Causal Relationship amongst Risk Factors Impacting the Adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Nigeria

Abstract

As the performance of BIM could be impaired when unidentified risks are present during implementation, it has become important for the construction industry of different countries to identify these risk factors as well as the causal relationships amongst them. In Nigeria, while risk factors impacting implementation of BIM have been identified, no attempt exist to unravel the causal relationship amongst these risk factors. This study thus, aims to assess causal relationship amongst risk factors impacting BIM implementation in Nigeria. Through extensive review of literature, risk factors totalling up to 54 were identified and assessed via a questionnaire survey administered to 256 construction firms in major cities of Nigeria, namely; Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna. Categorisations existing in previous literature were used as a basis to group the risk factors into 5 constructs, namely; technological, management, financial, legal and environmental factors while Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the causal relationship. It was found that technological risk factors’ effect on management factors was strong and positive. In turn, management factors’ effect on environmental factors was strong and positive as well. This implies that risk factors requiring much attention are the technological factors. The study’s findings provide construction organisations in Nigeria with knowledge of risk factors possessing highest cause and effect on others, thereby enabling appropriate risk mitigation strategies. The study concludes that construction organisations in Nigeria intending to adopt and implement BIM should formulate risk-response strategies for technological risk factors. Also, findings from the study provide a platform for risk factors to be assessed at project as well as industry levels.