Knowledge management implementation in construction projects: a KM model for Knowledge Creation, Collection and Updating (KCCU)

Knowledge Management (KM) is becoming increasingly important for construction companies in order to improve their competitiveness by reducing the cost and time while improving the quality of projects. Construction projects are in knowledge-intensive environments where many interrelated components work together in a complex manner. In many circumstances, knowledge in the construction industry is mostly tacit knowledge and highly based on individuals’ experiences and perceptions. These situations call for a method of managing knowledge to solve construction problems and achieve a high quality of construction projects. Various kinds of KM models have been developed to support KM activities. However, the existing KM models and tools are far from enough, since most KM models only provide a communication platform and much creative knowledge work still depends entirely on human activities. This paper presents a new KM model that overcomes such shortcomings and provides an effective and efficient way of managing knowledge in the construction industry. A case study collected from the industry is used to demonstrate how the proposed KM model can be used to improve the industry’s KM performance. The results indicate that the proposed KM model can facilitate the process of implementation, development and use of the KM system.Copyright © 2008 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. All rights reserved.