A CSCW-based value management system for construction projects

Value Management (VM) is an effective approach to reduce the cost and improve the process effectiveness and efficiency of construction projects. However, many problems such as lack of people's awareness, lack of implementation guideline and lack of promotion policy have greatly limited the applications of VM in the Chinese construction industry as well as the output quality. The Interactive Value Management System (IVMS) that is developed based on the practices of VM applications in Hong Kong's construction industry cannot be effectively adopted in mainland China, due to the differences in job plans, approaches and the fact that IVMS does not support remote CSCW. Based on the VM practices in the Chinese construction industry, a CSCW-based value management system named IVMS-CN is proposed. IVMS-CN is composed of a network-based communication platform, a CSCW platform and a management platform. It aims to provide a remote collaborative environment and a group decision support platform for VM members so that they can take part in VM studies in different places. IVMS-CN can also facilitate the communication and information sharing between VM members, reduce process losses and improve process gains so that the qualities and effectiveness of VM practices in the Chinese construction industry can be improved.