In the construction industry, stakeholders are often looking for new ways to improve efficiency across the stages of the project, while also focusing on ways for the project to remain cost-effective. This goal can often be hindered by the threat of litigation or arbitration when disputes arise in the midst of the project. An increasingly popular solution to this problem is the use of dispute resolution boards (DRB). DRBs are defined by the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation as "a board of impartial professionals formed at the beginning of the project to follow construction progress, encourage dispute avoidance, and assist in the resolution of disputes for the duration of the project." DRBs were first implemented in 1976 and over the past several years, the number of construction projects that implements a dispute resolution board has continued to increase. DRBs are a function of contract and are generally negotiated before the construction project begins in earnest. They are used primarily on large construction projects that have multiple phases and multiple trades and design professionals. However, as the construction industry has seen the benefit of DRBs, some have contractually negotiated on smaller size projects.