A Review of Project and Programme Management Reference Models for the Construction Industry

Pro ject management information systems (PMIS) are socio-technical systems comprising people, organizational systems (processes and organizational structures) and an info rmation technology infrastructure to ensure the effective flow of in formation. PM IS seek to provide all pro ject stakeholders with the informat ion necessary to undertake their tasks. These systems have changed considerably over the last decade. They no longer focus on scheduling and resource management alone. Instead, they have become comprehensive systems that support the entire project lifecycle. These improved systems have raised several difficulties in the development process which arise fro m the character of the informat ion itself. Therefore, in formation models play an important role in the development of informat ion systems, especially in the analysis, design and deployment phases. Reference models are one approach to accelerate the development of enterprise-specific models and provide companies and researchers with an initial solution for the design of organisation systems and mobile applications in the arch itecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. An understanding of project management informat ion system reference models is critical to improving the quality of computerised system development in the A EC sector. Th is paper will review and compare the available informat ion system models which are applicable to construction project and programme management. These reference models will provide guidelines for developing a computerised system for construction projects and programmes. The model can also be used for the design of project management software and the setting-up of the surrounding organizational system, as well as to decide on the software requirements that are essential to select a co mmercial project and programme management software system. Thus, these reference models are important to assist a stakeholder in selecting the right project management system.