A synchronous collaboration server for the construction industry - the end users' experience in the COLLABORATOR project

Abstract

The COLLABORATOR project has developed a synchronous collaborative web-based system dedicated to mobile workers and virtual teams for the construction industry. This paper describes the work related to the specification, development and assessment of the aforementioned solution, emphasising the impact on the working practices. Discussing the technological aspects of the COLLABORATOR solution in comparison with existing systems, this paper describes the methodology followed to capture end-user requirements and specify the prototype services. The added value of the solution has been assessed against two operational scenarios, giving the opportunity to consider new emerging practices in the day-to-day work life while taking into account the deployment constraints. © 2004 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.