A rigorous approach for representing and evaluating construction information flow

The construction industry is overwhelmed with a multitude of information. This information is required to provide the project parameters, guidelines and knowledge necessary for the completion of a project delivery process. Understanding and representing what and how information flows is a first step that must be accomplished before industry wide acceptance of new technologies is attained. The present information flow system used in the construction industry has several inefficiencies. Errors and misunderstandings occur due to the interpretation and re-entry of data between many of the parties involved in a construction project. This can lead to, for example, extended project completion times and higher costs.; This research reviews communication and information exchange technologies, identifies the various forms of information available to and developed within a construction project, and represents portions of this information using four modeling techniques. This representation can then be used as a platform for evaluating possible solutions to the construction information flow process. As an example, communication and information exchange processes are simulated as Internet-absent and Internet-centralized systems. A comparison of each is provided and the key differences identified.; There are two key contributions of this research. The first is the rigorous methodology, employed by the author in constructing the paper and simulation models. Using this methodology, allows for a better understanding of the information flows involved in the completion of a project. The second is the paper and simulation models constructed as a first attempt of representing construction information flow. These provide industry practitioners and researchers with a tool for evaluating different sets of conditions and scenarios of information flow throughout a project's life cycle.