This dissertation would answer the central research question through the next seven chapters. The thesis has three parts: description, analysis, and synthesis. The description part includes the introduction, background, and the exploration (Chapters 1, 2, and 3). In this introductory chapter, the problem statement, research objectives, questions, and impact have been explained. Chapter 2 focuses on the research background and establishes the context, scientific gap, and the necessity of this study, i.e. the theoretical and conceptual framework. It contains a literature review to answer the first background question and defines the Design and Construction challenges
that could be potentially managed from the combination of SCM philosophy with BIM technology. Chapter 3 is also a background chapter but from the practical side. The third chapter has answered the second background question and explored various constellations of BIM-based SC partnerships. It presents the qualitative analysis of the cases (exploration) and explains the changes in the processes and roles due to BIM technology within five integrated SC settings. Given that Chapter 3 was largely empirical, is also hereafter called: ‘empirical exploration’.
The second part of the dissertation, i.e. analysis part, contains the research findings and the reflection upon those. Chapter 4 has responded to the first key research question and deployed quantitative research and analysis methods so as to combine SCM and BIM concepts. Chapter 4 is also hereafter called: ‘conceptual exploration’, given that it is primarily based on conceptual experimentations and a proof-of- concept case. This analysis tool for BIM-enabled SC partnerships was further applied to two real-world cases subsequently. Chapter 5 contains the application part of the developed model to analyse two polar case studies and answers the second key research question by featuring an analysis of BIM-enabled SC partnerships. Chapter 5 is also hereafter called: ‘pragmatic exploration’ because it is found at the intersection between conceptual and empirical explorations. The developed research method for Chapter 5 merges the two SCM and BIM concepts to integrate organisations, processes, and products and analyses the mechanics of BIM-enabled SC partnering in a real- world context. In Chapter 6, additional empirical explorations in conjunction with a theoretical SC model took place. Given that the analyses in Chapter 6 were based on a theoretical framework, Chapter 6 is hereafter called: ‘theoretical exploration’.
The third and last part of the thesis is about synthesis (Chapters 7 and 8). Chapter 7 contains the synthesis and discussion in the form of research validation. There, the findings from the various explorations of Chapters 3 to 6 were confronted with literature and combined during (a) the synthesis of the theory and (b) the suggestions of strategies to further integrate the SCM and BIM concepts and answer the last key research question. Chapter 8 recapitulates the findings, presents the research conclusion, and suggests directions for further research. Figure 4 shows the relation between the parts of the thesis (description, analysis, and synthesis), chapters, research questions, and products generated from each knowledge field, i.e. theory and practice. In Chapters 2 to 7, the answers to the RQs are highlighted with italicised text in the concluding sections § 2.8, § 3.6, § 4.7, § 5.6, § 6.6, and § 7.7, respectively. Also, as Chapters 3 to 6 are largely based on five published and in revision conference papers and journal articles, where necessary, the relations among these chapters and publications are indicated with a footnote at the beginning of the chapter. The first author – and researcher – is the main contributor to these publications (about 95% contribution). At the same time and because these chapters are largely based on journal articles, some redundancy may be found between the ‘introduction’ and
‘methodology’ sections of Chapters 3 to 6. However, the benefit of included work from published journal articles and conference papers is that thereserach presented in this book has undergone multiple rounds of blind peer reviews. This is a conscious choice with the intention that these chapters could ‘stand-alone’ as independent studies. Whereas each of these chapters follows a different methodology, some repetition takes place in the methodological rationales. Before each chapter, an indispensable ‘chapter summary’ is used to help the reader connect the chapters logically.
Practice
Theory Ch. 1: Introduction Ch. 2: Background literature
Ch. 3: Exploratory case studies (x5)
Ch. 4: Design analysis model (x1)
Ch. 5: Deep case analysis with the model (x2)
Ch. 6: Intra- & inter-relations (x2)
Ch. 7: Discussion: Synthesis & Validation Ch. 8: Reflections, Conclusions & Outlook
Research Description Analysis Synthesis background relevance gap background methods contribution validation gap validation
RQ#1: What Design & Construction challenges could the SCM and BIM concepts potentially manage?
RQ#2: What are the interdependences between BIM technology and SCM practices in real-world settings?
RQ#3: How to combine the SCM with BIM concepts to analyse BIM-enabled SC partnerships?
RQ#4: What are the effects of BIM-enabled SC partnering on the formal and informal processual, product-related and inter- organisational relations of SC?
Main RQ: How to align the SCM philosophy with BIM technologies to achieve integration in the construction industry?
RQ#5: How does BIM impact the intra- and inter-organisational relations of BIM-enabled SC partnerships?
RQ#6: How could the BIM-enabled SC partnerships be shaped from the alignment of SCM philosophy with BIM technology?
FIGURE 4 Parts, chapters and research questions of this thesis per knowledge field (theory and practice).