Commitment and interaction in building design coordination: a case study

Abstract The ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the commitments made within building project teams cause waste due to rework, delays and additional costs for the subsequent phases of the project, in addition to undermining interpersonal relationships. This research study investigates how commitments are made through interactions between participants of the project coordination team. This is a qualitative and exploratory study conducted through a case study in building project coordination. The results revealed what actions are more closely linked to commitment and also enabled us to suggest guidelines to help agents to improve their communication skills and grasp their commitments as set out in the workplace by providing means to assess and adjust the process throughout its development. This study made evident the determinig character of interaction, as an instrument to establish commitments, which puts at a second plane the contribution of protocols and control tools adopted for the work process, as well as the reliability of the documented information.