Defining and Assessing Visibility Enablers in the Industrial Construction Supply Chain

Abstract

The visibility of material status information is vital to effective decision-making and improving supply chain performance. Information technologies (IT) have been developed to improve visibility through information sharing in the supply chain. However, effective use of shared information for actionable decision-making requires enablers to achieve performance gains. Despite investment in visibility, knowledge about enablers that improve effective information use for the supply chain is largely missing from the construction body of knowledge. This research identified and defined 32 enablers that support effective use of information shared using IT on industrial projects during detailed design, procurement, and construction. These enablers were identified and defined with the aid of a panel of industry experts using structured workshops and qualitative content analysis. Their definition identifies essential capabilities necessary to benefit from investments in improved visibility. Further investigation via survey was conducted to evaluate the enablers’ ability to impact projects and their frequency of competent execution on projects. The analysis of the survey responses to the enablers’ ability to impact projects validated criticality 23 of the 32 enablers used for the survey. The analysis of the frequency of competent execution responses shows that 27 of 32 enablers are competently executed less than frequently on projects, suggesting structural limits to investments in visibility. This study advances our understanding of necessary investment in capabilities or specific enablers that leverage concomitant investments in IT. As such, the study provides specific guidance to practitioners in the industrial construction supply chain and provides an expanded basis for future measurement and study by academia.