An investigation into the development of knowledge management systems within the leading Irish construction companies

The benefits that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can bring to a construction company within the Irish Construction Industry have yet to fully materialise. However the membership and activities of the Construction Information Technology Alliance (CITA) indicates a genuine desire of the leading participants in the industry to take advantage of these technologies. The focus of this paper shall primarily be that of a review of recent literature pertaining to Knowledge Management, both in general business, and particularly in the construction domain. The paper shall also set the context for Knowledge Management from a leading Irish construction company's perspective, and map out the research methodology that will be undertaken. This methodology will include a detailed survey of the top 20 construction companies (ranked by their 2004 turnover), narrowing down to interviews with key personnel in 5 of these companies, and then undertake case study research of a single organisation.