The golden thread principle: meeting the ongoing information management challenge

Lucy Hilton Date published: Oct 24, 23

In response to recent construction defects and fire incidents in high-rise buildings, the United Kingdom government has introduced the Building Safety Act 2022. One of its central principles is the "golden thread," which requires all building information to be maintained and updated during its lifecycle. This information needs to be easily accessible to ensure the safe management and maintenance of buildings. Architecture, engineering, and construction firms must now implement this golden thread principle, which can be a daunting task. Fortunately, review and co-authoring software can help firms remain compliant with the Building Safety Act and streamline their processes.

What is the golden thread principle?

The golden thread principle requires a comprehensive and structured record-keeping system for all building information, from the initial design stage to the end of the building's life. The information must be accessible, understandable, and transparent to all parties involved in the building's management and maintenance. This involves recording changes made during the building's construction and ensuring that all maintenance work conforms to the original design. The golden thread principle also requires clear channels of accountability for all those involved in the building's construction and management.

To comply with the Building Safety Act, AEC firms need to upgrade their record-keeping systems. This can be a demanding task, especially if firms are still using traditional manual record-keeping processes. However, by abiding by these new requirements and improving their record-keeping systems, firms can make profitable and productive improvements to overall operations.

Four principles that can improve your operations

Single source of truth

The single source of truth principle implies that there should be a single repository of information that holds all data related to a building project. This information, including drawings, specifications, and other project documents, should be referenced continually in all stages of the project to ensure the accuracy and consistency of all decisions made.

Having a single source of truth ensures that all stakeholders have access to up-to-date information and documentation, reducing the risk of misinterpretation or confusion over project requirements.

Understandable and consistent

The golden thread requires understandable and consistent information. All documentation should be written in plain English and accessible to all stakeholders. Information must also be presented in a consistent and reliable format, making it easy to navigate and extract relevant data critical to the project.

This principle reduces the risk of errors, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations of project information. By creating standards, protocols, and guidelines for project documentation, teams can ensure that they maintain consistent approaches to project delivery.

Accountability

The principle of accountability stipulates that all project stakeholders are responsible for the quality of the documentation they create. It requires that approvals are clearly defined and documented, with records of all changes made throughout the project lifecycle.

Accountability in documentation ensures clarity in decision-making regarding project changes, with risks and their mitigation measures clearly documented. By keeping everyone accountable, misunderstandings and misinterpretations are minimised, reducing the likelihood of safety risks.

Relevancy

The golden thread ensures that all documentation remains relevant throughout the project lifecycle. This principle requires that documentation is updated regularly, and obsolete data is removed.

Ensuring documentation is relevant is crucial for successful project delivery. Up-to-date documentation ensures that all stakeholders have access to the latest information, allowing them to make informed decisions that are critical to a project's completion and safety.

The value of digital document transformation

The golden thread principle requires AEC firms to create a comprehensive and structured record-keeping system for all building information, accessible and understandable by all parties involved in the building's management and maintenance. While this requirement may involve the restructuring of current processes, it is an opportunity for companies to jump into an era of efficiency and time savings. Gone can be the days of work duplication, email chasing and lengthy email chains. Productivity hold-ups like design and document change requests, lack of adequate time to prepare and vet live documents, and cumbersome review processes can be easily resolved. Not only does the golden thread lead to efficient project delivery and safer buildings, but firms can benefit from cost and time savings through streamlining their documentation and establishing standards and guidelines for project documentation.

Digital document collaboration software such as Ideagen PleaseReview enables faster, easier and sharper management of how construction documents are shared, co-authored and approved while ensuring compliance with the Building Safety Act. By utilizing cloud technology and real-time collaboration, stakeholders involved in construction projects can ensure that all information is current, accurate, and easily accessible to maintain a safe building.

Watch our informative on-demand webinar, “The golden thread: meeting the ongoing information management challenge” by Ideagen PleaseReview and partnered with BIMplus. In this session, our speakers deconstruct the complexities around the golden thread of information and the Building Safety Act.

Watch now