Ž . Automation in Construction 10 2001 239–246 www.elsevier.comrlocaterautcon An application of the Internet-based project management system Z.M. Deng a, ) , H. Li b , C.M. Tam a , Q.P. Shen b , P.E.D. Love c a Department of Building and Construction, City UniÕersity of Hong Kong, Tat Chee AÕenue, Hong Kong, China b Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniÕersity, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, China c School of Architecture and Building, Deakin UniÕersity, Geelong, Victoria 3217, Australia Abstract Ž . The great advance in information technologies IT and the availability of a wide range of software in recent years have brought many changes in the construction industry. The Internet, a new member of IT, offers a medium with new opportunities to manage construction projects. This paper describes an Internet-based project management system called Ž . ‘‘Total Information Transfer System’’ TITS . TITS comprises six major functions including data exchange, information exchange, Internet chat, live video-cam, search engine and auxiliary services. TITS is demonstrated for project monitoring with a real-life project. q 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Construction communication; Information technology; Internet; Project monitoring 1. Introduction The construction industry has a multi-party na- ture, with its project success relying heavily on timely transfer of information among the parties involved such as owners, project managers, contrac- w x tors, designers 11 . It is also one of the most infor- mation-dependent industries, among others, with its diversity of forms of information which include de- tailed drawings and photos, cost analysis sheets, budget reports, risk analysis charts, contract docu- ments, and planning schedules. The amount of infor- mation generated and exchanged during a project lifetime is enormous even for a small-sized construc- ) Corresponding author. tion project. Timely and accurate information is im- portant for all project participants as it forms the basis on which decisions are made and physical progress is achieved. However, the distance between headquarters and construction sites further augments the communication barrier to achieve timely and accurate information transfer. This is more evident in construction projects carried out far away from head- quarters. Wasting of time and cost in construction projects can be traced back to poor coordination caused by inadequate information — insufficient, inappropriate, inaccurate, inconsistent, late, or a combination of them all. This occurs despite the remarkable advancements in information manage- ment, handling, storage and exchange techniques. Thus, improving communication among project par- ticipants and management headquarters is always the key factor leading to the success or failure of a construction project. 0926-5805r01r$ - see front matter q 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Ž . PII: S0926-5805 99 00037-0