Performance measurement for construction logistics: a critical review and research directions

Abstract

Logistics in construction projects, i.e., construction logistics (CL) plays a central role in projects’ completion time and budget, yet its performance measurement remains fragmented and inconsistently applied. This paper conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) on CL performance measurement, offering a critical synthesis of existing research. The review is structured across three dimensions: (i) indicator families to measure CL performance, (ii) the different areas and interfaces of CL where performance measurement has been done, and (iii) the approaches and frameworks used for performance measurement in CL. Our findings reveal that while diverse indicator sets and frameworks have been developed, they are often narrowly focused on specific performance aspects (e.g., supplier evaluation, sustainability), fragmented across organizational levels (e.g., operational vs. management), and weakly tailored to logistics activities. Building on these insights, the paper identifies key gaps and proposes research directions to guide future studies on performance measurement systems for CL.