A dynamic, integrated data management system for the 21st century construction company

Competitive pressure in the construction industry has inspired new strategies for creating strategic advantage. Although some of these strategies have helped meet the industry's competitive challenges, more improvements can be made, especially in the area of information management. Many information management solutions have been designed for distillation of information from data; however, the heterogeneous nature of construction data makes the implementation of most traditional solutions impossible. New methods must be devised to obtain integrated information extraction from construction's disparate data sources. In order to identify the construction data users and uses, a modified Zachman Architecture was employed. User perspectives were matched with unique dimensions for three interrelated construction frameworks. The resulting Weber Architecture was the principal means for identifying the diverse nature of common construction-industry information-users and their data needs. A management system that would aid in the aggregation and extraction of information from heterogeneous data sources was needed. Such a system would be advantageous in solving complex, often ill-defined problems. A review of available client/server technologies revealed that one of the most appropriate information management solutions was groupware. Lotus Notes® Groupware was used to demonstrate this methodology within the construction domain. It was shown that Lotus Notes ® databases could be utilized to store and retrieve disparate data, were capable of containing a myriad of attached file types, and provided data security. In addition, the Lotus Notes® environment furnished a variety of standard database templates, including the discussion database for collaboration in the solution of unstructured problems. The groupware approach is an improvement over other new information management strategies such as project-specific Web sites because of its capacity for integration and collaboration. The construction industry has made strides in the application of computer technology, but it needs to be more aggressive. The next advancement is available now. This dissertation lays the groundwork for a more powerful implementation of a dynamic, integrated data management system for the 21st century construction company.