KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES IN PROJECTS IN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION SECTOR.

Purpose: The objectives of the article are focused on identifying and evaluating mainly the information technologies that are currently used to manage knowledge in the building and construction industry, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of particular IT tools for KM, and analyzing how to combine different information technologies together to support knowledge transferring process between construction professionals. Design/methodology/approach: The objectives of the research were achieved by a questionnaire survey. The respondents were professionals, mainly project managers in projects executed in a building and construction sector. An on-line questionnaire was elaborated to get the information on knowledge management in building and construction projects. Findings: It was found that knowledge management is an increasing challenge in projects in a building and construction sector. Barriers of applying knowledge management in construction industry have been identified. As project teams in construction projects are often disbanded at the end of a project, the knowledge generated in a project is difficult to track after the project is accomplished. The knowledge generated in the project should be stored and coded within the project. Practical implications: The research proved that knowledge management processes are of great importance and the use of IT tools is crucial for effective knowledge management in building and construction projects. Originality/value: The value of the research is the deep analysis of tools and technologies applied in selected building and construction projects. The respondents, professionals in project management, assessed what is important in the area of knowledge management in building and construction sector. The paper is dedicated to managers participating in construction and building projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]