Barriers to integrating building information modelling (BIM) and lean construction practices on construction mega-projects: a Delphi study

A bibliometric analysis of building information modelling implementation barriers in the developing world using an interpretive structural modelling approach

Over the past 20 years, the phrase "Building Information Modelling" (BIM) has spread throughout the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industries. BIM usage in the construction industry is vital in the revolution towards Industry 4.0 in the AEC Industry. BIM contributes to this change due to its automatization and sustainability features. However, there are growing concerns about its implementation in the developing world context. The BIM Implementation Barriers (BIMIBs) in individual countries and on a global scale have been examined in a variety of studies and works of literature, but two research questions are still open; (1) what specific BIMIBs are the AEC industries in the developing world encountering the most, and (2) what is the interrelationship between these barriers? Through a combination of expert interviews and a bibliometric analysis of published relevant empirical studies on the subject, the aim of this study is to identify these frequently occurring BIMIBs in the developing world and to determine the interrelationships between these barriers using an Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) approach and MICMAC analysis. The study identified the 14 BIMIBs with 'high associated cost' as the most fundamental of all. A comparison of the study's findings and a proposed 3-level barrier mitigation strategy with other studies identified the lack of governmental support for BIM implementation and research as a root cause of majority of the BIMIBs identified in the developing world. This study lays forth the knowledge base for future studies in the area of BIM implementation in the developing world.

Business environment as a determinant in the uptake of cyber-physical systems for facilities management – a Delphi study

Purpose

Incorporating digital technologies such cyber-physical systems (CPS) for facilities management (FM) functions is fast gaining attention. However, the rudiments for the effective espousal of such an innovative technology for the delivery of FM tasks have not received scholarly attention. In FM, the business environment is a vital component in achieving organisations’ stipulated objectives. Hence, this study aims to assess the influence of business environment factors in the adoption of CPS for FM activities.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was adopted for the study using the Delphi technique. Experts were selected through a well-defined process that involved certain criteria. The opinions of the selected experts were gotten in two iterations that were subjected to analysis using statistics of measure for central tendency, and interquartile deviation to ascertain consensus among the experts, while Mann–Whitney U test was deployed in checking the difference in the views of the experts.

Findings

The results from the study indicated that eight business environment factors were of very high significance in determining the espousal of CPS for FM, while the other eight factors proved to be high significance. Also, there was no significant difference in the opinions of experts from academic institutions and professional practice.

Practical implications

The findings from the study would provide insight to organisations saddled with FM activities on the prevailing business environment factors that would be influential in adopting a digital technology such as CPS.

Originality/value

The study contributes immensely to the body of knowledge in the quest for digital transformation in FM delivery. It unveils the significant business environment factors that are influential in the drive for incorporating new innovations such as CPS for FM functions.

Modeling the Critical Success Factors for BIM Implementation in Developing Countries: Sampling the Turkish AEC Industry

One of the latest advancements transforming the global architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is building information modeling (BIM). Although BIM implementation is at high level in developed countries, it is at a lower level in developing countries. BIM is new to the construction industry in Turkey, with only minor construction firms having implemented it. When making projections based on the current state of the Turkish AEC industry, it is foreseen that it will become mandatory in the near future. Considering this projection, it is doubtful that many construction companies will be caught unprepared for this situation and will not know how to implement BIM. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and model the critical success factors for BIM implementation and their impact size in order to gain insight for the fast and efficient implementation of BIM among construction firms in the Turkish AEC industry, which can be generalized for most developing countries. To reach these aims, a questionnaire was designed with 41 identified success criteria (SC) that were derived through a systematic literature review (SLR). The survey was conducted on construction professionals who actively implement BIM technology at their occupied firms in Turkey and they were asked to rank the importance of 41 SC on a five-point Likert scale. The sampling frame consisted of architects and civil engineers, and in total, 243 responses were received. The differentiation between SC and critical success criteria (CSC) was obtained by using a normalized mean cutoff value. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify the critical success factors (CSFs), and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the underlying size effects of each CSF on BIM implementation in the Turkish AEC industry. The results of this study reveal 20 CSC for successful BIM implementation, and EFA exhibited three CSFs from 20 CSC. Three critical success factors for BIM implementation in the Turkish construction industry were determined and grouped into two categories. “Awareness of technological benefits” and “organizational readiness and competitive advantages” formed one group and are the most influential critical success factors for BIM implementation. “Motivation of management regarding BIM” formed the second group of critical success factors that have a significant effect.

Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in the Complex Environment of Megaprojects: Implications for Practitioners and Project Organizing Theory

This article articulates the prospect of improving megaproject execution and performance via digital project delivery. Various digitalization options, such as cloud computing, automation, artificial intelligence, information modeling, and data analytics and their recent usage in megaprojects, are critically reviewed. Prospective future developments and forthcoming challenges of digitalization in megaprojects have also been identified based on the current progress of these technologies. In terms of theory, we suggest information economics and organizational economics as a starting place to develop a research approach to artificial intelligence and megaprojects.

Competency framework to integrate lean construction and integrated project delivery on construction megaprojects: towards a future of work global initiatives in multinational engineering organisations

Purpose

Built environment organisations face global challenges between business units, especially since the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has profoundly disrupted the construction industry worldwide, including the management of construction megaprojects (CMPs). This research aims to develop a competency framework, for global integrated delivery (GID) transformative initiatives and future of work (FOW) global initiatives, to manage integration between lean construction (LC) practices and integrated project delivery (IPD) on CMPs in contemporary multinational engineering organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

“Mixed research methods” involves a two-stage quantitative and qualitative research approach. In the context of CMPs, stage one consisted of a qualitative research methodology comprising a literature review to examine competencies, COVID-19 impacts, responses and key drivers (KDs) to integrate LeanIPD&GID; stage one outcomes propose a conceptualisation of LeanIPD&GID, a competency framework and future of work (FOW) global initiatives. Stage two involved an empirical questionnaire survey for a set of 30 KDs arranged into five-factor clusters (FCs), 226 respondents from 23 countries with an extensive cosmopolitan experience; analysis adopted structural equation modelling (SEM), descriptive and inferential statistics, percentage scoring analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and eigenvalues.

Findings

In the context of CMPs, stage one outcomes delivered a conceptualisation of LeanIPD&GID, a proposed competency framework and FOW global initiatives. Stage two concluded that the most significant KDs are “collaboration in design, construction works and engineering management,” “coordination and planning of construction work,” “senior organisational management support,” “boosting implementation of LC, and integrating project delivery” and “earlier and precise 3D visualisation of designs”. building information modelling (BIM) adoption in the MENA region is higher than LC; the second is still taking its first steps, while IPD has little implementation. LeanBIM is slightly integrated, while LeanIPD integration is almost not present.

Originality/value

The research findings, conceptualised LeanIPD&GID principles, a proposed competency framework and FOW global initiatives, provided future research streams and directions; the study has provided a competency framework and FOW global initiatives for effective practical strategies for enhancing integration of LeanIPD&GID transformative initiatives on CMPs and will allow project key stakeholders to place emphasis on boosting LeanIPD&GID KDs.

Toward BIM and LPS Data Integration for Lean Site Project Management: A State-of-the-Art Review and Recommendations

Over recent years, the independent adoption of lean construction and building information modeling (BIM) has shown improvements in construction industry efficiency. Because these approaches have overlapping concepts, it is thought that their synergistic adoption can bring many more benefits. Today, implementing the lean–BIM theoretical framework is still challenging for many companies. This paper conducts a comprehensive review with the intent to identify prevailing interconnected lean and BIM areas. To this end, 77 papers published in AEC journals and conferences over the last decade were reviewed. The proposed weighting matrix showed the most promising interactions, namely those related to 4D BIM-based visualization of construction schedules produced and updated by last planners. The authors also show evidence of the lack of a sufficiently integrated BIM–Last Planner System® framework and technologies. Thus, we propose a new theoretical framework considering all BIM and LPS interactions. In our model, we suggest automating the generation of phase schedule using joint BIM data and a work breakdown structure database. Thereafter, the lookahead planning and weekly work plan is supported by a field application that must be able to exchange data with the enterprise resource planning system, document management systems, and report progress to the BIM model.