Increasing Control in Construction Processes: The Role of Digitalization

Digitalization could support the execution of construction processes resulting in a decrease of waste and a better synchronization with the supply chain. However, in construction the level of digitalization is low, also compared to other sectors. This is due to some characteristics of the sector, such as the limited margins of Small and Medium-size Enterprises to be invested in digitalization, the little standardization of construction processes, and the imponderabilities characterising their execution and making the execution on-site less controllable. Common practice of the companies is to define rough long-term plans as Gantt chart, which however cannot be used to manage the daily work on-site and that are rarely aligned with the real progress on-site. In this paper we discuss the challenges and the benefits in increasing digitalization to better support construction execution processes. Digitalization enables a new way of supporting process modeling, short- and medium-term planing, and monitoring of construction processes. By means of this approach, companies can, among other benefits, reduce waste on site and improve synchronization with the supply chain. In the paper we also discuss the characteristics of suitable digital tools.