Investigation of the driving power of the barriers affecting BIM adoption in construction management through ISM

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a rising digital medium that is gaining popularity in the construction sector. Although BIM usage has been mandated in the public construction sector in Saudi Arabia, its adoption remains limited. This paper aims to investigate the driving power of the barriers affecting BIM adoption in construction management through Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). A literature review and expert meetings were conducted to identify the potential barriers faced by contractors and consultants in BIM usage in the construction management sector. Two different techniques were utilized to rank the identified barriers to adopting BIM in construction management. The first technique, the Relative Importance Index (RII), evaluates and assesses the barriers from both the contractors and consultants' perspectives. The second technique, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), identifies the driving power of barriers and understands the correlations among them. A total of sixty-nine responses were analyzed using the RII. Cronbach's alpha was utilized to assess the collected data's reliability. The findings from the ISM were validated by experts to establish relationships among the identified barriers. The ISM reveals that the top driving barrier to BIM adoption is the “Lack of skilled and experienced personnel”, followed by “Lack of awareness”, “Communication issues” and “Longer setup time”. The findings of this study could assist local authorities develop an incentive program to encourage contractors and consultants to adopt BIM in construction management. • BIM adoptions in Saudi Arabia remains limited. • The barriers to BIM adoption were investigated. • The ISM was used to identify the driving power of barriers. • The findings from the ISM were validated by experts. • The top driving barrier to BIM adoption is the “Lack of skilled and experienced personnel”.