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P r o c e d i a - S o c i a l a n d B e h a v i o r a l S c i e n c e s 1 1 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 3 7 7 – 3 8 6
1877-0428 © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the IPMA.
doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.043
ScienceDirect
27
th
IPMA World Congress
A Web-Based Database System for Managing Construction Project
Knowledge
Beliz Ozorhon
a
*, Cenap G. Karatas
a
, Sevilay Demirkesen
a
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
Abstract
Knowledge management is a critical issue among construction firms. Since acquiring, sharing, and using knowledge in
construction are crucial, knowledge management is considered to be one of the key sources of success for the construction
projects. However, project-based nature of construction is among the most important barriers to organizational learning.
Nevertheless, project information is one of the main assets of contractors and should be institutionalized. An effective means of
knowledge management across construction sites and headquarters is information systems. The major objective of this study is
to propose a web-based database system to aid construction companies in capturing, storing, sharing, and using project and
corporate information. In this respect, a tool named WEB-CONS is developed and tested within a construction company. The
main advantage of this system is to create organizational memory and to assist companies in terms of their project management
activities. This tool is expected to increase the organizational learning competence of construction companies and to help create
organizational memory.
© 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the IPMA.
Keywords: Construction projects; Knowledge management; Web-based database system
1. Introduction
Organizational memory (OM) is a corporate asset which is gained by the integration of knowledge into the
organizational activities. Organizations develop their corporate memories by capturing, organizing, disseminating
and reusing knowledge by the knowledge created by their individuals. Stein and Zwass (1995) define OM as the
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +90(212)359-6425; fax:.+90(212)287-2457
E-mail address: beliz.ozorh on@boun.edu.t r
Avai la ble o nl in e at www.sciencedirect.com
© 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the IPMA.
378 Beliz Ozorhon et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 119 ( 2014 ) 377 – 386
extraction of knowledge from the past to transfer to present activities which result in the increased levels of
effectiveness for the organizations. The OM structure which is developed by Walsh and Ungson (1991) consists of
acquisition, retention and retrieval. Cross and Baird (2000) brings a different approach to OM by listing the
components of OM as individual memory, personal relationships, databases, work processes, support systems,
products and services.
In general, the concept of OM can be expressed as the storage of useful information and retrieval of it at a later
point in time. As Huber (1991) states, OM is a way of storing knowledge for future use of the organizations.
Managerial decisions do not mainly depend on the codified formal knowledge; they also rely on the knowledge in
the form of know-how and experience. However, the sharing of such knowledge by company members is a difficult
task since those members may not want to disclose valuable information since they are anxious about losing their
individual competitive advantages. All those facts necessitate the need for information systems (IS) to retrieve such
important knowledge in order to store the tacit knowledge and increase the level of organizational learning (OL) in
the organization. Therefore, technological means play an important role in the composition of OL.
Robey et al. (2000) consider that IT systems provide an infrastructure to store, access and revise some elements
of OM because of their importance as an input when designing learning for organizations. IS may affect the OL in
terms of contextual factors such as structure and environment which, in turn, influence learning. Huber (1991)
implies that IS have the primary role of directly serving OM. However, IS can also serve knowledge acquisition,
information distribution and information interpretation.
Ji and Salvendry (2000) propose a form of an information infrastructure namely organizational memory
information system (OMIS) to support and integrate OL systematically. IT such as databases, knowledge bases,
social networks and electronic bulletin boards are the facilitators to best understand an OMIS structure.
The major objective of this study was to develop a web-based database system for construction companies to
effectively manage construction project knowledge. In this respect, a tool named WEB-CONS was generated by
using past and on-going project information as well as corporate information of a construction firm. The system
was tested by the employees of the firm and found satisfactory. It is expected that this tool will help the contractor
increase its OL competence and enhance strategic decisions for future projects.
2. Knowledge Management In Construction Companies
The project-related activities are the main sources for learning since they constitute the own experiences of
construction companies due to the nature of construction works. Kasvi et al. (2003) state that the technical
knowledge is integrated into the project knowledge considering the production and use of the product, and
organizational knowledge considering communication and collaboration between work teams.
Hansen et al. (1999) define two fundamental strategies for knowledge management. The first one is the
codification strategy based on codifying and storing the knowledge in artifacts or databases where it can be
accessed. The other one is the personalization strategy where the knowledge is connected to people who develop
and share that by personal interaction.
Each construction project has its own characteristics. Therefore, there are discontinuities in the flow of
personnel, material and information which cause to the difficulty of implementing patterns in order to maximize
project knowledge flow and capture the useful learning. However, as Schindler and Eppler (2003) state, the
systematic integration of knowledge and experiences into the organizational knowledge base turns out to be a
challenge for most of the construction companies. Therefore, project learning leads the companies to a continuous
competitive advantage along with the contribution of organizational discipline, motivation and debriefing skills.
Web-based database systems may be used to enhance the control of knowledge flow and make better decisions
because those systems are considered to increase OL based on the acquisition of data, storage of useful information
in databases and retrieval of knowledge when needed. Additionally, web-based databases systems assist
construction companies in solving managerial problems and stimulate learning activities.
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3. Web-Based Database Systems
Web-based database systems are currently in use in most of the construction companies. However, only some of
them are quite popular and widespread by means of their applicability. Zhu (1999) presents three types of web-
based applications namely; the fee-based project management service, the build it yourself solutions and the web-
enabled software for the construction industry.
The fee-based project management services are provided by professional IT companies called Application
Service Providers (ASP). These web-based applications have several benefits such as low cost, need for less IT
expertise, ease of application upgrade, and simple system requirements. However, there are also some limitations
of those applications such as the information control of a third party that causes to concerns about the security, data
accessibility and service quality.
The build-it yourself solutions are convenient mostly in large construction companies because of their ability to
adapt the application that best fits their business environment and maintain their own business style. Nonetheless,
the investment requirements of the application, outsourcing and long development cycle and more complicated
implementation process appear as a limitation.
Being the last type of web-based applications, web-enabled software is defined as the complete set of web-based
application that is brought, maintained and owned by construction companies. This type of software is considered
to be the combination of first two types and it has many advantages. The first advantage is that it reduces the need
for outsourcing, shortens the development and implementation cycle at the same time and protects important
organizational information under the supervision of the in-house technical staff of the companies. Higher initial
cost and necessity of greater know-how of the staff can be stated among limitations.
This study suggests a web-based database system which is useful for construction companies. The system is
called WEB-CONS and it is a platform that enables knowledge storage, sharing and retrieval. It also serves as an
aid for project management activities.
WEB-CONS is a web-based knowledge management and communication system that is composed of both
knowledge created at the project level and strategic knowledge at the corporate level. The system is developed
based on the technology of databases within web-applications and it allows storing enormous volumes of
information unlike the internet technologies that collect information and spread it out all over the world.
WEB-CONS differs from the other web-based databases with its unique approach brought to knowledge sharing
mechanism. WEB-CONS enables users to classify whole document information according to job domains while
existing document based approaches enables only managing of information in the form of documents. Additionally,
WEB-CONS database allows the knowledge to be managed within the company by assigning date, title and
revision to the documents and placing them to specific locations.
4. Development of WEB-CONS
In the development process of WEB-CONS, a survey is conducted with Turkish construction companies in order
to determine the needs of the employees at all levels. Those needs reveal that a web-based system is crucial for
many construction companies. The findings of the survey also show that the efficient information sharing and
communication among participants is a critical success factor for construction business (Ozorhon et al., 2012).
After defining the needs of the project personnel, the constituents of the WEB-CONS system are established.
Among the components of the system are the information about project planning, activity execution and project
progress, manpower and equipment management, allocation procurement and inventory management, and
corporate information of the company.
The study also includes information which is considered to be the most significant for construction monitoring
being one of the most important elements of efficient construction management. Such information relates to the
projects, construction sites, activity progress, manpower usage, material arrival and usage, equipment usage,
headquarters’ orders and comments and problems.
WEB-CONS is not only useful for benefitting from post project information but also useful for managing on-
going project information. In addition, it also includes tendering stage information as well as other corporate
380 Beliz Ozorhon et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 119 ( 2014 ) 377 – 386
information to help with future actions. In general, WEB-CONS is developed as a facilitator of knowledge
management in construction companies.
4.1. WEB-CONS System Architecture
WEB-CONS is created primarily as a web-based construction project monitoring and management system.
Users affiliated with the company and construction projects are allowed to access to the system from anywhere
around the world through their accounts. WEB-CONS has various authorization levels for the users. The content of
each section can be uploaded according to the fact of authorization leveling. Another authorized person that can
access the page can view or download the uploaded documents. Based on the specified authorization level, a user
can either upload or download the available documents. For example, under the “master plan” subheading of the
project database, an accessible user can upload a master plan revision or download when necessary.
WEB-CONS is created to run on a server with Microsoft Windows platform and coded in Active Server Pages
(ASP) web-programming language. Four different password-protected MS Access databases are used to store the
relevant information namely; project information, user account information and messages, comments and
announcements, and titles of uploaded documents. Content is uploaded through a Security Sockets Layer (SSL)
connection, and direct web-access to them is prohibited by setting IIS access permissions of the document and
database storage folders. Downloading and viewing of possibly confidential documents are managed by a secure
web-script, which forwards requested file after checking users’ authentication and access permissions.
Furthermore, all user inputs are filtered for pieces of SQM, HTML and web-script codes, to protect the system
against any potential “injection attacks”, which provides the security template for the system.
The first page of the system contains a list of ongoing projects sorted out by their regions that are linked to
further specific project management pages for each of the listed projects where the accessible users can share their
project information by uploading or downloading them. The main headings and their subtitles of the project
management page are represented in Table 1.
Figure 1 represents the first page of project management database. This page reveals the basic information of
the project region, announcement, correspondences and work schedule and master plan as presented in Table 1.
Basic project information includes the general information about the project by representing the region, type and
company specific code of the project. Announcements about the project can be made by the accessible members of
the project to attract the attention of other project personnel on a general or specific point about the specific
project. Correspondences heading includes the formal communication matters between the members of the
organization or with others parties, and may be documented in e-mail format. Work schedule and master plan topic
includes the master plan and work schedule prepared at the beginning of the project. Contractual issues consist of
contract, bill of quantities and addendums which are the important items of the contract.
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Table 1. Project management page main headings and subtitles
Main Headings Subtitles
(i) Basic Project Information
Region
Type
Code
(ii) Announcements
(iii) Web-Cam
(iv) Correspondences
Between the Company and the Employer
Between the Company and the Consultant
Between the Company and the Regional Office
Between the Company and Other Participant Parties
(v) Work Schedule and Master Plan Work Schedule
Master Plan
(vi) Contractual Issues
Contract
Bill of Quantities
Addendums
Insurances
Cost Control
Additional Works and Other Contractual Issues
(vii) Design Works
Schematic Design
Design Development
As-Bui lt Drawings
(viii) Reports
Periodical Reports
Quality Reports
HSE Reports
Financial and Accounting Reports
Photographs
Records and Videos
Material Request Forms
Headquarters Reports
General Reports
(ix) Progress Payments and Claims
Progress Payments
Claims
Invoices
(x) Materials
Quotations from the Suppliers
Information about the Materials
Approval of the Materials
(xi) Subcontractors
Quotations from the Subcontractors
Contracts between the Company and the Subcontractors
Progress Payments of the Subcontractors
(xii) Corporate Regulations Quality Documents
382 Beliz Ozorhon et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 119 ( 2014 ) 377 – 386
HSE Documents
Procedures
Fig. 1. Project Management Database Page
Due to the fact that there is need for a common platform to share and store the data, WEB-CONS acts as a
database for the tendering departments of construction companies.
Tendering projects database part of the system is the section where the coordination of the tendering works
between offices can be performed. Firstly, a page showing the lists of current tenders sorted by their locations
appears where the tenders are linked to a detailed tendering department page. The main headings and their subtitles
of the tendering management database page are presented in Table 2.
Figure 2 represents the first page of Tendering Management Database. It shows the project region,
announcements, received information, correspondences, prequalification documents and cost analysis studies as
shown on Table 2. Basic tender information, at the head of the page presents the general information about the
tender by representing the region, type and company specific code. This part is prepared to inform the accessed
users. Announcements about the tender can be made by the accessible members of the tender to attract the
attention of other personnel on a general or specific point about the specific tender. Received information folder
contains documents that come from the client such as; Instructions to Bidders, an empty Bill of Quantities,
Specifications and Drawings, which should be kept in a systematic order for the ease of the activities carried out by
tendering teams. Correspondences are also important for the management of the tendering stage, since there may
be different offices of the same company or external parties involved in the process of tender preparation. Pre-
qualification documents are the documents sent to the potential tenderers at the pre-qualification stage of the
tender. Cost analysis studies are one of the most important activities which is carefully carried out throughout the
process of tender preparations.
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Table 2. Tendering management page main headings and subtitles.
Heading Subtitle
(i) Basic Tender Information
Region
Type
Code
(ii) Announcements
(iii) Received Information Tender Documents and Addendums
Site Reports
(iv) Correspondences
Between the Company and the Employer
Between the Company and the Consultant
Between the Company and Other Participant Parties
(v) Pre-qualification Documents Received Information from the Employer
Analysis Studies
(vi) Cost Analysis Studies Assumptions and Reports
Analysis Studies
(vii) Tender Submission Documents Financial Pack age Documents
Technical Package Documents
(viii) Design Studies
Conceptual Design Studies
Detailed Design Studies
Design Reports
(ix) Preliminary Work and Procurement Schedules
Preliminary Work Schedule
Preliminary Procurement Schedule
Reports and Assumptions on Schedules
(x) Preliminary Method of Construction Method of Construction
Method Assumptions
(xi) Received Quotations
Materials
Machinery and Equipment
Subcontractors
(xii) Corporate Regulations
Quality Documents
HSE Documents
Procedures
384 Beliz Ozorhon et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 119 ( 2014 ) 377 – 386
Fig. 2. Tendering Management Database Page
4.2. Implementation of WEB-CONS
Due to the web-based nature of the system, as soon as the installation and integration of the database to the
users’ computers in the company is over, the users can start accessing the program. The system was installed to
several computers at one of the largest companies of Turkey for testing the performance of the system and
receiving feedback from the users. In this respect, 9 senior managers and 3 junior engineers in the company are
asked to test the system.
Deputy General Manager of the company stated that the system is easy to manage, the interface is practical and
he does not get complicated while using the program. One of the Project Managers who is working abroad
managing an international construction project, said that the accessibility of the system from every corner where
the internet is available is an important advantage from project and knowledge management point of views. He
also asserted that the program is more useful than e-mail technology due to the document size limits and slow
uploading and downloading speed of e-mail technology. Both of them commented that the company information
should not be uploaded to internet sites such as Rapidshare for the security issues, so an internal program like this
would solve the problem of sharing files with bigger sizes. Tendering Manager of the company also found the
program very useful, since there is no trouble accessing and it can be reached from all of the offices that are
involved in bid preparation studies. Unlike the other two users, she also commented that the storing characteristic
of the system would also assist the users by shortening the period of reaching the documents that they seek for,
which is an advantage at bid preparation stage.
Business Development Manager, QA/QC Coordinator, HSE Manager, Human Resources Manager and
Logistics Manager of the related company also had a common opinion about the ease of use and benefits of the
system due to its features of storing the original and revised documents of the similar type at the same page and
web-based characteristic that ensures the access of the site team as well.
In addition to senior-level managers, 3 junior engineers of the company also examined the system and they
asserted that the system would provide better document sharing among the members of the project and improve the
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OM of the organization. They also believe that both project and tendering management pages would provide a
good database for future projects with the classification of knowledge and a broad information storage capacity.
As a result, the system is found highly attractive and useful, but the members of the organization believe that
implementing the system in the organization might take some time due to the traditional approach of the
employees and managers. According to the opinion of the users, it can also be concluded that the web-based nature
of the system offers a considerable advantage when compared to other styles of communication and data sharing
mechanisms by both minimizing the time spent for data transfer and reducing the communication costs.
5. Conclusions
The WEB-CONS system is proposed to increase the OL competence of companies since it requires the
acquisition of several data, interpretation of data and transferring data into information, storing in a database and
utilization of knowledge at decision-making stage. The system is generated as a software tool utilizing web-based
applications and a database at the same time. The following are some points to be emphasized about the system:
•WEB-CONS is a web-based database system, which helps the organizations make better project
management decisions by utilizing the codified knowledge from their past experiences.
•According to the people that tested the system, it is referred to as a good choice to aid project management
problems with its user-friendly interface and documentation system. The system is found beneficial for
tendering management activities with its features that facilitate document sharing. As a result, the system is
found highly attractive and useful for its web-based nature, but the users believe that it will take some time
to implement this system and create the database from the past projects of companies.
•The performance of the system may be enhanced as the number of the projects increase in the database and
relevant project information is continuously stored, shared and used.
•Communication between the members of the organization both at project level and corporate level can be
increased by the use of news and announcements, and messaging tools.
•There are several systems similar to WEB-CONS in some ways but the main advantage of WEB-CONS
over the other systems is based on its broad document classification.
•The system will be improved further by adding instant messaging which will enable fast communication
between the members of the adopting organization.
Companies should be aware of the fact that OL creates competitive advantage for them in their markets and
they should provide their employees with effective environment that would support the learning process. Although
many companies are familiar with web-based systems, they do not utilize such systems which would enhance their
OM. The WEB-CONS system developed in this study is used to assist construction companies in making decisions
on project and corporate management. This tool is proposed to increase the OL competence of construction
companies through the provision of all knowledge management activities that should be carried out in construction
companies.
As a future work, more sophisticated tools can be designed for the use of construction companies. An instant
messaging tool might be added to improve the online communication between the members of the organization.
Also video-conferencing can be added to the system, which would aid the visual communication among the project
personnel at different locations. The system can also be combined with a decision-making program or software
which would assist not only the knowledge management activities but also the strategic decision-making process
of the company.
Acknowledgements
This paper is produced based on a research project funded by Bogazici University Research Fund (BAP) under
the grant number 5501.
386 Beliz Ozorhon et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 119 ( 2014 ) 377 – 386
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