Collaborative design planning networks

Network planning is not often used in architectural design projects, partly because no actor has a realistic overview of the entire project. Despite having a relatively good idea of what their own work will involve, designers often have an inadequate understanding of what their collaborators do. Collaborative Design Planning Networks (CDPN) permit designers from different firms to build a project model in which the plans of each participant are integrated with those of the others. Actors submit partial plans describing what they intend to do. These partial plans are represented in networks composed of tasks and infotems. By representing not only tasks but also their inputs and outputs, it becomes possible to link the partial projects of the collaborating actors and construct a global project plan. The involvement of every actor in the construction of the plan ensures both that the plan more accurately reflects the project and provides a greater degree of commitment to the plan by the individual actors.