Game Theory Analysis of Intervention Strategies to Overcome Barriers in BIM Implementation: A Study on Contractor Firms

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is recognized as a revolutionary solution to enhance productivity and streamline construction processes. Despite significant efforts by the Singaporean government to support BIM implementation, barriers persist. However, there needs to be more research focusing on identifying and evaluating barriers and proposing solutions at the organizational level. This thesis aims to address this gap by identifying barriers within the organizational context, proposing solutions, and evaluating their effectiveness using game theory. The research commenced with a survey to assess the current level of BIM implementation and identify key actors involved in the process. This provided insights into the BIM capacities of contractors. Barriers to BIM implementation were then identified through interviews with significant actors, as identified through literature review and survey. Based on the most common barriers, interventions were designed to overcome these challenges. Game theory was subsequently employed to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions, considering shared benefits and costs. Results demonstrated the importance of BIM-specific users, both technical and non-technical, within the contractor’s firm. Implementing BIM within the company revealed four prominent barriers experienced by different departments. These barriers were categorized as difficulties in aligning objectives and collaboration among departments, learning curve associated with digital tools and technologies, lack of well-established and customized tools aligned with local work practices, and increased hardware and software specifications to view large BIM models. The departments commonly suggested four interventions to overcome these barriers. Creating a specialist group focused on collaboration and integration was the most frequently proposed intervention, acting as facilitators to bridge departmental gaps and provide guidance and training on BIM integration. A training program and knowledge-sharing sessions were proposed as the second intervention to enhance overall BIM knowledge and understanding among departments. The third and fourth interventions focused on developing in-house software and allocating additional budget for BIM facilities, aimed to reduce the learning curve for non-BIM staff, integrate BIM into existing workflows, and enhance data inter-dependence. However, the study found that allocating additional budget and providing additional training had limited impact, while the establishment of specialist groups and developing in-house software effectively aligned workflows, reduced resistance to change, and enhanced BIM benefits.