The Development of Construction Interface Information Management System

Interface management plays an important role in construction management due to construction projects tend to be complex. A lot of organizations are joined and implement their own responsible activities. Furthermore, interface- related information is usually distributed in individual participants and not shared with others, and the information about interface problems that occur is also recorded in the large meeting minutes, causing the management of interfaces is more difficult for managers in this situation. This study presents a Construction Interface Matrix (CIM) approach to represent the interface issue-related information for project participants. This approach enables project participants and managers to directly acquire available information for managing interfaces efficiently without other data supporting. Overall, through utilizing the CIM approach, users can directly and efficiently acquire information related to the interface relationships among participants and interface conditions throughout a project. This study develops a Construction Interface Information Management (CIIM) system by integrating the proposed CIM approach and web technology for the construction phase of construction project. The test of the CIIM system is then conducted to illustrate how to support interface management during the construction project. Finally, based on the system test, results indicate the CIIM system can improve the interface management for project participants manage interfaces in the construction phase.