Information sharing problems among stakeholders in the construction industry at the inspection stage: a case study

The paper reports the information management practices of the various key stakeholders during the inspection stage of a construction project. The data was collected through observations and shadowing of stakeholder exemplars, interviews and document analysis over a fourteen-week period. In the process of constructing a new and innovative academic building for an Australian University, vast amounts of information had to be effectively managed by various stakeholders in the construction process. This life cycle includes the creation, documentation, dissemination, utilisation, evaluation and archiving of the relevant information and knowledge across multiple domains and areas of practice and expertise. Without efficiency in these processes the effectiveness of construction project outcomes and contractual obligations could be challenged. This research evaluates the information life cycle through an Information Audit (IA) in the inspection stage of a large-scale construction project (the innovative academic building) through an evaluative lens integrating the concepts of Enterprise Content Management and Personal Information Management. The research shows that information auditing enables framework identification of iterative and problematic information reporting in the Construction process. The research shows the pivotal role of a key stakeholder involved in the process acting as an intermediary, translating and transferring information across different domains.