An involvement is a connection between an involved party (usually a company) and a physical entity such as a building, a module, a complex, or a zone. Each involvement covers one role played by the involved company or individual. A company, for example, can be connected to a building in multiple roles, each of which entails one involvement. The connection indicates that the company or individual's role has a current or historical relevance to both the company and the connected object.

Involvements can be projected, historical, or ongoing. A projected involvement is an assigned involvement, where the company has not yet performed its role (as when an architect is selected but has not begun the design). A historical involvement is a one-time action which continues to hold relevance (for example a contractor builds a building once then leaves the project when completed). A continuing involvement is relevant only for its actual time period (e.g. a property manager's relationship with a building).

One party can have several involvements with the same object when it performs several roles. Each role retains its own connection and time relationship rather than being collapsed into the company's usual business activity.