Strategic Management of Variation Orders for Institutional Buildings: Leveraging on Information Technology

Abstract

This study identifies major findings based on data collected from the source documents of 79 institutional building projects, and how these have implications for future policy. The study presents a Knowledge-Based Decision Support System (KBDSS), based on data collected from these 79 institutional buildings, for making timely and more informed decisions on the management of variations. To achieve the study's objectives, an in-depth study of source documents and a questionnaire survey were utilized. In-depth interviews with 62 professionals involved in these projects were analyzed. The KBDSS consists of two main components, a knowledge-base and a decision support shell for selecting appropriate controls. The KBDSS is able to assist project managers by providing accurate and timely information for decision-making, and a user-friendly system for analyzing and selecting the controls for variation orders regarding institutional buildings. The developed system and the findings of this study should be of interest to all building professionals.