In the quest for smoother digital data sharing and exchange between various architecture, engineering and construction software platforms, most stakeholders are eyeing the same target: interoperability. The ability to transfer design information seamlessly throughout a building project promises to save all parties involved–from owners to contractors–time and money, sources agree.

While the general destination might be clear, the road to interoperability in the construction industry is anything but a straightaway. Leaders of the six-year-old International Alliance for Interoperability, Oakton, Va., which has led the charge and established software standards, acknowledge that opinions vary on how to move interoperability from research into practice. Still, most are optimistic that payback is in sight.