ISSUES AFFECTING THE FLOW OF INFORMATION DURING THE DESIGN PHASE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS José H. Loría-Arcila 1 and Jorge A. Vanegas 2 ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of a research project that investigated the major issues affecting the flow of information during the design phase of affordable housing developments in Southeastern Mexico. A qualitative approach was selected for the research. Specifically, the case study mode of in- quiry was chosen to investigate a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, based on the following sources: documentation, archival records, direct observation, and primarily, in-depth inter- views. The findings indicate that the design process of affordable housing developments follows informal channels of communication, does not promote participation from other professionals involved in the process, does not incorporate lean or constructability concepts, and shows evidence of errors and generation of waste. Furthermore, the flow of information is perceived differently by each member of the design team, lacks a framework of reference, and primarily, shows substantial evidence of informality. Based on the results of the study it was possible to identify information flow patterns within the design team, and most importantly, to develop an information framework for the process, which was validated by the design team. This study provides direction for experimentation and creation of new design practice in affordable housing developments. KEY WORDS Information flow, Design, Affordable housing, Case study. INTRODUCTION This paper reviews the complexity of the over- all process and proposes that the majority of those problems originates during the earlier stages and is primarily caused by the way the information flows between the participants. A case study pres- ents the results of a research project that investi- gated the major issues affecting the flow of information during the design phase of affordable housing developments in Southeastern Mexico. THE DESIGN PROCESS Different writers and designers have outlined the design process in as few as 5 steps or as many as 25. As portrayed by Asimow (1962), design is a sequential process consisting of many design operations. From this perspective, it becomes evi- dent that the genesis of the process is information. This has been generally acknowledged in design science. For instance, Hubka and Eder (1998) state: “Engineering Design is a process … through which information in the form of requirements is converted into information in I.T. Support for Lean Construction 161 1 Professor and Academic Secretary, School of Engineering, Avenida Industrias no Contaminantes por Periférico Norte S/N, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México, (999) 941-0195, FAX (999) 941- 0189, larcila@tunku.uady.mx 2 The Fred and Teresa Estrada Professor, Construction Engineering and Management Program, School of Civil and Envir. Engrg., 790 Atlantic Dr.; SEB Building, Room 328, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0355, (404) 894-9881, FAX (404) 894-5418, jvanegas@ce.gatech.edu