Exploring strategies for managing maturity variations among project partners: from underperformance and controlling weak links to stretching capabilities

The construction industry has experienced digital transformation with the widespread adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM). However, the implementation of BIM has not been uniform across construction organizations, leading to variations in their maturity levels in using BIM. Collaborative projects involving multiple organizations face challenges due to these variations. This study aims to investigate how these variations influence the overall project maturity. Contrary to the belief that project maturity is merely the average of partner maturities, this research reveals that project managers employ strategies to influence project maturity. These strategies involve adjusting ambitions, strategically limiting certain parties’ involvement, and fostering maturity development through structure and education. Consequently, project partners can achieve a project maturity level that surpasses their individual capabilities.