The use of knowledge map model in construction industry

The construction industry consists of many unstructured documents, which accumulate a large volume of tacit knowledge. In the general domain, a Knowledge Map can illustrate connections of knowledge and transfer tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge, but this is unsuitable on specific domain such as construction industry. This research generalized existing mapping rules to be applied to general and specific domain; and presented a novel and practical model for building knowledge map, named Knowledge Map Model (KMM). This model comprised of five procedures, including identifying problems, discussing with experts and users, establishing the classification structure, establishing the document base, and deciding the display model. Furthermore, this research establishes Knowledge Map Model System (KMMS) as a major tool to improve the knowledge map reused and shared among the practical process. Finally, this re‐search validated the KMM in a real project of bridge maintenance. Santrauka Statybos pramoneje taikoma daug nestruktūrizuotu dokumentu, kuriuose sukaupti tiksliai neišreikšti, numanomi duome‐nys. Bendruoju atveju žiniu žemelapis gali parodyti žiniu tarpusavio ryšius ir transformuoti numanomas žinias i tikslias žinias, tačiau tai netinka specifinems sritims, tokioms kaip statyba. Šis mokslinis tyrimas apibendrino esamas žiniu žeme‐lapiu sudarymo taisykles, kurios galetu būti taikomos bendrosioms ir specifinems sritims, ir pristate nauja, praktini žiniu žemelapio sudarymo modeli, pavadinta KMM (Knowledge Map Model). Modeli sudaro penkios procedūros: problemu identifikavimo, aptarimo su ekspertais ir vartotojais, klasifikavimo struktūros nustatymo, dokumento formos nustatymo ir sprendimo del vaizdinio parinkimo. Be to, šiais moksliniais tyrimais nustatyta, kad žiniu žemelapio modelio sistema (KMMS) yra svarbi priemone, padedanti pritaikyti žiniu žemelapio naudojima praktiniams tikslams. Galiausiai šis tyrimas pagrinde KMM taikyma vykdant realu tilto eksploatacijos projekta. First Published Online: 10 Feb 2011 Reikšminiai žodžiai: žiniu žemelapis, statybos pramone, informacines technologijo

The measurement factor of employee participation for Knowledge Management System in engineering consulting firms

Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) is a fundamental tool in the implementation process of Knowledge Management (KM), which is used to manage knowledge of information technology systems in an organization. However, a well-developed KMS should not only take advantage of information technology function, but also require the development of a complete measurement system for KMS. The purpose of this research is to develop an employee participation framework to describe the cause-effect relationship of KMS. Three case studies were interviewed for building measurement factors of KMS used by engineering consulting firms. Two questionnaires were sent to managers of engineering consulting firms for establishing main factors and sub factors in the measurement system in which four primary objectives were identified as “Activity in forum”, “Statistic of knowledge system”, “Participation of KM activity”, and “Number of documents”. The cause-effect relationship among four objectives was shown by path analysis. First published online: 27 Aug 201

An improved approach to the subcontracting procurement process in a lean construction setting

The subcontracting procurement process is one of the most important issues impacting the costs of engineering projects and construction projects, in particular. Traditional procedures of subcontracting procurement tend to limit the opportunities for price negotiation and cooperative relationships between contractors and neglect potential issues such as engineering interface, construction risk, and waste. Based on case studies of construction projects, we propose a “lean” subcontracting procurement process (LSPP) drawing from lean construction theory. The process consists of a novel Seven-Arrangement operation plan and four types of standard operating flows. Not only does the proposed LSPP help sub-contractors eliminate various types of waste in construction projects, it also establishes a common information platform and cooperative environment that help participating contractors understand the work emphasis of each operation and the whole operation in sequence. As a result, the relationships between participating contractors become cooperative, potential risks in construction projects can be discovered early, and profits are shared between contractors. Thus, this process allows contractors to obtain long-term benefits

Prediction of default probability for construction firms using the logit model

Recently, the high incidence of construction firm bankruptcies has underlined the importance of forecasting defaults in the construction industry. Early warning systems need to be developed to prevent or avert contractor default; additionally, this evaluation result could facilitate the selection of firms as collaboration or investment partners. Financial statements are considered one of the key basic evaluation tools for demonstrating firm strength. This investigation provides a framework for assessing the probability of construction contractor default based on financial ratios by using the Logit model. A total of 21 ratios, gathered into five financial groups, are utilized to perform univariate logit analysis and multivariate logit analysis for assessing contractor default probability. The empirical results indicate that using multivariate analysis by adding market factor to the liquidity, leverage, activity and profitability factors can increase the accuracy of default prediction more than using only four financial factors. While considering the market factor in the multivariate Logit model, clear incremental prediction performance appears in 1-year evaluation. This study thus suggests that the market factor comprises important information to increase the prediction performance of the model when applied to construction contractors, particularly in short-term evaluation

Developing an activity-based knowledge management system for contractors

Knowledge Management (KM) has become an important term in the IT industry. Knowledge management involves creating, securing, capturing, coordinating, combining, retrieving & distributing knowledge. Most know-what, know-how & experience exist only in the minds of individual participants during the construction phase of construction projects. The knowledge can be reused & shared among the engineers & experts involved who participate in projects in order to improve the construction process & reduce the time & cost of solving problems. Sharing & reusing knowledge depends on acquiring & preserving both tacit knowledge & explicit knowledge as the property of a corporation. Effectively using information & web technologies during the construction phase of a project enables knowledge to be captured & managed to the benefit of future projects. This study addresses application of knowledge management to construction projects in the construction phase & proposes a Construction Activity-Based Knowledge Management (ConABKM) concept & system for general contractors. This paper proposes the concept of integrating IDEF (Integrated DEFinition function modeling) modeling methods & provides a prototype used for designing construction knowledge management systems. The ConABKM system is then applied in a case study of a highway construction project; the results demonstrate the effectiveness of sharing knowledge in the construction phase. The combined results demonstrate that by utilizing the latest web technology, knowledge exchange & storage concepts & modes of implementation, a ConABKM system is an effective tool for all experts & engineers participating in the construction phase of a project

THE APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN TAIWAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Abstract: Knowledge management has already demonstrated a number of benefits and has offered justification for further implementation. The Internet facilitated its development and growth via fast and timely sharing of knowledge. By sharing knowledge, a enterprise can creates exponential benefits from the knowledge and experience as employee learns from it. In Taiwan, the construction industry is attempting to take a further step to apply knowledge management (KM) to capture, store, share, and reuse past information and knowledge in their projects. A survey is made to identify the application and problem of knowledge management in public sector and private sector in the A/E/C industries of Taiwan. This paper focuses on the current implementing and problem of the public and private sections in construction knowledge management. The purpose of the paper is helpful to further understand the strategy and problem solving for implementing construction knowledge management successfully. Finally, suggestions and strategies based on the survey are provided in the paper to help and apply the future implementing of knowledge management in the A/E/C Industries

The use of knowledge map model in construction industry

The construction industry consists of many unstructured documents, which accumulate a large volume of tacit knowledge. In the general domain, a Knowledge Map can illustrate connections of knowledge and transfer tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge, but this is unsuitable on specific domain such as construction industry. This research generalized existing mapping rules to be applied to general and specific domain; and presented a novel and practical model for building knowledge map, named Knowledge Map Model (KMM). This model comprised of five procedures, including identifying problems, discussing with experts and users, establishing the classification structure, establishing the document base, and deciding the display model. Furthermore, this research establishes Knowledge Map Model System (KMMS) as a major tool to improve the knowledge map reused and shared among the practical process. Finally, this re‐search validated the KMM in a real project of bridge maintenance. Santrauka Statybos pramoneje taikoma daug nestruktūrizuotu dokumentu, kuriuose sukaupti tiksliai neišreikšti, numanomi duome‐nys. Bendruoju atveju žiniu žemelapis gali parodyti žiniu tarpusavio ryšius ir transformuoti numanomas žinias i tikslias žinias, tačiau tai netinka specifinems sritims, tokioms kaip statyba. Šis mokslinis tyrimas apibendrino esamas žiniu žeme‐lapiu sudarymo taisykles, kurios galetu būti taikomos bendrosioms ir specifinems sritims, ir pristate nauja, praktini žiniu žemelapio sudarymo modeli, pavadinta KMM (Knowledge Map Model). Modeli sudaro penkios procedūros: problemu identifikavimo, aptarimo su ekspertais ir vartotojais, klasifikavimo struktūros nustatymo, dokumento formos nustatymo ir sprendimo del vaizdinio parinkimo. Be to, šiais moksliniais tyrimais nustatyta, kad žiniu žemelapio modelio sistema (KMMS) yra svarbi priemone, padedanti pritaikyti žiniu žemelapio naudojima praktiniams tikslams. Galiausiai šis tyrimas pagrinde KMM taikyma vykdant realu tilto eksploatacijos projekta. First Published Online: 10 Feb 2011 Reikšminiai žodžiai: žiniu žemelapis, statybos pramone, informacines technologijo