Modeling the Critical Assessment Criteria for Construction Readiness of BIM-Based Projects: PLS-SEM Approach

Construction projects, including building information modeling (BIM)-based building projects, often start the construction phase without being ready, leading to challenges like delays, cost overruns, and inaccurate as-built BIM models. However, current assessment criteria for construction readiness do not address the specific needs of BIM-based projects. This issue can be addressed by examining the interrelationship between critical assessment criteria and their influence on the construction readiness of BIM-based projects. Therefore, this study aims to model the interrelationships among critical assessment criteria and their influence on the construction readiness of BIM-based projects. The study objectives are to identify critical assessment criteria for assessing the construction readiness of BIM-based projects, develop constructs to categorize interrelated critical assessment criteria, and assess the influence of the constructs on the construction readiness of BIM-based projects. To achieve that aim, the study employed a mixed-methods approach, including a systematic literature review, semistructured interviews, and a questionnaire survey. The data is analyzed using normalized mean analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The result reveals 19 critical assessment criteria for construction readiness of BIM-based projects. These criteria can be grouped into three constructs: Documentation and approval, team capability and coordination, and model development and validation. All three constructs significantly influence the construction readiness of BIM-based projects. Moreover, comparisons with prior research reveal twelve newly identified critical assessment criteria for BIM-based projects. The study results reveal that BIM-based projects have unique assessment criteria for construction readiness. Therefore, this study emphasizes using specific assessment criteria to assess the construction readiness of BIM-based projects. Nevertheless, this study is a pioneer in investigating the construction readiness of BIM-based projects.