Implementing Systems Engineering in the Construction Industry: Literature Review for Research Alignment

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to prepare for the execution of a research project assessing the success of Systems Engineering in complex Norwegian construction projects from a technical subcontractor perspective. We examine a sample of 33 papers considering Systems Engineering in construction projects worldwide and elaborate on the context and design of the upcoming research project. From the literature, we learn that construction projects' current discipline-oriented silos lead to sub-optimal interfaces and verification and validation challenges. The construction industry differs fundamentally from the manufacturing domain, emphasizing the design of the work rather than the system's design in its systems engineering effort. The implementation of Systems Engineering is highly dependent on the level of competence among employees in the projects. The Norwegian construction industry is in an early phase of the implementation of Systems Engineering methods. With this project, we hope to illuminate some challenges and solutions for the Norwegian construction industry. Moreover, we look for lessons the Norwegian construction industry can learn from the construction industry globally to help mitigate challenges and accelerate the implementation of Systems Engineering methods.