Steven G. Yeomans

Information Management in UK-Based Architecture and Engineering Organizations: Drivers, Constraining Factors, and Barriers

The need to improve collaborative working, knowledge sharing, and operational effectiveness has made effective Information Management a growing priority for Architecture and Engineering (A & E) organizations in the UK construction industry. While significant research has been carried out in the construction industry on project Information Management, limited work has been carried out to understand Information Management from an organisational paradigm. This paper presents the findings of an investigation into the nature of Information Management within A & E organizations in the UK construction industry. Interviews were conducted with experts across nine large architectural and multidisciplinary consultancies, the outputs of which were analysed using thematic analysis. From this, 26 themes across three core categories classed as drivers, constraining factors, and barriers which shape Information Management practices in construction organizations emerged. The findings show that Information Management is indeed of strategic significance to organizations and an organizational dimension is necessary to better align information needs with an organisation’s operational processes. They also show that context-dependent factors exist which shape the nature of Information Management in line with the specific needs of each organizations. Therefore, the effectiveness of an organisation’s Information Management practices is not absolute, but rather relative to its level of alignment to the organisation’s chosen mode of operation. The findings provide a much needed practical view of the complexities of Information Management, highlighting that particularly within multidisciplinary organizations; a unifying approach is much more practical and appropriate than a single approach to managing information.

An Approach for Identifying and Evaluating Opportunities Offered by Semantic Technology to BIM-Enabled Online Collaboration Platforms

Through a demonstrated attempt to identify and evaluate opportunities offered by semantic technology to Online Collaboration Platforms (OCPs), a context-specific requirements engineering process is developed and documented. Seven illustrative functionalities are proposed and evaluation of their demand and feasibility has indicated potential challenges such as access to data from other projects, the need for controlled workflows and the utility of standard data models. The approach can be developed to evaluate technical feasibility as well to ultimately characterize the natural contribution of semantic technology to OCPs.

Developing a Metadata Standard for Multimedia Content Management: A Case Study

Metadata is considered crucial for the organization, management and retrieval of data within a content management system. While numerous works exist that define the critical nature and importance of metadata, little practical guidance is available with which organizations looking to develop metadata standards to meet their corporate needs can do so. This article presents a case study in which a metadata standard was developed for an international construction industry-based consultancy for managing content within a proposed multimedia library. Three parallel activities were carried out as part of the research methodology. A desk study was initially conducted to capture the metadata used in the previous library. A review of 11 metadata standards was carried out to obtain a baseline of suitable attributes. A workshop was then conducted with a sample of end users to further capture specific requirements. The outcomes from all three exercises were then analysed to obtain a company-wide metadata standard. A further refinement was carried out to rationalize the list into a core set of attributes. A closeout workshop was then conducted with key participants to identify lessons learnt and review the outcome of the project. Drawing from these, this article further adds to knowledge by proposing a 12-step guide to enable organizations develop similar metadata standards to meet their needs. The research outcome also shows that while existing metadata standards can be used as a starting point, no specific standard is comprehensive enough to meet the needs of an organization without appropriate levels of customization.