Celoza, Amelia McLean (2022) The impact of contractual and legal factors on information management in AEC project delivery. PhD thesis, University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Abstract
Information is a critical component of delivering projects in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Digital technologies have emerged as an opportunity to improve information management and they have also presented new challenges. One of these emergent technologies is building information modeling (BIM). BIM is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility and provides a common platform for project stakeholders to collaborate. While technologies can improve information management, they still face challenges that result from the fragmented nature of the AEC industry, where stakeholders often work in silos and their respective information processes and systems are not connected. Many AEC business practices reflect more traditional and adversarial delivery methods, which creates legal implications with respect to information management. As the AEC industry moves toward digital technologies for managing information, and specifically moves toward more collaborative platforms such as BIM, contracts will need to address these legal factors to improve information management. The overarching research objective of this PhD dissertation is to understand how legal aspects of information management impact project delivery in the AEC industry. Research Question 1 evaluated how contracts currently address BIM and the impact it has on project performance. It identified contractual requirement of BIM for the contractor and subcontractor, as well as the use of a BIM execution plan as factors necessary for cost success. Research Question 2 identified and prioritized legal factors that impact information management in AEC projects. The top three factors identified by a panel of experts were risk allocation in contracts, data translation, and information preservation. Research Question 3 focused on how contracts can impact project information management, as well as current challenges and potential contract strategies to improve project information management. This research contributes to the body of knowledge of legal aspects related to information management and contract strategies needed to improve project information management. The practical contribution of this research is providing the AEC industry with guidance on how to improve contracts and project management practices with respect to information management.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Leite, Fernanda L; Oliveira, Daniel P de; Caldas, Carlos; Machemehl, Randy and Ranganathan, Ramkumar |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | information management; contract management; legal factors; architecture, engineering, and construction; project delivery |
| Index terms: | face, contract management, project management practice, subcontractor, digital technology, body of knowledge, project stakeholder, contract strategy, delivery method, execution plan, platform, building information modelling, project delivery, dissertation, project performance, risk allocation |
| Subjects: | research dissemination and communication, practitioner, psychology, knowledge management, contractual arrangements, contract management, digital design, financial risk, computing systems, project delivery, project management theory and practice, sociology, project controls, delivery method, information systems |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Information Management, Research Practice, Cost Management, Organizational Design, Contract Administration, Time Control, Digital Applications, Procurement, Project Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here