Underutilisation of intelligent construction information management systems in construction organisations in Nigeria

The purpose of this article was to assess the factors leading to the underutilisation of intelligent construction information management systems (ICIMS) in construction organisations in Nigeria. Since the public introduction of Industry 4.0 in 2011 and the advent of Construction 4.0 around 2014, information management systems in the construction industry across the globe transitioned from a web-based information management system to a real-time information management system. This transition has been gainfully deployed in developed countries but seems to be less adopted in developing countries like Nigeria; hence, the need to identify new country-specific determinants is crucial. To achieve this, the study implemented a quantitative survey methodology to gather data from 329 construction professionals from a population of 1,203 professionals in South East Nigeria. The SPSS software package was used to analyse the data, generate relevant measures of dispersion, and run inferential statistical tests. The study revealed that cost-related issues are top-ranked concerns among the determinants of ICIMS underutilisation in the region. In addition, low satisfaction with the current method of working, a dearth of staff with requisite skills, and high fees charged by service providers are other critical issues that stakeholders must address to improve ICIMS utilisation in construction organisations. The pertinent knowledge and mitigating strategies for these factors should principally address incompatibility, costs, document management, risks, low integration or isolated applications, information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, and client commitment. Therefore, a tailored solution can be developed to mitigate these challenges in micro, small, and medium construction firms in Nigeria.