The Butterfly Effect

Elaine Knutt tries to unpick the dynamics of knowledge transfer in the construction industry and asks where it leaves the idea of the golden thread.

The construction industry relies on the rapid development, co-ordination and dissemination of complex packages of information to communicate design intent and then translate it into built form. Serious issues with management of information have been identified following the Grenfell Tower disaster and proposals have been brought forward to reform knowledge management in the form of a golden thread of information – but the loss and attrition of knowledge and information within project teams goes much further.