From projects into operations: lessons for data handover

Data from civil engineering projects can inform the operation of built infrastructure. This paper captures lessons for such data handover, from projects into operations, through interviews with leading clients and their supply chain. Clients are found to value receiving accurate and complete data. They recognise opportunities to use high-quality information in decision-making about capital and operational expenditure, as well as in ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Providing this value to clients is a motivation for information management in projects. However, data handover is difficult as key people leave before project completion, and different data formats and structures are used in project delivery and operations. Lessons learnt from leading practice include defining data requirements at the outset, involving operations teams at an early stage, shaping the evolution of interoperable systems and standards, developing handover processes to check data rather than documentation and fostering skills to use and update project data in operations.