A framework for development of a knowledge database for use within the construction industry

In recent years the concept of Knowledge Management within business organizations has gained increasing interest as companies begin to recognize the value of their intellectual capital. The adversarial culture of the construction industry, differing allegiances, varied backgrounds and the temporary nature of project teams does not easily allow for KM practices to be used. Currently, critical lessons learned during a project becomes lost in explicit data and dissemination of useful information for future projects is often vague, resulting in common mistakes being repeated on future projects and valuable tacit knowledge being lost once the team disperses. This paper proposes a framework for capturing both explicit and tacit knowledge gained during a construction project, which also addresses the problems associated with temporary design teams and presents a mechanism for project knowledge to be disseminated throughout the construction industry.