| Abstract | The architecture-engineering-construction (AEC) industry is very information intensive. During a typical construction project very large amounts of information such as drawings, specifications, requests for information, and change orders flow between the different parties to the project. Managing this information is often difficult. Adversarial relationships, liability issues and the amplified economic cycles in the AEC industry have driven a separation of design and construction responsibilities and have produced specialization into small firms with narrow expertise. This has led to a level of contractual fragmentation that is unparalleled in any other industry. This contractual fragmentation has in turn led to: (a) a large number of legal entities involved in any major construction project, (b) inefficient management processes among project participants to accommodate legal constraints, and (c) re-interpretation and re-entry of information by each project participant. The result, relative to other sectors of the economy, is significant duplication of effort and introduction of errors. |
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