Project-specific web sites: Friend or foe?

Recent research has shown that one of the keys to project success is effective communication. Today, project communication is becoming increasingly complex, and the rapid transmission of project information is vital to project performance. Unfortunately, our current information network is based on project "push" - where information is moved sequentially to and from each member of the project team. The alternative to push communication is "pull" communication, where individuals access project information from a single central source. Project-specific Web sites (PSWSs) give construction personnel new ways of pulling the information needed to design and build today's complex projects. This paper will describe information push and pull, and discuss its applications in project-specific Web sites. Additionally, the paper will outline a case study approach that uses a social network analysis to study push/pull on three major construction projects. The research found that PSWSs can speed information flows on construction projects, but can also generate information "overload" that limits its effectiveness. More important, the study found that the success of new Internet-based technologies depends on the participation of key members of the project team. When one of these key players refuses to participate, then Internet-based project management systems quickly lose their effectiveness.