Khanh, H D; Minh, N V and Tu, N T (2026) Measuring the overall impact of barriers to BIM adoption in prefabricated construction using a fuzzy synthetic evaluation approach. Construction Economics and Building, 26(1), ISSN 2204-9029
Abstract
Building information modeling (BIM) is increasingly used in construction projects in developing countries like Vietnam. However, many stakeholders still question its effectiveness and feel unprepared to apply it. This challenge is more evident in prefabricated construction, where design and construction occur simultaneously. BIM offers many benefits in this context, but also brings notable difficulties. This study examined the significant barriers to BIM implementation in prefabricated construction projects. A quantitative approach was used, beginning with a literature review to identify potential barriers, followed by a pilot test with three experts to refine and validate them. Eleven barriers were identified and categorized into human-, technological-, and performance-related groups. A structured quantitative questionnaire was distributed to professionals with experience in BIM-based prefabricated projects. Using a non-probability sampling approach, 151 valid responses were collected from stakeholders with diverse roles and backgrounds. The results indicated that human-related barriers are the most significant. The top five barriers are the lack of high-quality human resources, poor coordination among stakeholders, a long time needed to generate detailed models, weak integration between tools, and resistance to changes in work processes. Stakeholders showed strong agreement in their evaluations, with correlation coefficients above 0.3 at the 0.01 and 0.05 significance levels. Factor analysis and evaluation using exploratory factor analysis and fuzzy synthetic evaluation confirmed a substantial impact of these barriers, with a score of 3.488 out of 5.0 (69.8%). These findings provide a solid foundation for developing policies and strategies to strengthen BIM adoption and improve project performance.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | barriers; building information modeling; construction management; fuzzy synthetic evaluation; prefabricated construction |
| Index terms: | building information modelling, coordination, implementation, design and construction, effectiveness, project performance, sampling, factor analysis, literature review, strategy, fuzzy synthetic evaluation, Vietnam, developing country, exploratory factor analysis, questionnaire, integration, human resource, construction project |
| Subjects: | contractual arrangements, development economics, Geography, production management, decision-making and optimization, data collection methods, data analysis and analytics, project management theory and practice, performance management, management, statistical analysis, information systems, organizational analysis |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Project Management, Procurement, Quality Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, International Construction, Human Resources, Digital Applications, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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