TOWARDS SMART CONSTRUCTION SITES FOR EFFECTIVE PROJECT DELIVERY

Abstract

The pursuit of effective delivery of construction projects still appears to be a mirage due to challenges associated with project management. Several of these encumbrances are encountered due to outdated and uncoordinated methods deployed for construction projects. Implementing smart construction sites (SCS) is a panacea to some of these hurdles. This study empirically evaluates the propelling measures toward the uptake of SCS in South Africa. This was attained by using a quantitative technique that propagated the collection of data from construction professionals and subsequently analyzed using exploratory factor analysis using the principal component analysis extraction method. The findings from the study show that the significant drivers for the implementation of SCS in the South African construction industry are optimizing project delivery processes, stakeholders’ interest, and the synergy of digital technologies. The study’s outcome contributes theoretically to the conversation of construction digitalization which has been touted to be the silver lining in the abatement of the challenges plaguing the construction industry.