Good practice capture using social processes: Experiences of YIT Construction Ltd.

The construction industry is a project based one with each project being the production or provision of a one-of-a-kind product or service. Each day on a typical construction site brings forth a new problem for which where possible, a new solution is devised on the site. This is rarely, if at all documented. In simple terms, valuable knowledge and experience gained is lost. What remains is stored in the minds of those who were a part of the problem and the solution. The most appropriate means of capturing this knowledge has been identified to be through a set of well defined “social processes” such as action evaluations, internal interest groups, etc. A set of critical “intervention points” were identified where these social processes would be triggered. Recent experience from YIT Construction Ltd. reveals that social processes form an effective means for the capture of experience and knowledge in project based businesses such as construction.