Development of a knowledge taxonomy and a tool to support business development decisions in construction companies

Business development (BD) is critical for construction firms to achieve competitive advantages in selected markets. This study aims to develop a knowledge-based tool that can be used to support BD tasks and decisions. The first step of the development of this tool is creating a new knowledge taxonomy. Firstly, the components of the taxonomy were collected by conducting a detailed literature review, and semi-structured interviews with 12 well-experienced construction experts from 11 construction companies. Five main components and fifty-two sub-components were identified at the end of this stage. Six experts participated in focus group discussions to finalize the knowledge taxonomy. Finally, a new taxonomy with three hierarchical levels was proposed. The developed knowledge taxonomy was validated using three validation methods: interactive workshops with three scholars, navigation tests with three domain experts, and a case study conducted through an oral history interview with one expert. Based on this taxonomy, a knowledge-based tool was developed to manage knowledge related to the BD of construction organizations. Researchers and professionals can benefit from the findings of this study when developing similar knowledge-based systems and improving BD decisions.