, to communicate, operate, plan, and make decisions that would ultimately be beneficial to itself, clients and any other entities that interact with them. This paper will report upon the differences in information management practices for a team of architects and builders. The study reports how they cycle through the inspection stage of a complex construction project involving a multi‐million dollar state‐of‐the‐ art purpose‐built educational building for a prominent Australian university. The study explores how specific domain knowledge and experience plays its part in the way information is documented, maintained and disseminated. The paper articulates the major differences (and any similarities) between the processes and techniques used by the respective architects and builders. It also explores the reliance of tacit knowledge in comparison to that of explicit knowledge. The data was collected over an intensive fourteen‐week period in which the investigators used of a combination of techniques, which included: document analysis, observations, and one‐on‐one interviews with builders and architects. Academic rigour was maintained through the triangulation of the data collection process in which data went through a verification stage by third parties via a novel method of experienced researchers ‘observing the observing’. This provided a useful check and balance through the data collection stages. While this novel method will be discussed, the paper will focus on the following major findings: The multiple methods of information recording, coding and storage amongst builders and architects. The relationship between tacit knowledge and experience in this specific knowledge domain. Information gathering happing in an ‘ad‐hoc’ manner The differences in the level of detail collected, stored and disseminated The numerous amounts of lists created and the duplication of data. Finally, the paper will discuss the implications for future on‐the‐job collaboration between architects and builders and also the available technologies, which may facilitate more cohesive and comprehensive information management practices within the construction industry