Development of the PDRI virtual users group on the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (WWW) has tremendous potential to improve project performance through communication improvement among project professionals. This paper will describe development of the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) Virtual Users Group (VUG). The intent of the PDRI VUG is to stimulate implementation of a Construction Industry Institute (CII) research product, specifically the PDRI, through wide distribution via the Internet. The PDRI VUG consists of a publicly accessible web-site that provides general information regarding the PDRI and a password protected site that is designed specifically for members of the user group. The development methodology will be briefly discussed, including insights gained from the development process. Web-site specifications for VUG development are outlined. Finally, lessons-learned and the challenges of producing an actively used web-site are presented to assist future development of web-based user groups.