Digitalization Index: Developing a Model for Assessing the Degree of Digitalization of Construction Projects
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147, Issue 10
Abstract
The construction industry is one of the least digitally advanced industries. Although the industry is project-based, a project-level assessment of digitalization is lacking. The aim of this paper is to develop a digitalization index to assess the degree of digitalization of construction projects. Relying on the outcomes of a workshop with 11 participants and questionnaire responses from 113 site managers in Sweden, four activities; visualized drawings and three-dimensional (3D) models on sites; updated drawings, models, and system documents; created and updated work disposition plans; and updated time resource plans were selected, and a digitalization index enabling a simple assessment of the degree of digitalization of construction projects was constructed based on the degree of digitalization of the data management processes involved in these four activities. The approach to determine the digitalization index was demonstrated in a case study of a new construction project. For future studies, an accurate and simple assessment of the degree of digitalization of projects should increase the opportunities to study the association between the degree of digitalization and project performance. With longitudinal assessments, digitalization trends in the construction industry can be reported.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge financial support from the strategic innovation program, Smart Built Environment, funded by Vinnova (Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems), Formas (Swedish Government Research Council for Sustainable Development), and Energimyndigheten (Swedish Energy Agency).
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147 • Issue 10 • October 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jan 15, 2021
Accepted: May 11, 2021
Published online: Jul 29, 2021
Published in print: Oct 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Dec 29, 2021
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