A conceptual model for measuring the maturity of an Intelligent Construction Environment

Construction projects can be regarded as complex sociotechnical systems composed of diverse and dynamically interacting elements. Digital Transformation advancements can support construction companies in creating an environment to cope with complexity and improve performance. Nevertheless, reaching these advantages involves understanding how transformed processes should be managed and measured, such as using maturity assessment tools. The construction industry lacks maturity models encompassing the sector’s main characteristics and focusing on its production context. Therefore, this work proposes a conceptual model for measuring the maturity of an Intelligent Construction Environment from a sociotechnical perspective. Thus, first, the concept of an Intelligent Construction Environment is introduced. Then, based on two empirical studies consisting of 17 interviews and 11 days of on-site data collection, as well as an extensive literature review, 19 measurement dimensions associated with 13 principles and five maturity levels are proposed. This work’s theoretical contributions encompass an in-depth understanding of how the construction industry can be positioned in the digital transformation path from a sociotechnical perspective. Main practical contributions include the proposition of maturity measurement dimensions for an Intelligent Construction Environment, which indicates the aspects construction managers should focus on throughout the digital transformation process of the production environment.

工程项目可被视为由多元动态交互要素构成的复杂社会技术系统（sociotechnical system）。数字化转型（Digital Transformation）的技术进展可为建筑企业营造应对复杂性、提升运营绩效的环境。然而，要获得此类优势，需厘清转型后流程的管理与衡量方式，例如借助成熟度评估工具（maturity assessment tool）。当前建筑业尚缺乏贴合行业核心特征、聚焦生产场景的成熟度模型（maturity model）。因此，本研究从社会技术视角出发，提出了一种面向智能建造环境（Intelligent Construction Environment）成熟度的概念衡量模型。首先，本文将阐释智能建造环境的核心内涵。随后，基于包含17次访谈与11天现场数据采集的两项实证研究，并结合广泛的文献综述，本文提出了关联13项原则与5个成熟度等级的19项衡量维度。本研究的理论贡献在于，从社会技术视角深入解析了建筑业在数字化转型路径中的定位逻辑。主要实践贡献则为提出了智能建造环境的成熟度衡量维度体系，可为建筑管理者在生产环境数字化转型的全流程中指明核心关注方向。