Digital Transformation of Concrete Quality Management: A Systematic Review of Advances and Challenges

Concrete quality management is essential for ensuring the structural safety, durability, and long-term performance of concrete structures. Traditionally, quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) of concrete rely on periodic inspections, laboratory testing, and manual documentation. However, these conventional methods often provide delayed feedback and limited insight into in-situ concrete behaviour, particularly for time-sensitive parameters such as compressive strength development and early-age plastic shrinkage cracking. This study aims to examine how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are transforming concrete quality monitoring and management by synthesising existing research on QA/QC practices, assessing technological contributions to monitoring compressive strength and plastic shrinkage, and identifying barriers to ICT adoption in practice. A mixed-methods systematic literature review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework to ensure transparency and methodological rigour. A structured search strategy was applied across major scientific databases, guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. From an initial pool of 2,426 studies retrieved from multiple academic databases, successive filtering based on publication year (2014-2025), subject area, and thematic relevance to concrete quality management reduced the number of eligible studies to 425. Following title, abstract, and full-text screening, 69 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using both bibliometric and content analysis methods to identify key research trends, themes, and developments in concrete quality management. Findings show that IoT-based sensing systems, when integrated with Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Digital Twin (DT) platforms, significantly improve the capacity for real-time monitoring of temperature, humidity, and curing conditions, thereby improving the management of early-age strength development and reducing the risk of cracking. These technologies strengthen QA and QC processes through proactive quality management, early detection of adverse conditions, and enhanced decision-making during construction. Despite these benefits, adoption remains limited due to data reliability issues, system interoperability challenges, skill gaps, organisational readiness, and the absence of standardised regulatory frameworks. The study recommends further validation of ICT tools under real construction conditions, development of standardised sensor calibration and data integration frameworks, and capacity-building initiatives to support broader implementation of ICT-enabled concrete quality monitoring systems.