IFC and Project Control: A Systematic Literature Review

Project control in cost estimation, time scheduling, and resource accounting remains challenging, particularly when using the open-source Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) format. This study aims to define the state of the art in integrating these three domains. A systematic literature review was conducted, using a bibliometric analysis to map and interpret scientific knowledge and research trajectories, and an inductive analysis for a detailed examination of relevant studies. The analysis highlights a lack of clarity in applying the IFC standard across project control domains, as current practices often rely on non-standardized procedures, including incorrect use of classes or properties, creation of unneeded user-defined PropertySets and properties, or reliance on proprietary software. Integration of cost, time, and resource management remains limited, and proposed technological solutions generally require coding skills that typical professionals do not possess. Additional challenges include fragmented data across multiple databases, manual assignment of time, cost, and resource information, and limited collaboration, all of which are time-consuming and error-prone. There is a critical need for clearer guidelines on IFC usage to enable standardized procedures and facilitate the development of IFC-based tools. Automating these labor-intensive tasks could improve efficiency, reduce errors, and support broader adoption of integrated project control practices.