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Project Abstract
Over time, those involved in construction have the opportunity to acquire a tremendous base of knowledge from personal experiences. Unfortunately, without a formal mechanism to retain this knowledge, much of this experience is not passed on from project to project, or from person to person. If this wealth of construction knowledge could be retained and used in planning and the execution of future projects, there are tremendous potential benefits in terms of improved cost, schedule, safety and quality.
This knowledge is invaluable in processes like constructibility. Constructibility has been defined in a number of ways. “Constructibility is the optimum use of construction knowledge and experience in planning, design, procurement, and field operations to achieve overall project objectives” (CII pub 3-1). Constructibility is also defined as “a measure of the ease or expediency with which a facility can be constructed” (Hugo et al). Finally, constructibility is often portrayed as “integrating construction knowledge, resources, technology, and experience into the engineering and design of a project.”
Traditionally, lessons learned during the construction phase of a project are not effectively incorporated into the design and construction phases of future projects. Constructibility knowledge is usually transferred informally. A formal mechanism to archive and disseminate lessons learned could reduce or eliminate time spent in trial and error during construction.
Background
Traditional methods of collecting and disseminating lessons learned have only enjoyed limited success due to:
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Unreliable communication channels between construction experts and less experienced individuals;
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An unmanageable format that limits access, retrieval, and updating of the potentially enormous volume of lessons;
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The lack of a meaningful classification system;
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Difficulty in integrating new systems into existing operations and procedures; and
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A primary focus on failures or incidents, rather than a balance of positive and negative experiences with constructed facilities.
Prior research has outlined a lessons learned process, which has been used in other state transportation agencies. The first step is to Collect Information. A system should be designed to collect information from all project participants including project managers, designers, crafts people, subcontractors, and owners. Information on lessons learned should be collected continuously not just at the end of a project. Secondly, information is Captured and Analyzed. This includes acknowledging the receipt of the information in order to make the contributor understand that his/her input is valuable. This step also includes categorizing the information usually in accordance with standard specifications of the owner organization. The information should also be prioritized in terms of the value it adds to the organization. Thirdly, the information undergoes Implementation in a knowledge base. Owners of the process need to determine the type of improvements required by their agency in order to implement the lesson learned. Will it require systemic changes within their organization, training, and/or changes in policy? Finally, the lesson learned becomes one of the organization’s Best Practice’s. This involves communicating the lesson to interested parties and maintaining a database of lessons learned knowledge.