This Master's Thesis is made by two students from the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Aalborg University. The Thesis is entitled: Improved experience gathering - an opportunity for improved efficiency? Drawing on several different sources, it describes how a systematic gathering of experience may lead to increased efficiency in medium and large size contracting companies. It also addresses the way, in which such a system could be designed.

The starting point of the Master's Thesis is an analysis of the following initial problem statement:

What is the potential in a better and more systematic experience gathering in the construction industry, and which barriers are connected to the implementation and use of it?

The term experience gathering is used to describe the systematic collection of information and knowledge after or during a project. Through interviews with three contractors in Northern Jutland it is confirmed that a more systematic experience gathering may lead to a better process in future projects. The actual experience gathering takes place in different systems within each company, including financial management, time \& resource management, building technology, quality management, and teamwork. These systems are analysed to determine the need for systematic experience gathering in each system. Furthermore, the barriers related to humans and company organisations are analysed with the objective to find out why a systematic experience gathering does not already take place in contracting companies.

Drawing on the initial analysis, the following problem statement is formulated:

How can a system for experience gathering be designed, developed, and implemented so that the gathering of useful experiences can be conducted efficiently?

The problem statement is answered through a combination of empirical data from three interviews and a theoretical study of different existing methods, including "Management systems in the construction industry", "Demings cycle", "Demings 14 points", "The Johari window"\ and "Knowledge sharing". The first step in answering the problem statement is the development of an implementation process. The next step is to develop a set of suggested solutions that may be adapted to a specific contractor. Thus, based on the suggested solutions a system for experience gathering can be designed and implemented for a random contractor. The conclusion is that by using the implementation process and the suggested solutions, and adapting them to the needs of each contractor, it is possible to increase efficiency in medium and large contracting companies.