## 3 Knowledge Management Requirements in Construction SMEs
### Existing KM Platforms and Research Gap in Construction SMEs  
As discussed in the previous subsection, the literature establishes several guidelines for KM platforms for the construction industry, but system implementations have also been proposed. The first implementations [61; 62] were Web-based. Most recent academic KM system proposals tend to be BIM-based, even though they use Web technologies. This is consistent with the idea that capturing (and sharing) LL should be done throughout the lifecycle of the project [63] and not only at its end, because BIM may cover the complete lifespan of the construction of a building. For example, developing a BIM-based Knowledge Sharing Management (BIMKSM) system as a Web application [15]. This system uses a single unified database linked to BIM files with different levels of access granted to users based on their roles. KM topics are identified and shared through Computer-Aided Design (CAD) objects in the BIM model. Similarly, another proposed Web-based system (Construction BIM-based Knowledge Management--CBIMKM) [64], which also integrates with a 3D CAD environment could be used. Moreover, general guidelines for developing BIM-based KM systems have been established in a framework [16]. According to it, models should share context information through shared parameters, using Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) files and then knowledge (new ideas and LLs) is associated to a BIM model, which can also be exported in an IFC format. Nevertheless, the existing BIM-based systems are not the best option for Chilean construction SMEs because they fail to achieve several of the requirements discussed in the previous subsection, as shown in Table 2.  
It is vital for the success of BIM that all parties participating in the project use the same programs, the same versions of programs, and IFC standards, which would have to be accomplished before starting the project [65]. BIM is at a very early stage of adoption in Chile [4], meaning that interoperability would be costly, in terms of time, training, licenses, and hardware [18; 64], and SMEs may not have sufficient time or budget to accomplish it in order to deal with the urgent matter of KM. Moreover, budget constraints also hinder the possibility of achieving an acceptable level of usability for KM BIM-based systems, as there are high requirements for PC hardware regarding the use of BIM software [64], meaning that the machines needed to run BIM software properly tend to be more costly than an average computer. Usability in such systems is also hindered by the substantial amounts of time and assistance needed by engineers and managers to use BIM software to edit and update knowledge [64]. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l} \hline \hline
**Requirements not Accomplished** & **Reason for Failure** \\ \hline R4: Being able to function with a & Knowledge dissemination and real-time access needs a \\ low-speed, unstable, or non-existent & ubiquitous high-speed broadband Internet \\ Internet connection & \\ \hline R7: Readability of collected & Time and assistance needed to store or update knowledge \\ knowledge & \\ \hline R8: Ease and simplicity of use & High PC requirements to run BIM \\ Time and assistance needed to store or update knowledge \\ \hline R11: Not being tied to specific or & High PC requirements to run BIM \\ expensive PC hardware & \\ \hline R12: Interoperability at low cost & Upgrading to compatible BIM software versions involves \\ high licensing costs & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Construction SMEs’ requirements for a KM platform that are not accomplished by BIM-based systems. Besides the budgetary and time constraints, there are other reasons why BIM-based systems are not the best option for KM in this context. Knowledge dissemination and real-time access are important challenges within BIM-based systems [16]. For example, ubiquitous high-speed broadband Internet is essential in order to achieve the requirements of the system [65].