Developing an appropriate methodology for matching project team's knowledge with client's project requirements in refurbishment projects

Many a time, project team members would only stop to access the available knowledge base when the process of executing a task comes to a screeching halt due to an inability of the individual to carry out the task because of his lack of knowledge. There is very little tested method to match the knowledge of the project team with client's project requirements during the refurbishment process. In order to raise the level of awareness in this area for the benefit of client and project team; this study proposes a methodology for matching project team's knowledge with client's project requirements during the refurbishment process in the construction industry. A triangulation approach was adopted in this study. A total of 124 usable postal questionnaires were received, and 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted to establish the knowledge types and sources and the knowledge capture techniques and technologies used in refurbishment projects. The main conclusions drawn from the study are that the main benefit of matching client's project requirements with the knowledge of the project team is to be able to manage the refurbishment project more efficiently. The type of knowledge used by the project team is dependent on the types of refurbishment projects, the years of experience of an individual and the complexity of the project. The sources of knowledge used by the project team are not dependent on an individual's years of experience but on its accessibility. The choice of knowledge capture techniques and technologies used is dependent on an organisation's usual practice and resources. The study recommends that formal procedures should be in place in order to equip project team members with the requisite knowledge needed to work effectively in project team. Good relationships and communication should be maintained within the organisation and project team so as to facilitate informal leaming and knowledge sharing. A suitable knowledge capture tool which takes account of an organisation's resources and usual practices should be adopted. For future research, this research can be extended to identify the requirements of clients from the new build sector and ascertain if the sources and types of knowledge used by new-build clients differ from those of refurbishment clients.