Gathering and disseminating lessons learned in construction companies to support knowledge management

Abstract

The importance of knowledge management (KM) in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has risen with the improvement of information and communication technologies. However, the construction industry still struggles to capture and disseminate lessons learned. The present research explores this issue by using interviews and an online questionnaire, to provide updated information on lesson-learned procedures and their challenges in United States (US) construction companies. To do this, the authors have gathered industry professionals’ perceptions about lessons learned and methods used in their companies for harnessing and disseminating the knowledge generated by them. Our findings indicate that post-project evaluations are frequently conducted, utilize a two-step approach (review of materials followed by meetings), and are mainly organized by project managers. Most often, only key project team members are present in meetings to create a safe environment for discussion. Moreover, our findings echo previous research on the dissemination and reuse of lessons learned, indicating that these procedures are scattered and, most of the time, the information is not effectively reutilized. This suggests that US construction companies still need to revisit how information from lessons learned is currently being harnessed, stored, and especially shared (within and between companies) so that information can be effectively transformed into knowledge that can advance the AEC industry's productivity.