Benefit Analysis of Knowledge Management System for Engineering Consulting Firms

Abstract

Engineering consulting (EC) firms in the construction industry are knowledge-intensive and experience-based organizations. As the knowledge accumulated from previous experiences is the essential asset for wining and managing future projects, many EC firms have developed diversified knowledge management systems (KMSs) to accumulate and retain this essential knowledge. However, evaluation methods and results regarding the benefit analysis of KMSs are rarely found in literature. To evaluate the performances of KMSs, most previous studies have adopted qualitative approaches. This paper, on the other hand, presents a ratio-based approach for evaluating the benefits of KMSs. The proposed approach is tested using one of the KMSs from a study EC firm: the proposal preparation assistant (PPA) system. Based on a test of two real cases, this study found that a 48.7% time reduction in data collection and 25.3% staff-hour savings can be achieved when using the PPA system to prepare service proposal drafts. The results revealed in this study not only prove the usability of the proposed ratio-based benefit analysis approach, but also provide convincing and inspiring information for knowledge management practitioners as they plan their future works. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.