Integration of design and construction – a review

The construction industry has long been recognised as having inherent problems leading to inefficiencies in the services and products it provides. Dependent on collaborative working, the industry has recognised that improved integration is one of the three main drivers for developing a culture of continuous improvement necessary to achieve the improvement targets set in the “Egan Report”. This paper provides a current review of integration within the construction industry. It categories the facets of integration and reviews the drivers for improving integration. It identifies some of the current tools and techniques being used to improve integration and then explores the current barriers acting against them. It concludes that hard process improvement has been successfully developed and implemented. However, it suggests that much further work is required to address the inherent cultural problems which significantly reduce the effectiveness of the many tools and techniques available.