Research by Arup-developed email management software Mail Manager has highlighted problems in retrieving information.

The survey showed 55% of respondents do 80% of their project correspondence via email, while a further 24% said 71-80% of their project correspondence is via email.

And nearly 90% of firms are worried about project information not being readily available or visible while 99% have had to retrieve emails from a past project.

Jacob Wardrop, Director at Mail Manager, said: “Clearly, the results show the critical importance of email in today’s projects.

“Despite improvements in modern ways of working, particularly when it comes to disputes and scope disagreements, the context of a project remains in an inbox.

“That’s why it is vital that businesses have the ability to easily find and retrieve information, regardless of if the project is 10 years old, the person who was having the communication has left the business, or who was cc’d on the email.

“Additionally, information visibility and access is absolutely vital in this current climate, with most project teams dispersed, working remotely.

“Businesses we speak with can often find information, but the process is frustrating, unreliable, time-consuming and hard to access.”