Barriers to digital transformation of construction organizations and mechanisms for overcoming them
TL;DR
The article substantiates the need for a systemic approach to identifying and overcoming digitalization barriers, and proposes a criticality index, which takes into account the probability of occurrence, the scope of consequences, and the level of manageability of each factor.
Abstract
Digital transformation of construction organizations is a complex multidimensional process that affects business processes, organizational structure, personnel competencies, and managerial decision-making. The article substantiates the need for a systemic approach to identifying and overcoming digitalization barriers, which in existing research are typically examined in isolation from one another. Based on the analysis of the industry-specific characteristics of construction production, five key constraint areas are identified: personnel (shortage of digital competencies), technological (fragmented IT architecture), financial and investment (high capital costs), regulatory and informational (lack of unified data exchange standards), and information security. To assess the significance of barriers, a criticality index is proposed, which takes into account the probability of occurrence, the scope of consequences, and the level of manageability of each factor. A mechanism for overcoming barriers has been developed, encompassing diagnostics of the information environment, implementation of pilot digital solutions with economic effect assessment, scaling, and continuous improvement. The proposed approach enables construction organizations to transition from fragmented automation to managed digital transformation while minimizing investment risks and enhancing data consistency across all stages of the capital construction facility life cycle.