Wang, J; Zhang, S; Fenn, P; Luo, X; Liu, Y and Zhao, L (2023) Adopting BIM to facilitate dispute management in the construction industry: A conceptual framework development. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 149(1): 03122010, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Previous studies revealed that Building Information Modeling (BIM) has the potential to reduce project uncertainties, design errors, change orders, and delays, which might facilitate achieving effective dispute management in the construction industry. However, research into the adoption of BIM to holistically enhance effective dispute management is limited compared with the plentiful BIM research in the construction management field. This study explored whether and how BIM adoption can help minimize the chronic problem of dispute in the industry. A structured critical literature review method was employed in this study which involved 102 papers in the fields of BIM and construction disputes. Nine main common causes of disputes (e.g., change order, design error, site problem, contractual problem, payment problem, and delay) and eight primary benefits of BIM application (e.g., improved visual management, design optimization, improved information management, and enhanced collaboration) were identified. A conceptual framework was developed illustrating the mechanism of adopting BIM to facilitate dispute management in the overall life cycle of construction projects. The framework indicates that design error, delay, and change order can be reduced most significantly by most of the BIM benefits, whereas improved visual management, improved information management, and enhanced collaboration are three of the most frequently adopted BIM benefits that can settle the majority of dispute causes. This study contributes to dispute management with a more holistic view of adopting BIM in the life cycle of construction projects, as illustrated in the conceptual framework. In addition, the identified common causes of disputes and primary benefits of BIM application are valuable for on future research in these two areas.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | BIM benefits; building information modeling; conceptual framework; dispute causes; literature review |
| Index terms: | project uncertainty, literature review, collaboration, construction project, design optimization, conceptual framework, visual management, design error, building information modelling, change order, life cycle, dispute, construction dispute, construction industry |
| Subjects: | value management, dispute resolution, data analysis and analytics, professional practice, management, theoretical framing, contractual condition, production management, project management theory and practice, design process, industry analysis, information systems |
| Topics: | Legal Issues, Design Practice, Digital Applications, Contract Administration, Organizational Design, Research Practice, Project Management, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here