Design coordination is a critical process for avoiding spatial conflicts and ensuring design alignment in large-scale construction projects. While Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools have improved coordination through 3D model integration and clash detection, inefficiencies persist due to fragmented workflows, frequent tool switching, and challenges with issue documentation. Cloud-based BIM collaboration tools offer a promising alternative by enabling real-time model sharing, centralized issue tracking, and enhanced stakeholder communication. However, empirical evidence on their practical implementation and effects on coordination processes remains limited. Unlike prior cloud-BIM reviews that focus on technical capabilities or adoption barriers in isolation, this study provides an empirically grounded framework that links specific tool features to observable workflow changes and their downstream impacts on coordination outcomes. This study investigates the impact of cloud-based BIM collaboration tools on the design coordination process, with a focus on issue identification, resolution, and documentation. A framework was developed using a mixed-methods approach comprising action research, an ethnographic case study, and comparative analysis of three large infrastructure projects to categorize workflow changes resulting from tool adoption. The findings indicate that cloud-based BIM tools streamline coordination by reducing manual transitions, automating documentation, and improving information accessibility during meetings. Nevertheless, their effectiveness is constrained by organizational structures and contract limitations. This study provides a validated process-change framework and practical insights for engineering managers seeking to align digital collaboration tools with project delivery strategies, contributing to both theory and practice in BIM-based coordination and digital transformation in the AEC industry.
Bhonde et al. (Thu,) studied this question.