This research project discusses how information reuse can improve data transfer between project phases and encourages the various parties involved to exchange intelligent, structured data rather than documents.
Reuse is driven by a single question: What is the cost and benefit of change? Below are some of the characteristics of an information reuse system:
- Assets are broken into “chunks.”
- Data is collected in a particular format.
- Data is tagged with identifiers.
- Data is aggregated by and linked to the appropriate “chunk.”
- “Chunks” are aggregated to develop a system structure and model.
- Models form the basic components of the technology platform.
The documents comprising this topic are focused on the processes needed for effective information reuse across projects, as well as the information technology, business benefits, and barriers involved in information reuse. Three companies were studied to benchmark the best practices for information re-use. The impact of design reuse on the process and power industries was the fundamental question during this study, while benchmarking, documenting the business case, and key requirements were all outcomes of understanding this impact.
The study found that information reuse contains “remarkable opportunities…for owners and engineering companies to improve cycle time, quality, and cost effectiveness of facility design and construction activities” (E9-13, page 3).
This study encompasses documenting five main tasks (E9-2, page 3):
- Gather and document reuse status in other industries
- Benefits and barriers reports
- Object library structure
- Metrics and benchmark values
- User requirements documentation
The benchmarking studies show that significant business benefits have been achieved which range from more competitive projects to improved operational performance. The study also showed that work processes have to be redefined and that cultural change is a significant issue (E9-13, page 25).