In the broader architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector, including property real estate and infrastructure asset management, information is more than just data – it is the backbone of every project or built asset. Every decision, action, and euro spent hinges on the availability of high-quality information at each stage, from planning to decommissioning. Historically, however, information management in the industry has been poor, inconsistent, fragmented, and unreliable. Analog methods, such as paper-based records and siloed data, often lead to disjointed, inaccessible information that is challenging to verify, trust or find when needed. This lack of a cohesive approach to information has resulted in costly setbacks, safety risks, and inefficiencies, driving up costs and delivery times.
The concept of a “golden thread of information” was introduced as a solution to these long-standing issues. By advocating for a continuous, structured digital information flow throughout a project’s lifecycle, the golden thread provides a reliable foundation for informed decision-making and regulatory compliance. The Grenfell Tower disaster in the UK underscored the critical need for this approach, making the golden thread essential to safety, accountability, and transparency. By adopting ISO19650 standards and integrating emerging technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), the AEC industry can finally implement the type of trusted, structured information management that has long been required.
Information Requirements – A Long-Standing Duty of Care
The need for high-quality information in the AEC sector is not new but rather a foundational principle that has driven the industry for decades. Reliable information is essential for demonstrating compliance with a range of regulations, including planning, building control, health and safety, environmental impact, and ongoing operations and maintenance. In each stage, accurate data is crucial to ensuring that requirements are met and standards upheld, from compliance and building integrity, to health and safety, environmental management, and long-term maintenance.
This reliance on information creates an ethical duty of care on professionals – a responsibility to provide accurate, timely, and verified data that forms the foundation of safe, functional buildings and infrastructure. Historically, analogue information management methods have fragmented records, resulting in paper-based documentation and isolated storage that limit visibility and accessibility, or the ability to properly check and verify the information at any time. There is an assumption that the information will be there when needed, but when it is actually needed it is seldom available. For example, in the Grenfell disaster, it took the emergency services 24 hours to fins the gas stop value. This porr information management practice has led to misunderstandings, duplication of work, and inefficiencies that elevate risks and compromise project success.
The shift from analogue to digital information management marks a transformative opportunity to improve how data is managed in the AEC sector. Digital systems enable organized, accessible, and reliable information that supports decision-making. In this digital model, information is no longer a loose collection of static documents but a dynamic, integrated system that is constantly updated and made accessible to relevant stakeholders. Embracing digital information management allows the AEC sector to uphold its duty of care, equipping professionals to provide trustworthy data at every project phase.
Understanding the Golden Thread of Information
The “golden thread” is a concept that redefines information management throughout the lifecycle of an asset, providing a continuous, structured, and accessible flow of data from planning to design, through construction, and into operations and eventual decommissioning. The Grenfell Tower disaster highlighted the consequences of inadequate information management, with Dame Judith Hackitt’s “Building a Safer Future” report emphasizing the need for a systemic approach to information, particularly for high-risk buildings.
The golden thread’s purpose is to ensure that accurate information is available to the right people at the right time, to carry out tasks safely, and enabling compliance, quality control, and risk management. This accessibility supports informed, proactive decisions that enhance project quality and public safety. For example, if a structural component is modified during construction, that information is immediately updated and accessible within the golden thread, ensuring future stakeholders have a complete understanding of the building’s current structure. This prevents the common issues of traditional, paper-based records that are often outdated, scattered, or inaccessible.
The structured nature of the golden thread transforms it into an essential safeguard, shifting information management from a reactive task to an anticipatory framework. Unlike traditional, ad hoc information management, the golden thread integrates data management into daily operations, ensuring a comprehensive, unified view of the building’s history and requirements. By embedding golden thread principles into practice, the AEC sector can achieve a new level of professionalism, accountability, and safety.
ISO19650 and the Shift from Analog to Digital Management
The ISO19650 series of standards represents a major step forward in the AEC sector’s information management process, providing a structured digital framework that addresses challenges associated with traditional, analogue processes. Effective information management has always been necessary for compliance and project success, but reliance on unstructured, paper-based records has historically hindered this goal.
ISO19650 introduces a systematic approach to managing information across an asset’s lifecycle, aligning with standards such as ISO9001 for Quality Management, ISO55000 for Asset Management, and ISO21500 for Project Management. Central to ISO19650 is the Common Data Environment (CDE), a centralized repository designed as a “Single Source of Truth” for project data. Within the CDE, documents and records are stored, tracked, and shared in real time, preventing the miscommunication and information gaps that arise when data is scattered across multiple management systems.
ISO19650 also structures the information management process through the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, a methodical approach to planning, executing, verifying, and improving information practices. Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, with the Appointing Party defining the information strategy and Appointed Parties responsible for contributing accurate data to the CDE. This structure reduces reliance on assumptions, strengthens accountability, and ensures that all stakeholders work from a unified, validated set of records.
The shift from analogue to structured digital information management provided by ISO19650 does more than modernize data storage; it transforms how information is managed, accessed, and trusted. By establishing a structured framework, ISO19650 ensures that data is a well-managed asset that drives decision-making, safety, and efficiency across the project lifecycle.
Enhancing Information Trustworthiness Through Standards and Structure
In the AEC sector, decisions rely on the assumption that available data is accurate and complete. Trustworthy information is essential, as flawed data can lead to delays, abortive work, cost overruns, safety hazards, and legal disputes. The golden thread addresses this need by promoting consistency, transparency, and verification, but achieving true data trustworthiness requires rigorous structure and standards.
ISO19650 enhances data reliability through metadata (data about data), providing essential context for decision making. The mere existence of data doesn’t prove it to be true. You must question its authenticity or validity: Who produced it? Why was it produced (what is its purpose)? When was it produced (is it the most recent version)? What does it relate to? Where did it come from, and has it been approved by the relevant authorities or professionals? Metadata transforms each record into a traceable, verified data point, ensuring that information is suitable for its intended purpose. The structured Approval and Acceptance workflow process formalizes data validation, creating a clear, traceable chain of custody for every piece of information, eliminating guesswork, and instilling confidence among stakeholders.
By requiring systematic verification, ISO19650 minimizes reliance on assumptions, building “trust” in the “single source of truth”. Each data entry is checked and cross-referenced, creating a proactive, reliable approach to information management. The result is a foundation of trustworthy information that supports the golden thread idea, and enhances business processes, across all stakeholders in the supply chain, reinforcing the sector’s duty of care and ensuring that each piece of data can be confidently used for decision-making.
The Role of Emerging Technologies in Strengthening the Golden Thread
ISO19650’s framework for structured information management is further enhanced by emerging technologies like Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), which add transparency, integrity, and analytical processing power to the golden thread.
DLT (or blockchain, as the most commonly known type of DLT), brings transparency and immutability to information, creating a decentralized ledger of information transactions or exchanges, that cannot be altered without consensus. The ledge is open, transparent and accessible to all parties (not controlled by one party).This capability is invaluable in complex, multi-party projects where disputes over accountability can arise. DLT provides a permanent, time-stamped record that ensures data integrity, making it possible for all parties to work from a shared, trusted “truth” without compromising individual control.
AI enhances data usability by processing large datasets to identify patterns, trends, and risks, transforming raw data into actionable insights. In predictive maintenance, for example, AI can analyse building data to identify components at risk of failure, allowing preventive action. AI also automates routine tasks, such as data entry and document verification, reducing human error and streamlining compliance checks. But AI is only as good as the quality of information it is working with. Garbage-In = Garbage Out, as they say. AI’s true value lies in interpreting quality data to pre-emptively mitigate risks. The combination of a clearly defined process like ISO19650, and DLT, can provide AI with trustworthy data to perform analysis.
Together, DLT and AI reinforce the golden thread by providing a secure and transparent framework for collaboration and decision-making. These technologies augment, rather than replace, human expertise, allowing professionals to focus on complex, strategic tasks and creating a dynamic, reliable environment for managing information across a project’s lifecycle.
Moving from Data to Wisdom – Contextualizing Information for Effective Use
In today’s data-rich world, information without context is overwhelming and often unhelpful. In the AEC sector, moving from “data” to “wisdom” involves adding context to transform raw data into actionable knowledge. The golden thread, supported by ISO19650, facilitates this transformation by attaching metadata that reveals each data point’s origin, purpose, version and status.
Metadata tags, provide context that allows users to assess data’s relevance and reliability. Knowing the reasons behind document updates, for example, enhances the ability to make more informed decisions. Metadata also supports continuous improvement by tracking the chain of custody for each document, enabling teams to learn from past decisions and improve future practices.
The golden thread’s structured approach to metadata allows the AEC sector to elevate information from a static record to a strategic asset, providing “value” to all stakeholder, ensuring that data is not just recorded but actively managed and applied to achieve quality, safety, and accountability.
Cultural Shift – Embracing Information Management in the AEC Sector
The shift from analogue to structured digital information management requires a significant cultural shift within the AEC sector, which current relies heavily on “assumption” and lots of unstructured analogue data. Professionals must move from viewing data management as an administrative burden to recognizing it as a strategic “value” and priority, foundational to project success and safety. This shift from assumptions to accountability is central to realizing the benefits of the golden thread.
Leaders play a critical role in prioritizing data quality, fostering an environment where information management is everyone’s responsibility. Collaboration and trust among stakeholders are also essential, ensuring that each party views data as a shared asset that benefits the entire project, and each organisation involved, as well as the public good. A culture of transparency and collaboration minimizes adversarial friction, enabling efficient, accurate project delivery. Viewing information management as an integral part of the project lifecycle supports the golden thread, allowing the AEC sector to build a future where information is continuously accessible, reliable, and actionable.
Conclusion
The “golden thread of information” represents more than an evolution in information management practices; it is a foundational shift that ensures the AEC sector’s longstanding need for trustworthy data is finally met with consistency and accuracy. The digital approach underpinned by ISO19650, and enabled by emerging technologies like BIM, DLT, and AI goes beyond regulatory requirements, creating a system where data drives decisions, promotes safety, and ensures compliance.
By embedding the principles of the golden thread, the AEC sector establishes a foundation of high-quality information management that supports resilient, efficient, and safe infrastructure. The golden thread is a transformative framework that empowers professionals to uphold their ethical duty of care, to their clients, their collaborators, and the public at large, and build a future based on trustworthy information, protecting public safety and guiding the industry towards a sustainable, transparent future.
