Digital Measurement of Construction Performance: Data-to-dashboard Strategy

Performance measurement in construction has been a topic of academic and industry inquiry in the UK since the 1990s. Despite the time elapsed, there is little evidence of a consistent industry-wide performance framework that drives decision-making and supports consistent measurement of performance on construction projects. A review of academic advancements and industry practices has been conducted to understand performance measurement in the construction industry, including the metrics assessed, processes for collecting and analysing data, and current limitations. The adoption of digital technologies on construction projects can support timely measurement of performance metrics, allowing for feedback and corrective action to improve performance. However, organisations struggle to connect the top-down measurement value with the bottom-up data capture technologies. The study of an exemplar commercial project was used to inductively develop a data-to-dashboard strategy that supports decision making in construction. The proposed strategy aligns performance metrics, digital tools and processes, and data analysis techniques in a consistent approach to interpret performance-related data and understand key issues. The development and review of the strategy on a live construction project highlights the challenges experienced with multi-source data integration and the translation of information into knowledge that drives decisions and deployment of timely corrective measures. The application of the strategy would ensure a consistent definition of metrics early in the project, and the continuous measurement of leading indicators. Future research will review the proposed strategy on further case study projects and develop an industry-wide multi-level performance measurement framework that uses the proposed strategy to improve performance.