Ts Dr Juliana Brahim

jubrahim@uitm.edu.my
0127709450
 1. Current
3. IR 4.0 as
Problems in 2. TASK TO 4. BIM
Innovative
construction DO! Benefit
Technology
projects
For the past ten years, projects
over budget, project delays and
poor quality of projects are
typical problems that have been
faced by the construction
industry (Shehu et al., 2014;
Sinesilassie et al., 2017).
There are many issues that
contributed to the problems such
as design errors, late design
changes, underestimating project
cost, site acquisition problem and
inappropriate contract strategy.

Not limited to that, the use of 2-

Dimensional (2D) documents and
the involvement of various
construction professional in
projects also contributed to the
problems.
 This issue is just as common in construction project management as
budget overruns and may stem from the same variety of reasons, including
unforeseen problems and poor management. However, the main ones are
deficient forecasting and the lack of preliminary analysis – they result in
unrealistic expectations and unworkable deadlines.

Many construction projects fail miserably when it comes to meeting their

initial cost estimates. On a global scale, the average cost overrun in
construction projects starts at 16.5%. In the meantime, individual projects
may exceed their budgets by as much as 175% (like it was in the case of
the Humber bridge in the UK).
Overall, the larger a project is, the higher the risk of cost overrun it usually
faces. Hence, complexity and project scale will certainly define your
ability to satisfy original cost requirements.

construction stakeholders don’t really know what they

want to get as the final work result. The lack of clear
vision and well-formulated goals instills confusion. It
leaves managers guessing and improvising without a
proper sense of direction.
 It may happen due to changes in original designs, stakeholder
needs and the overall environment. In other words, scope creep
is a result of inadequate risk management, insufficient planning
and poor communication. And of course, it has many negative
consequences, ranging from low customer satisfaction and
minor project delays to massive financial losses and severe
damages to business reputation. Therefore, it’s pivotal for every
project manager in the construction industry to know how to
deal with scope creep effectively and prevent it from
happening.

•Safety risks that may result in accidents and injuries,

•Unknown site conditions,
•Staff turnover and workforce shortages,
•Escalations in material costs,
•Economic crises,
•Natural disasters and inclement weather,
•Team coordination problems,
•Issues with subcontractors and suppliers

These are merely a few of the risks that construction managers must take
into account prior to starting the actual work. Otherwise, they will suffer
due to low quality of performance, constant delays and stakeholder
conflicts, which decrease the chances for project success significantly.
The office plays a huge role in a construction project, but much of the process is
done on the field. Managers and supervisors on the field need to have access to
documents while working on the job site. The size and complexity of a project
determine the number of plans, documents, and photos, which means it gets
harder to track and modify documents while on the field.
For projects with manual paperwork, every modification done on the field needs to
be copied and sent to relevant subcontractors and stakeholders. Using cloud-based
software makes it easier to modify documents on the fly and synchronize
modifications with other project participants instantaneously.

Changes happen frequently in a construction project largely due to changing

variables, such as fluctuations in the prices of materials and weather conditions.
Change orders happen all the time, leading to adjustments in the scope of work.
Markups are also a big part of the construction process as plans go back and
forth between project participants until they are approved. For these reasons,
many documents in a construction project go through multiple revisions that
diverge from initial plans. This poses a challenge in determining which
documents are up-to-date and which are not.
Projects that still use physical paperwork will need to have regularly scheduled
checks of documents to ensure that the participants are using the latest version.
Unfortunately, even teams that use construction software may still face issues
with their versioning. Avoid this issue by choosing an application that reflects
document updates in real-time and synchronizes them with all project
participants.
Fixing a costly mistake tends to be a common occurrence in a construction
project and the primary cause is a contractor working off incorrect plans. As
previously mentioned, the size of a project dictates the number of plans and
documents.
Outdated versions of a document can find themselves in the hands of a
contractor who will then use it for work. This results in further project delays, as
well as wasted materials and man-hours to fix the mistakes. When work is done,
it can take some time before mistakes become apparent and by then, work must
stop in order to find and verify the right version and restart the construction.

Drones and digital photography have a huge impact on the construction

industry by making it easier to identify issues on the field and share information
immediately with key decision-makers. However, these technologies have also
given rise to newer documentation and file management issues. Digital cameras
and drones may have made it easier to take photos on the field, but they also
yield a huge amount of photographic data. Someone needs to be responsible for
organizing these photos on top of the usual project documents and make them
accessible to the right people at the right time. Some software applications have
alleviated this burden by allowing users to easily attach photographs to specific
tasks and projects, eliminating potential disorganization and confusion.
Document accessibility is crucial to promoting efficiency, communication and
prevention of delays. For example, project participants (especially clients and
their lenders) will require updates on the status of a project. Project managers
provide participants with reports regarding project milestones, schedules, and
expenses in order to maintain transparency. And lastly, contractors must access
project plans to ensure requests are followed closely. When deliveries of
material supplies and equipment arrive, or when subcontractors have sent their
invoices, these must be cross-referenced and validated using documents
currently on hand.

Project managers who still use physical paperwork will have difficulty digging
through a bunch of documents, especially when they’re managing a high
number of projects. Modern technology, such as construction software
and cloud-based document repositories, have alleviated this issue and allow
users to centralize construction project documentation in a singular source.
 As a result, a client may have a problem with visualising a
project design using drawings produced by architects, civil and
structural (C&S) and mechanical, electrical and plumbing
(MEP) engineers that may contain errors and clashes.

Not limited to that, the use of 2-Dimensional (2D)

documents and the involvement of various
construction professional in projects also
contributed to the problems.

The use of 2D documents in producing designs

has contributed to miscommunication, duplication
of information and inaccurate information-sharing
among construction professionals (Zakaria et al.,
2013; Goh et al., 2014; Abbasnejad et al., 2016).
construction professionals specifically architects, engineers and contractors are unable to identify or
predict any potential design clashes at the design stage between building components based on the 2D
drawings (Reddy, 2011; Barati et al., 2013; Crotty, 2013; Hardin and McCool, 2015).

This is because, in conventional practice, the design clashes could only be identified when the
construction has started.

These problems may lead to project delays, cost overruns and low quality of the project as they need
amendments to the project design and/or rectification work (Reddy, 2011; Azhar et al., 2012; Zakaria
et al., 2013; Rahman et al., 2016).
the coordination of a large number of different
construction professionals turns out to be a
difficult task when utilising 2D-based
workflows (Bryde et al., 2013; Zakaria et al.,
2013; Mok et al., 2015).

This is because the client, architect and

engineers (C&S and MEP) are working
independently in producing the project design
without coordinating their work with others
(Crotty, 2013).

As a result, these project designs do not fit

with each other. They also contain errors,
inaccuracies and are time-consuming to use
(Crotty, 2013).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7ABA0PZJg8
Design−bid − build (DBB) is the traditional method of project delivery
and has been the most widely used since ancient times. It is also the
one with which project owners are most familiar.

DBB is a linear process where one task follows completion of another

with no overlap. It commences with an owner selecting an architect to
prepare construction documents. Most often the architect will release
these documents either publicly to any general contractors or to a
select, prequalified group that are invited to bid what they believe the
total cost of construction will be.

This bid is inclusive of various other bids from subcontractors for each
specific trade, and the general contractor's fee is generally built in. The
majority of government contracts are required to bid competitively
using this method. Contractors bid the project exactly as it is designed
and the lowest responsible, responsive bidder is awarded the work.

The design consultant team is selected separately and reports directly

to the owner. A DBB contract is most suited for less complicated
projects that are budget-sensitive but not necessarily schedule-sensitive
or subject to change. The owner can define and control the design
through the architectural consultant.
Design and build is a term describing a procurement route in which
the main contractor is appointed to design and construct the works, as
opposed to a traditional contract, where the client appoints consultants to
design the development and then
a contractor is appointed to construct the works.

The contractor is responsible for the design, planning, organisation, control

and construction of the works to the employer’s requirements.
The employer gives the tenderers the ‘Employer’s Requirements’ and
the contractors respond with the ‘Contractor’s Proposals’, which include
the price for the works.

Design and build can be seen as giving a single point of responsibility for
delivering the entire project. Some clients, however, consider it is only
appropriate for simple projects, where design quality is not the
main consideration.

The contractor can either be appointed to carry out all of the design work,
or if the client wishes to have greater influence over the design, a concept
design and outline (or performance) specification can be prepared by
a consultant employed by the client, and then
the contractor is appointed to complete the design and carry out
the construction.

The contractor may use their own in-house designers to design

the building, or they can appoint consultant designers, or
the client's designers can be employed by the contractor to complete the
design (either by novation or consultant switch).
Therefore, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is
used as a potential solution to overcome the problems (Fulford and
Standing, 2014; Shou et al., 2015; Harun et al., 2016) thus creating
an opportunity to have an effective and efficient communication
among construction professionals in construction projects (Bryde et
al., 2013).

Building Information Modelling (BIM) uses ICT and is a modern

practice in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC)
industry to overcome problems in construction projects (PWD,
2011; Zakaria et al., 2013; Aziz et al., 2016; CIDB, 2016; Harun et
al., 2016).

Malaysia has also been taking initiatives by mandating BIM

practices in overcoming the problems for future construction
projects as stated in the Construction Industry Transformation
Programme (CITP) 2016-2020 (CIDB, 2016). BIM phenomena are
expected to improve construction project planning by improving the
quality of documentation as well as the constructability of the
projects and hence influence the success of construction projects.
IR 4.0 is first originated in Germany in 2011 as a key strategic
initiative for German industries in the manufacturing sector out
(Oesterreich and Teuteberg, 2016). Since then, its immense
technological potential has been increasingly pointed out
(Oesterreich and Teuteberg, 2016).

The term IR4.0 in the manufacturing sector can be described as

the increasing digitisation and automation of the manufacturing
environment as well as the creation of a digital value chain to
enable the communication between products and their
environment.
The concept of IR4.0 is so widely used, that it can also be
defined as a change driven by physical, digital and biological
factors that can affect human life and relationships in terms of
the ways that people live and work (Mahmud et al., 2018).

Meanwhile in the construction industry, Oesterreich and

Teuteberg (2016) defines IR4.0 as a plethora of interdisciplinary
technologies to enable the digitisation, automation and
integration of the construction process at all stages of the
construction value chain.

Although IR4.0 was firstly invented for the manufacturing

sector, the IR4.0 concept can be applied in other sectors where
digitisation and automation are widely used.
The capability of BIM to improve information on
construction projects is also related to the use of BIM
software (Morton, 2012; Luo and Liu, 2016) with the
processes involved (Azhar et al., 2012; Love et al., 2015).

Construction professionals could develop project

information in a 3D model by using related software for
conducting a design review, clash analysis and
management of documents (Eastman et al., 2011; Hardin
and McCool, 2015).

This practise allows competent architects and engineers to

design a more detailed and accurate project, so that
contractors will be able to construct the project on time,
within budget, with good quality and few errors.
BIM could also increase communication and
collaboration among construction professionals
during the process of construction by permitting
and encouraging synchronous work with
multiple design disciplines (Merschbrock and
Nordahl-Rolfsen, 2015; Hayes and Saleeb,
2016).

Moreover, the high level of transparency of

information provided by BIM could enhance the
collaboration and communication among
construction professionals so that they could
communicate and review the project
information, give feedback and make decisions
regarding the project through the project life
cycle.
Therefore, it is important to note that
construction professionals need to appreciate
the benefits provided by BIM in managing
project information in the pre-construction,
construction and post-construction phases.

The benefits provided by BIM implementation

are cited as being useful throughout the project
lifecycle. Therefore, research on the
implementation of BIM in construction
projects is needed to identify the capability of
BIM to overcome the current problems and to
help the AEC industry to reap the benefits.
jubrahim@uitm.edu.my