Optimized Integration of Lean Construction, Building Information Modeling, and Facilities Management in Developing Countries: A Case of Qatar

Abstract

Over the past decades, the construction industry has benefited from implementing Lean Construction (LC) principles, extensive usage of Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools, and application of advanced Facilities Management (FM) theories as standalone packages. Recently, integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM have attracted a lot of attention. While progress has been made, few researchers have attempted to develop a method for optimizing integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM in developing countries. In addition, relatively little is known about the hindrances and challenges in integrating LC, BIM, and FM at various levels of inquiry. The current study contributes to these gaps by examining the challenges that hinder developing countries from adopting integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. Qatar, a rapidly developing economy, was used as a case illustration. In the present study, drivers for enabling optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM were identified. A closed-ended survey was conducted to investigate and understand contextual and organizational factors that hinder the integration of LC, BIM, and FM at three levels of inquiry. Findings displayed that lack of communication skills, language barriers, and inappropriate training provided to low-level skilled workers were the most prominent hindrances. To this end, an integrated communication and collaborative environment for bridging the communication gap was outlined. Furthermore, the wide disparity in the levels of awareness, readiness, and implementation of LC, BIM, and FM across construction companies was identified as a major challenge in deploying and disseminating succinct knowledge on how to optimize the integration of LC, BIM, and FM. To resolve challenges, an integrated collaborative platform for disseminating differentiated knowledge and information on how to seamlessly integrate LC, BIM, and FM was developed. This integrated collaborative platform can be used by authorities to monitor progress and productivity in the construction industry. The significance of this study lies in providing a basis for organizations that intend to implement LC, BIM, and FM in an integrated manner.

1. Introduction and Background

Globally, the construction industry is key to economic growth, and it has contributed to the GDP of most national economies [1,2,3]. This is true for developed and developing countries and more so for rapidly developing and emerging economies, such as Qatar. Qatar has high aspirations and ambitious development goals as described in the National Vision 2030. The construction market in Qatar is huge and scales from small to mega projects for infrastructural developments to meet sustainable development goals. These projects are run in parallel, thereby requiring effective and efficient control mechanisms to monitor progress and productivity and ensure significant contribution to GDP.

Productivity in the construction industry can be affected by many unknown challenges. Such challenges may range from national and organizational to cross-organizational factors. Since challenges often lead to sub-optimal construction processes and practices, it is important to identify and characterize them as well as understand the type and nature of the challenges at hand. This requires an in-depth analysis to identify and correctly interpret the underlying causes, effects, and extent of the impact of such challenges. In addition to challenges, several undesirable consequences such as quality, cost overruns, and delays in project completion may abound thus affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of construction projects. One way of achieving efficiency and effectiveness as well as ensuring optimal operating efficiencies is to implement proven construction methods and techniques such as Lean Construction (LC), Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools, and advanced Facilities Management (FM) theories.

1.1. Standalone Implementation of LC, BIM, and FM

In the last few years, the construction industry has witnessed many developments to solve problems, issues, and challenges. Several tools, procedures, and techniques have been developed to improve productivity and position the construction industry towards leading value indicators of construction excellence. Notably, the construction industry has benefited from the standalone implementation of LC methods [4,5] using BIM tools [6,7] and implementing advanced FM [8,9]. The published literature is endowed with benefits associated with such standalone implementation, for example, implementation of LC [10,11], extensive use of BIM tools [12,13], and applications of advanced FM [14,15]. Albeit FM models have been regarded as models that can scale the heights of the construction industry when integrated with (i) LC and/or BIM, and (ii) when integrated with new and emerging techniques such as the Internet of Things (IoTs) and Cloud Computing within the framework of Industry 4.0 and beyond [8,9,16,17].

While other parts of the world have benefited from the applications of LC, BIM, and FM, the construction industry in developing countries has not yet fully embraced LC, BIM, and FM as standalone packages. For example, in [18], it was alleged that professionals in Bangladesh are aware of the importance of LC, but LC practices are still low due to inadequate resources. In [19], context-specific barriers to LC in Zimbabwe have been identified and summarized to integration, performance, human capital, and quality management. Likewise, contextual factors have been identified as significant contributors to the lack of adoption of LC in various parts of the world [20]. In [21], it was asserted that development and practical applications of LC in rapidly developing countries, such as China, are still lagging behind other parts of the world, and, in some cases, applications have been limited to pilot implementation only. In [22], the author states that LC is still not well known in Jordan, while in [23,24], LC is still at an elementary stage in the Middle East. The cited studies show that attempts to implement stand-alone models of LC have been made in developing countries and some progress has been made. However, the extent of implementation and levels of implementation are still relatively low in comparison to developed countries. Therefore, there is still room for more improvements in the construction industries in developing countries.

According to Adekunle [25], researchers in developed countries have been exploring the higher dimensions of BIM and its application in relatively new areas. However, developing countries are far behind in BIM adoption and research [26,27]. Problems, benefits, and obstacles in BIM adoption in developing countries are extensively discussed in [28,29,30,31]. Recently, limited adoption of BIM in developing countries has been thoroughly discussed in [32]. Although the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the early adopters of BIM in the Middle East, research has shown that BIM adoption is still in its infancy in comparison to developed countries [33]. Among developed countries, the USA has been regarded as implementing BIM the most, followed by Italy. However, relatively slow development has been noticed in developing countries [34]. Technological advancement and availability of respective resources is the main reason behind the USA’s high level of application of BIM tools [34]. For developing countries, many reasons can be attributed to the shortfalls in the implementation of LC, BIM, and FM. Financial mechanisms, costs of implementation, and lack of infrastructure are part of the shortfall reasons for less implementation of LC, BIM, and FM in developing countries [27,35].

In addition to LC and BIM, FM has been used to leverage the operating efficiencies of constructed facilities. Over the years, FM has emerged as a critical aspect related to improving productivity and performance in the construction industry [36,37]. This is because the result of the construction project is a facility that will be used by clients and this facility needs to be managed properly since it is an asset to the owner. Consequently, many researchers have investigated and put forward theories on FM in construction projects. In [38], the authors allege that the implementation of FM in South Africa is still plagued with barriers and relatively few studies have been conducted to analyze factors affecting FM. In [39], FM in developing countries in Asia was described as being at an infancy stage in comparison to developed countries. The authors summarized the lag behind as being due to monetary issues, knowledge, and awareness as well as lack of policies to guide FM implementations [39]. Despite advances in FM theories, several aspects related to FM implementation and adoption can be noted. For example, although a large proportion of FM comes into the picture at the implementation stage (operational stage), several researchers have argued that input from FM during project planning and design phase can go a long way in realizing optimal and sustainable FM throughout the life cycle of a facility [36,40,41]. However, the adoption of FM faces many challenges when implemented on its own [27,42,43,44,45]. Hence, many researchers have proposed other tools and techniques, such as LC, BIM, IoTs, and Cloud Computing, to mention a few, to leverage FM for reasons discussed in [46,47,48,49].

1.2. Integrated Implementation of LC, BIM, and FM

Over the years, the accumulated developments in LC, BIM, and FM have evolved to levels where they have become prominent contenders in advancing the construction industry towards leading value indicators of construction excellence. However, recent perspectives on improving productivity in construction processes have identified the need for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM in improving the construction industry [50,51,52]. It has been observed in many cases that the integration of LC, BIM, and FM results in effective and beneficial approaches, tools, techniques, and synergies for improving construction design and implementation [53].

Despite numerous benefits documented elsewhere, the construction industry in developing countries still lags in the integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM [54,55,56,57]. This has been attributed to low awareness of the cost and infrastructures required for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM [33]. While some progress has been made, developing countries still lag in terms of the true benefits of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. However, the situation is more promising in rapidly developing economies, such as Qatar, in which monetary factors and lack of infrastructure are not a cause of concern due to economic stability. In addition, there is a high level of awareness and preparedness to implement LC, BIM, and FM in the construction industry in Qatar, for example. This is because recently, the construction industry in Qatar has shown strong initiatives in the implementation of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. This is evident from two observations: (a) the recent establishment of a Lean Construction Institute in Qatar (LCI-Q) that is mandated to assist in the deployment of LC methods across the construction industry; and (b) the position that has been taken by the Public Works Authority (PWA)—an organization that oversees all construction projects in Qatar—to emphasize the need for a construction company to use BIM tools to facilitate easy stakeholder engagement. It is also important to note that LCI-Q is strongly affiliated with PWA. This partnership can prove to be vital for the nationwide dissemination of integrated models of LC, BIM, and FM.

The published literature on FM has highlighted the lack of a structured framework as the most significant challenge that hinders the delivery, validation, and use of information in advanced FM [45,58]. Another study identified cost-related barriers as the most significant barrier while implementing FM [27,59]. Despite such studies, it has been observed that BIM can play a critical role in FM in terms of active storage of data and information accrued over the life cycle stages of a facility, i.e., from design to end of life [49,60,61]. Thus, FM can be improved through BIM usage in several ways, as discussed in [49,62,63,64], since BIM can be used to collect and store data for the life cycle of a constructed facility. However, it has also been observed that digital documentation in FM can go a long way in unlocking the advantages of using BIM data for FM [54,64,65,66]. In this case, the need for digitalization as an enabler for fruitful integrated use of BIM data in FM is a challenge in developing countries where digitalization levels in most of the construction industries are relatively low.

In another study, it has been observed that FM is associated with the need for implementing efficient tools that store, manage, and update information for planning, design, construction, and operation of constructed facilities [67]. These requirements can be met by merging FM and BIM tools. Several researchers have provided evidence for the benefits of integrating BIM and FM [54,62]. A study conducted in UAE proclaimed that BIM is a profitable tool that can enhance FM [33]. Further, the same study exposed BIM as a technology-enabled process that provides construction professionals, engineers, architects, and facility managers with key management strategies and tools through simulations in the BIM environment [33]. However, relatively few applications of BIM and FM in developing countries are available in the published literature, thus leaving practitioners with very little to learn from [68]. Even the most sophisticated dimensions of the BIM tool, such as 4D, 5D, 6D, and 7D, are not yet exhausted for applications and implementation, and neither have they been thoroughly analyzed verified nor validated to address the lack of clarity in applications [68,69]. This undermines the potential that can be unlocked through extensive applications and implementation of BIM in the construction industry [34,70]. In the published literature, the notions of BIM-enabled FM have been discussed extensively [48,58,71,72]. On the contrary, the notions of LC-informed FM have received relatively little attention [55,56,57]. Therefore, more research should be performed to unlock the hindrances that impede the widespread adoption of integrated models of LC, BIM, and FM.

1.3. Challenges in Integrating LC, BIM, and FM

The implementation of any new or emerging concepts may be compromised by challenges relating to contextual, organizational, and cross-organizational factors. In most cases, national leadership can prove to be vital to the successful implementation of new or emerging concepts. Potential hindrances and challenges to implementation need to be identified, analyzed, examined, and interpreted within the correct context. Countermeasures need to be applied to moderate the impact of such hindrances and challenges and position implementation and operations towards excellence in construction [33,73,74,75]. Albeit, these challenges can be at different levels of a construction project, for example, planning and design, execution, or operational stage. The starting point of an investigation to address challenges is to accurately identify the challenges and have a clear understanding of the contextual and organizational factors that may hinder progress towards achieving goals. Once identified, it is then necessary to develop mechanisms, tools, and strategies for overcoming the hindrances and challenges at hand. In addition, hindrances and challenges must be correctly interpreted to reduce the number of iterations in implementation.

Although integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM are beneficial, the implementation process is not free from problems and issues. For example, De Mattos Nascimento et al. [20] stated that BIM and LC are two aspects that have the potential to enhance the course of developments in the construction industry. In the twenty years since their inception, these methodologies have become prominent in enhancing the features of engineering projects [29]. This fact points toward a challenge, i.e., the need for investigating synergies associated with related models or tools for the benefit of the construction industry. Detailed discussions on the barriers to implementing BIM in FM can be found in [33,35,36,74,75,76].

1.3.1. People Factor

One of the greatest challenges in the construction industry is the “people” factor. It has been observed that new tools and techniques often encounter obstacles in implementation, and some of the obstacles come from the “people” factor [77,78,79,80]. For example, it has been observed that trust factors and inabilities of stakeholder engagement in implementing LC have been some of the major challenges that needed comprehensive solutions to realize the true benefits of LC [81]. Another study asserted that challenges such as (a) comprehension and low levels of awareness in LC model implementation, and (b) lack of strategies to resolve complexities in the implementation of LC are prominent among numerous other challenges [82,83]. Therefore, a comprehensive and all-inclusive perspective is required to realize the true benefits of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

In a review study of the published literature, it was identified that some of the common challenges in implementing new and emerging techniques were language, high cost of implementation, scarce organizational infrastructures, limited training for non-skilled workers, and lack of awareness on how to implement new and emerging integrated models [84]. In addition to scarce resources, the “people” factor is usually part of the challenges in creating, applying, or implementing new models. Another study revealed that appropriate training for all employees to improve and enhance leadership skills is vital for the implementation of new and emerging models in construction [85]. Likewise, the implementation of LC, BIM, and FM are often offset by challenges and hindrances related to the “people” factor at various stages of a construction project. A critical consideration is finding reliable approaches and techniques for circumventing identified challenges, as well as how to interpret the discovered challenges and hindrances.

1.3.2. Combinations of LC, BIM, FM

In the published literature, the integration of LC, BIM, and FM has been realized in various domains depending on contextual, organizational, and cross-organizational factors. It has been observed that integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM include a variety of combinations of LC, BIM, and FM [86,87,88,89]. Variants in the implementation include BIM-enabled FM, i.e., BIM-FM, LC, and FM, i.e., LC-FM, and integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM, i.e., LC-BIM-FM [48,71,72,76]. Several benefits have been discussed for each of the different conducts and levels of integrating LC, BIM, and FM. In addition, many organizations and national economies have reported benefits associated with integrating LC, BIM, and FM [62,63,64]. These integrated applications include an assorted variety of combinations of LC, BIM, and FM [48,62,63,64,71,72,76,86,87,88,89], albeit a prominent challenge in developing countries is how to identify the right combinations for integrating LC, BIM, and FM. Since FM and LC can be regarded as tools used during the implementation of a constructed facility, BIM can be used to capture data and information relevant to FM and LC throughout the life cycle of a construction project, for example, a large building. The integration combination is usually based on complementary and supplementary synergies in the application of LC, BIM, and FM. These synergies need to be identified to determine the right combination to implement. Therefore, several combinations of integrating LC, BIM, and FM are available and the choice is left to practitioners as they may have to decide on the combination most appropriate to them, depending on prevailing contextual factors.

1.3.3. Wide Disparity in Implementation Level

In general, the implementation of new and/or advanced models has had several challenges. For integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM, the previous sections have discussed general challenges in addition to challenges related to the “people” factor and the dilemma of the right combinations of LC, BIM, and FM. However, another notable challenge is the imbalance in the levels of implementation of new and advanced models across an industrial sector. For example, in [21,46] the authors noted that the deployment of LC in a national economy is challenged by the unbalanced level of implementation in different types and sizes of construction companies. It is critical to address this imbalance and find a way of deploying LC, for example, in which the companies are at different levels of awareness, preparedness to implement, and/or differences in the implementation achievements.

Despite a high level of awareness and preparedness to implement LC, BIM, and advanced FM, there is a wide disparity in (a) awareness and understanding of LC, BIM, and FM, (b) preparedness levels in implementing LC, BIM, and FM, and (c) implementation levels across the construction industry in Qatar [90]. Therefore, there is a big challenge in how to deploy and disseminate knowledge, tools, and techniques for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM across the construction industry. This observation on unbalanced levels of awareness, preparedness, and implementation is also true for most developing countries, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as most of the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC). Therefore, there is a need to develop a strategy for promoting integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM in the construction industry in Qatar.

On another note, it is expected that the construction industry in Qatar will grow since several mega projects are planned beyond 2030 [90]. Consequently, Qatar is set to expedite construction projects for infrastructural development. However, the need for rapid construction of small and mega projects in parallel might have overwhelmed the construction industry in Qatar in the past before the mega construction of stadiums for FIFA World Cup 2022. Lessons learned could have helped to identify, develop, adapt, and expedite the implementation of context specific as well as customized new and emerging strategies to improve performance and productivity in the construction industry [73].

1.4. Summary and Research Goals

Challenges and hindrances in implementing LC, BIM, and FM as standalone packages have been discussed in previous sections. These challenges are well documented in the published literature. Recent research and advances in knowledge have shown that integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM are more beneficial than standalone applications. Evidence of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM have been identified in previous sections. Such integrated applications take various forms depending on the combination of LC, BIM, and FM. The previous sections have also shown that developing countries lag behind developed countries in integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. In addition, relatively less research has been conducted to quantify and qualify the same for developing countries. Moreover, research has shown that integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM has faced several hindrances and challenges. These hindrances and challenges must be identified and addressed to realize the true benefits of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. However, hindrances and challenges faced while implementing integrated models of LC, BIM, and FM have not been researched adequately, and sufficient evidence is not aligned between developed and developing countries. Consequently, such hindrances and challenges in implementing integrated models of LC, BIM, and FM in developing countries are not well understood and neither are they well known to inform practitioners. This leaves organizations and practitioners in developing countries with very little guidance in implementing integrated applications of these models.

Albeit practitioners in the construction industry in developing countries may not have adequate training to implement integrated models of LC, BIM, and FM. Therefore, it is critical to find a way of deploying knowledge on how to optimally integrate implementations of LC, BIM, and FM in the construction industry. In this regard, the exploration of context-specific knowledge, tools, and techniques can help guide practitioners in the construction industry in developing suitable plans for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. Furthermore, this research area (i.e., integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM) is important to the research community in terms of providing useful research insights that can contribute to the status of developing the construction industry in developing countries. In addition, research insights can help practitioners in developing countries realize and understand that there are potential innovations associated with implementing integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

The present research aims to address the needs identified in previous sections with the help of a quantitative and qualitative study. To this end, a questionnaire was developed and used to study and understand contextual and organizational factors that may hinder the optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM in developing countries. Interviews were used to obtain further insights into the integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM, in particular the nature of the challenges at hand and how these challenges can be resolved. This paper emphasizes that understanding the contextual and organizational factors that may hinder the optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM in developing countries is crucial in the quest for solutions to improve the status of the construction industry in developing countries. The logic behind this emphasis lies in that a clear understanding of contextual and organizational factors assists in arriving at the correct interpretation of hindrances and challenges that may affect the optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM. A correct understanding of hindrances also reveals the true nature and characteristics of the challenges at hand. Consequently, it is possible to prepare effective context-specific solutions and realize the true benefits of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

Therefore, the research unfolds by investigating contextual and organizational challenges in realizing integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. Based on the identified hindrances and challenges, the next part of the research is to provide a solution to circumvent the identified hindrances and challenges. To this end, an integrated communication and collaborative environment was developed to bridge the language and communication gaps that often hinder progress in implementing new and novel models. In addition, an integrated collaborative platform (ICP) for the dissemination of succinct cluster-specific knowledge and information that can be used to expedite optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM was developed. The purpose of the ICP is to provide the construction industry with simple easy-to-understand and easy-to-implement work packages for clusters of companies at the same level of awareness, preparedness, and implementation in the construction industry. The prescribed work packages are different from the usual general training programs through seminars, workshops, and certifications. This is because the perspective in this study is that the usual training programs often leave low-skilled workers confused by a barrage of information and technical jargon that is not task specific concerning the actual work carried out by participants in their companies.

It is important to note that identifying and addressing hindrances and challenges in the integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM entails bringing the workforce in the construction industry together in the quest for improving operating efficiencies across the construction industry. Solutions for identified hindrances and challenges can help to improve the management of construction projects and can also help to bring multiple positive outcomes to national economies beyond the construction industry.

1.5. Research Questions

In the quest to understand the contextual and organizational factors that hinder the effective integration and implementation of LC, BIM, and FM, the following research questions at different levels of inquiry were pursued:

• What contextual and organizational factors have been challenges and hindrances in the integrated implementation of (a) BIM-FM, (b) LC-FM, and (c) BIM-LC-FM?
• What processes, systems, and organizational changes have been put in place to enable the application and integrated implementation of (a) BIM-FM, (b) LC-FM, and (c) BIM-LC-FM?

2. Literature Review

The construction industry has benefited from emerging integrated construction models. Prominent contributions have been made through the implementation of LC, extensive usage of the BIM tool, and advanced FM. FM has benefited from integration with BIM and integration with the Internet of Things (IoTs), as well as cloud computing. These integrations have re-purposed the role of FM in the construction industry to a proactive role (if BIM enabled) or real-time control and management of facilities when integrated with IoTs and cloud computing.

Developing countries are still struggling to reap the benefits of LC, BIM, and FM. The published literature is endowed with attempts and plans to implement LC, BIM, and FM in developing countries, albeit the situation is slightly different in emerging economies such as Qatar. The rapid developments in Qatar have always been remarkable even concerning other Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC). However, due to the preservation and cultural restrictions, many modern technologies as well as new and emerging areas are not able to easily make their way through the construction industries in Qatar [91]. For example, while the global downfall has seen the emergence of models for mitigating the resulting consequences, these models have been somewhat irrelevant in the case of Qatar due to its stable economy. However, the Qatar blockade in 2018 made it clear that it is important to consider and adopt new and emerging tools, concepts, practices, and models to leverage a prevailing situation. In addition, the development and implementation of new and emerging construction models can play a significant role in realizing sustainable development and meeting sustainable development goals promptly.

Implementation and adoption of BIM are still experiencing complications such as the sharing of data, inefficient integration, operation, construction, lack of collaborative design, and communication problems in the construction and management of the project throughout the process [92]. Implementation and usage levels are still low in most developing countries. However, research has gone beyond usage of the BIM tool to the dimensions of BIM and several integrated applications of the BIM tool have been reported. Several studies [48,71,72] have discussed the notion of BIM-enabled FM, hereinafter designated as BIM-FM. Although there are many benefits associated with BIM-FM, relatively little has been discussed on how practitioners in developing countries can implement BIM-FM. In addition, the adoption of BIM-FM is slow, thereby failing to reap the benefits associated with the integration [93].

The purpose of BIM-FM is to influence facility data through facility management to provide a healthy, safe, effective, and efficient work environment that is planned for at the planning stage of a construction project [94]. The potential of BIM to support FM is well recognized; however, its applications in developing countries are still limited [95,96]. A review reported that from 2005 to 2013, research articles on FM covered BIM as the main digital technology for operationalizing the improved management of facilities [97]. It has been reported that the adoption, standardization, and programming features of FM have been enhanced by using BIM techniques, resulting in the most significant growth in the construction industry. Other studies have demonstrated that the most significant challenges faced by BIM-FM integration involve (a) long-term strategic goals; (b) determining data interoperability problems; (c) conversion of BIM knowledge into perceptible business knowledge in terms of FM; (d) customized data availability for the owner’s need; and (e) cooperative inputs from facility managers at an earlier stage of BIM development [46,96,97]. Another study declared that an apparent lack of agreement has been observed among industry consultants and academics for a successive information exchange process for integrated BIM-FM [98]. Nevertheless, the role of BIM is to enable the management of information for the development and sharing of information among stakeholders in a cooperative manner [99]. This collaboration results in effective project management. Even though the principles of BIM are not directly interlinked with LC, some connection throughout the construction procedure exists [76]. A study by De Mattos Nascimento et al. [76] revealed that the implementation of BIM with LC can contribute to FM, i.e., by enhancing processes incrementally and continually.

LC is achieved by applying lean thinking, which accomplishes services and activities with fewer resources and tools, less time, less physical space, and highly satisfied customers, with the least non-value-added action required and minimum waste. On the other hand, FM deals with needless inspection and repairs, technical failure, increased downtime duration, revision, safety subjects, high maintenance costs, proficiency and performance problems, sensible decision making, transportation of materials, and customer dissatisfaction. Many studies have researched the notion and implications of integrating lean thinking and FM. Dieste et al. [100] investigated the interactions between FM and lean thinking and several interactions and synergies were identified. Mrugalska et al. [101] proposed a lean maintenance structure, based on the five lean principles which involved specifying the value, identifying the flow of the value, value stream estimation, extracting the value, and trailing it to perfection. On the other hand, Shou et al. [102] anticipated a lean management framework for maintenance activities.

In the published literature, it has been considered that FM principles improve LC between output and input throughout the value creation process and provide tools for this purpose [103,104]. However, these studies have failed to address the best approach to integrating LC and FM. Hence, the knowledge of the integration of FM and LC is limited. Another study stated that lean constructs are implemented in the construction industry for data management related to space, possessions, and maintenance of facilities to prevent wastage [105]. Thus, by identifying the wastage of product and time beforehand, engineering managers, maintenance managers, and technicians can acquire benefits from integrating LC and FM. In this case, FM is informed by LC to proactively apply lean thinking in the management of facilities, i.e., LC-FM. According to Chen, lean principles can contribute to FM by ensuring the identification of the value and non-value-added activities in construction industries throughout the construction process [103]. Thus, LC-FM can be used to relate technology, leadership, and continuous improvement in the working environment.

Implications of integrating LC, BIM, and FM are vast [76] but have also shown a preference for combinations of LC, BIM, and FM. For example, McArthur and Bortoluzzi [106] investigated the applications of the lean approach in a BIM-FM implementation [101]. This analysis assumes that BIM-FM applications have been used but more benefits may be accrued if the lean approach is superimposed onto the operational BIM-FM. At a different level of application, Terreno et al. [53] investigated the application of LC principles in the BIM-FM environment to reduce waste in information management. However, the study did not consider disorganization and waste which can arise due to the lack of analysis of available information in BIM [101]. Therefore, the study did not investigate the full potential of the tripartite integration of LC, BIM, and FM, herein referred to as LC-BIM-FM. Based on the findings in [101], there is a need to rationalize the bulk of information (provided through LC and BIM) and extract concise information that can update FM in the integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. The challenges that have been put forward so far from the literature review may contribute to providing meaningful and sustainable ideas related to labor force policy and management [73]. This is important because management policies may hinder the realization of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM all of which require cohesion and active participation of the labor force (including low-skilled workers) at company and national levels. Recent studies have shown that integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM have far-reaching aspects including health and safety in the construction industry [107]. However, the studies discussed in this section conclude that BIM and LC principles offer beneficial and valuable tools to cope with challenging situations with good potential and can contribute to enhancing and supporting FM.

3. Research Methodology

Integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM have been adopted at various levels of applications to acquire benefits in the construction industry. Further, integrating these technologies can help the construction industry to grow and hence contribute significantly to the GDP. While the literature is overwhelmed with documentation of drivers that promote effective applications of LC, BIM, and FM, the factors that hinder such applications in different contexts are not well known beforehand and hence cannot be planned for. Moreover, the barriers and challenges associated with the integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM are generally not well understood due to the need to factor in context-specific data and information, as well as national policies in the case of nationwide implementation. This may result in failing to realize the true benefits of the integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

The literature review has also shown that BIM-FM integration has received some attention while LC-FM and LC-BIM-FM have received relatively less. The investigation in this paper seeks to understand contextual, organizational, and cross-organizational factors that may hinder the effective integration of LC, BIM, and FM, including LC-BIM-FM. As such, the investigation will be carried out at three levels of inquiry, based on BIM-FM, LC-BIM, and LC-BIM-FM. The main objective of the purported inquiry is to understand the nature and type of hindrances, develop an effective solution for these hindrances, identify challenges in implementation, and provide a method for optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM for the timely and accelerated benefits of the construction industry in developing countries.

The overall research process flowchart used in this paper is shown in Figure 1. The research methodology is derived from the literature review. The analysis covered attributes and factors for the integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM. The coverage is at the national, company, and personnel levels in the construction industry. A questionnaire and interviews were developed to cover the inquiry related to BIM-FM, LC-BIM, and LC-BIM-FM. Data have been collected from various types of research. The study follows qualitative and quantitative analysis for extensive and well-defined research. Data are collected, analyzed, and interpreted to provide the solution. Several challenges to the implementation of the integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM were identified. An integrated collaborative environment is outlined based on the analysis of the collected data. In addition, an integrated collaborative platform for optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM is outlined.

4. Materials and Methods

4.1. Study Design

This study used a mixed method approach that includes qualitative and quantitative research design to survey challenges and hindrances in adopting an integrated approach to LC, BIM, and FM at three levels of inquiry, i.e., BIM-FM, LC-FM, and BIM-LC-FM. The quantitative method provides numeric results with which the significance of the challenges can be identified to obtain a more precise result. The interviews conducted were based on the study topic including details corresponding to the integrated models.

The status of implementations of LC, BIM, and FM in the construction industries, as well as their current development and challenges related to the proposed models, were cross-examined during the interviews to attain insights on integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM in the construction industry. In addition, the research questions were developed to understand the contextual and organizational challenges in integrating LC, BIM, and FM.

4.2. Study Tools

4.2.1. Questionnaire

A questionnaire was formulated for a closed-ended survey. A random sampling technique was used for sampling to gather a generalized opinion. According to the online sample size calculator Raosoft, the recommended sample size was 184 for a 350 population size with a confidence interval of 95% and 5% of the error marked. The questionnaire consisted of two sections, A and B. Section A was about information related to the participants’ job roles and years of experience. Section B was about the challenges and hindrances faced in integrating LC, BIM, and FM at three levels of inquiry. Section B consisted of 25 questions, of which 5 were yes and no questions, 5 were multiple choice questions, and 15 were questions based on a Likert scale of 1–5. The first part was about the challenges faced while integrating BIM and FM, the second part was about the challenges faced while integrating LC and FM, and the third part was about the challenges associated with integrating LC, BIM, and FM. The questionnaire was sent via email to individuals working in various construction companies. The data collection took five months, from August 2022 to January 2023. Participants’ profiles included academics, government, private companies, subcontractors, consultants, general contractors, project managers, and suppliers. Out of 350 questionnaires sent, 215 responses were collected. Thirty-three questionnaires were discarded; therefore, data from 182 questionnaires were used for the study. Based on the identified hindrances, an integrated collaborative platform was developed to enable optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM for perpetuated benefits that lead to realizing leading value indicators in construction excellence.

4.2.2. Interview Details

A total of 5 semi-structured interviews were conducted by employing construction industry workers and managers to extract insights and gain hands-on knowledge about the current status of implementation of integrated models of LC, BIM, and FM. The following themes were emphasized during the interviews:

• Perception of the integrated BIM-FM, LC-FM, and LC-BIM-FM models in the development of construction industries in Qatar;
• Awareness of the integrated BIM-FM, LC-FM, and LC-BIM-FM models in the construction industries of Qatar;
• Challenges faced while integrating BIM-FM, LC-FM, and LC-BIM-FM models for the development of construction industries in Qatar.

4.3. Ethical Approval

Before conducting the interview and the survey, ethical approval based on Qatar University guidelines was granted by all the participants. The participants were first enlightened upon the aim of this research and the methodology of how it will be delivered. Further, the participants were given the right to withdraw from submitting the survey and not respond to the interview questions. No physical or mental harm was permitted. It was made certain that their current occupation would not be affected by their responses. They were assigned numbers as an identity to maintain the confidentiality of their data.

4.4. Reliability

To determine the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated using a sample of 15 respondents to conduct the pilot study.

Table 1. Reliability analysis to evaluate the inner consistency of the data.

Cronbach’s Alpha	No. of Items
0.889	15

gives the value of 0.889 for Cronbach’s alpha, which is greater than 0.70 and is generally considered to indicate a high level of consistency in the data, as per the guidelines provided by Bujang et al. [108].

5. Results

The published literature is endowed with key determinants, challenges, enablers, and barriers to the implementation of LC, BIM, and FM. In addition, the published literature is also endowed with key determinants, challenges, enablers, and barriers to the integrated implementation of various combinations of LC, BIM, and FM. In this paper, the research seeks to identify contextual and organizational factors that may hinder the seamless integration of LC, BIM, and FM at three levels of inquiry, i.e., BIM-FM, LC-FM, and LC-FM-BIM.

5.1. Survey Results

As shown in

Table 2. A response rate of the demographics of the participants.

Components	Frequency	Percent
Job Roles
academic	19	10.4
owner—government	20	11.0
owner—private	18	9.9
subcontractor	24	13.2
consultant	22	12.1
general contractor	21	11.5
project manager	27	14.8
supplier	31	17.0
Working Experience
4–7 years	44	24.2
8–11 years	38	20.9
<5 years	58	31.9
>12 years	42	23.1

, the results of the survey demonstrate that most of the respondents were found to be suppliers (17%), followed by project managers (14.8%). The subcontractors, consultants, general contractors, government workers, academics, and private workers were found to be at rates of (13.2%), (12.1%), (11.5%), (11%), (10.4%), and (9.9%), respectively. Moreover, most of the respondents were found to have experience of less than five years (31.9%), followed by respondents with working experience between 4-7 years (24.2%), greater than 12 years (23.1%), and between 8–11 years (20.9%).

As shown in

Table 3. Significance of the response rate of challenges faced while integrating the construction models (BIM, LC, and FM).

Components	Frequency	Percent	Significance
BIM-FM
lack of communication	31	17.0	0.028
outdated model	31	17.0
hard data entry	29	15.9
lack of BIM skills	29	15.9
lack of training	23	12.6
lack of collaboration	23	12.6
scattered data	16	8.8
LC-FM
language barrier	51	28.0
insufficient resources	47	25.8	0.040
cultural barrier	45	24.7
high expectations of customers	39	21.4
BIM-LC-FM
lack of training and education	43	23.6	0.046
lack of government incentives	40	22.0
cost of implementation	31	17.0
lack of BIM standard	36	19.8
lack of employee skills	32	17.6

, for the case of integrating the BIM tool and FM, the use of outdated software models and lack of communication among relevant stakeholders were found to be hindering the process most, with rates of (17%) and (17%), respectively. These factors were followed by hard data entry, lack of BIM skills, lack of training in relevant tools and techniques, lack of collaboration, as well as scattered and unorganized data, with the rates of (15.9%), (15.9%), (29%), (29%), (23%), (23%), and (16%), respectively, for which the level of significance was found to be 0.028, i.e., less than 0.05. In the case of integrating LC and FM, the most significant hindrance was the language barrier (28%). This was followed by the problem of insufficient resources, cultural barriers, and high expectations of customers with rates of (25.8%), (24.7%), and (21.4%), respectively, at a level of significance of 0.040, i.e., less than 0.05. For the case of integrating LC, FM, and BIM, the most significant challenge was found to be the lack of training and education among the employees, with a rate of (23.6%). This was followed by a lack of government incentives, lack of BIM standards [109], lack of employee skills, and cost of implementation, with rates of (22%), (19.8%), (17.6%), and (17%), respectively, at levels of significance of 0.046, i.e., less than 0.05) (Table 3).

It can be observed from

Table 4. Levene’s test to validate the homogeneity of variance among the challenges based on their mean.

Model Integration	Levene Statistics	df 1	df 2	Sig.
BIM-FM	1.098	7	174	0.037
LC-FM	0.573	7	174	0.048
LC-BIM-FM	0.855	7	174	0.028

that the challenges faced were found to be sufficient and validated by a statistical test. The hindrance while adopting the integration of BIM and FM, LC and FM and BIM, with LC, and FM resulted in test statistics of (1.098), (0.573), and (0.855), with the significance of 0.037, 0.048, and 0.028, respectively. Thus, the p-value for all cases was found to be significant, which validates the result. This means that more challenges are expected in the tripartite integration of LC, BIM, and FM.

Among all the respondents, Figure 2 shows that participants (in particular, project managers) are highly concerned about outdated software, and the lack of communication skills among the workers in the case of integrating BIM and FM. Outdated software can be solved by encouraging companies to continuously update software to the current. Lack of communication skills can be solved by using a common collaborative platform that allows communication through the most common social media with translations whenever possible. This also requires basic knowledge of how to communicate using various options of social media. Figure 3 shows that participants were most concerned about the cultural barriers, followed by language barriers in the process of integrating LC and FM. Cultural barriers can be solved by ensuring that all foreigners learn the local culture during their orientation. Local authorities can arrange for compulsory modules on local culture to educate foreigners in the construction industry. The same approach can be used to solve language barriers. Furthermore, Figure 4 shows that in the process of integrating BIM, LC, and FM, the major concern was about the unskilled staff in the construction industry. While training is the general solution, it is important to pitch the training to meet the skills level applications from BIM, LC, and FM.

5.2. Sample Results of Interviews

During the interviews, it was necessary to start discussions on the perceptions of the implantation of stand-alone applications of LC, BIM, and FM. This was necessary to ensure that the interviewees could differentiate between stand-alone applications of LC, BIM, and FM on the side and integrated implementations of LC, BIM, and FM. Based on this study’s aim, the interviews were divided into three parts: perception, awareness, and challenges.

5.2.1. Perception

It was important to determine the perception of participants on the integrated implementations of LC, BIM, and FM. For this purpose, the most frequently asked questions were:

• Do you believe integrated construction models must be implemented in the construction industry?
• Do you think these models will provide industries with progress and time-saving tactics?

Although most participants initially answered these questions positively, further probes during the interview showed that some of the participants did not have enough knowledge of the details required to practically implement integrated models of LC, BIM, and FM. This was mainly because most participants were familiar with implementations of stand-alone concepts of LC, BIM, and FM and were less familiar with integrated applications. It was also apparent that the perceptions of some of the managers at different levels in an organization were not the same, even in the same company. Such differentials can be a source of conflict that may hinder or challenge the implementation of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. It was therefore concluded that if integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM are to be implemented, it was necessary to ensure that all key personnel have a similar understanding of what it takes to implement LC, BIM, and FM in an integrated manner. This finding was the basis for developing a common platform for disseminating the essentials of how to implement integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

As an example of a conversation with participants, participant 3 declared:

“Although I believe these models must be very helpful, I don’t have the relevant skills to benefit from them and this is because of lack of training I think.”

On the other hand, participant 1 was straightforward about his perspective:

“I strongly believe that these models will slow down the construction process. We need time to first get familiar with them, get trained, and then implement them. From our past experiences, this whole process is time-consuming and does not have promising outcomes.”

While various perceptions were provided, the applicability of integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM was a major concern and hence a challenge. Although another concern was the expected benefits of integrated applications, it was apparent that the perceptions of integrated applications be synchronized to realize the true benefits. This requirement has an impact on the preparedness of an organization to implement integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

5.2.2. Awareness

Level of awareness has always been a key issue in introducing changes in organizations. During the interviews, it was critical to redirect interviewees from stand-alone implementations of LC, BIM, and FM to integrated applications. Although the level of awareness of stand-alone implementations of LC, BIM, and FM was high, the level of awareness of integrated implementations was observed to be low based on the expectations from the published literature. The most frequently asked question was:

• Do you have any knowledge about integrated construction models? If so, would you elaborate on how you attain this information?
• To this end, participant 4 responded:

“I don’t know much about these, yes but I have heard about them being used in progressive and developed countries during conferences and workshops”

On the other hand, participant 5 responded:

“As far as I know these models require high-tech skills, I don’t believe this will be very productive for the industry especially when it comes to timesaving.”

Regarding awareness, it was inferred that the construction industry in Qatar needs to give more credit to the integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. Low awareness results in low levels of preparedness, which can be a formidable challenge in integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

5.2.3. Challenges

In the published literature it has been shown that challenges in implementing standalone applications of LC, BIM, and FM still persist in developed countries and more so in developing countries. Nevertheless, challenges in implementing integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM are also still apparent. However, low awareness and negative perception often lead to further hindrances and challenges in implementing integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. Such hindrances and challenges must be correctly identified if progress on integrated applications is to be made. On the issues of challenges, the interviewer frequently asked the following questions, among others:

• What are the most frequent challenges that you think you will encounter in implementing integrated models of LC, BIM, and FM in our industry?
• Do you believe that inappropriate skills, communication, comprehension, and training can impede the integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM?

Participant 5 responded:

“How can we implement a model which gives uncertain results we already have a lot of challenges that we face daily like communication barriers which lead to misperceptions in the work environment.”

Participant 2 responded:

“How can unskilled people run such complicated tasks; we don’t have time for training we have to keep the industry running if we dwell on these activities which are not very promising, we will waste our time.”

It can therefore be inferred that the construction industry in Qatar faces a lot of challenges and implementing integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM will add more challenges.

However, most of the challenges discussed during the interviews can actually be solved through the proper implementation of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

6. Discussion of Findings

LC, BIM tools, and FM concepts and principles have been adopted by various construction industries around the world. The ideas of integrating LC, BIM, and FM have been adopted in various countries for improvements in the construction industry, while some studies have reported various attempts and efforts to integrate BIM, LC, and FM models [76]. This study identifies the structural, cultural, and environmental barriers to adopting these integrated construction strategies in the construction industry in developing countries. Since the literature is vast on the adoption of various levels and types of integrating LC, BIM, and FM, this study focuses on the challenges that lead to the lack of utilization of these construction models in the construction industry in developing countries.

A study stated that LC tools and models discussed in this paper are broadly known in many countries, including the UK, Germany, USA, Turkey, and Brazil, but less so in developing countries. The literature found on BIM in the United States, China, United Kingdom, South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia is vast, with European countries holding 194 publications [56]. Facility management has been widely applied in many disciplines in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany [110].

The interviews were conducted while focusing on the three main themes, discussed in Section 4.2.2: perception, awareness, and challenges regarding the integrated construction model. Regardless of numerous implementations and the awareness of the challenges faced while implementing these construction models, the literature bears only a handful of studies focusing on the challenges faced while implementing an integrated form of these construction models in developing countries. Recently innovations have been made to reduce the challenges while adopting LC, BIM, and FM. Integrated models have been proposed based on the complementarity and/or supplementarity of LC, BIM, and FM. In this way, at least one model can be focused on overcoming the shortcomings of another model by integrating the models. The interviews were constructed to inquire about this query. The responses to theme 1 which elaborates perceptions of the participants mostly stressed the lack of training to implement these models. They seemed uncertain to the extent that the outcomes would be fruitful. Responses to theme 2 regarding the awareness of the integrated model were evidence of the low awareness level across the construction industry. It was very obvious from the responses that the participants were not aware of the benefits and ease an integrated model can provide and the misperception about its technical complexities was serving as a roadblock in convincing them. When interviewed about the challenges (theme 3) faced while implementing integrated models, most respondents were concerned over the low awareness, inappropriate skill set due to lack of training, and low comprehension of instructions due to language barriers as well as inappropriate level of training. This was inferred from the elongated responses from the construction industry’s workers and managers. The responses were pointing towards the misperception about the integrated construction models. These responses call for a proper campaign to inform the construction industries about the perks of implementing an integrated model.

In integrating BIM and FM, a lack of communication was perceived, which was indicated in the data analysis and the interviews conducted, as the most significant hindrance. In most cases, it is due to the improper management of data that hinders the information from reaching its desired destination, including stakeholders. Nevertheless, BIM was specifically developed to capture this information throughout a construction project and make available the necessary information as and when it is required for management purposes. Thus, it is critical to ensure that the communication aspects are improved to facilitate the integration of BIM and FM. This means that extensive use of the BIM tools is critical to BIM-enabled FM. In addition, extensive use of BIM tools is also critical to the tripartite integration of BIM, LC, and FM. In contrast to the present study, Patacas et al. [45] observed that BIM in construction is not orderly and the framework for information management is not methodical. This observation implies that there is a lack of extensive use of BIM tools or a lack of BIM usage skills. Therefore, high-level skills in BIM tools may prove to be vital in unlocking BIM usage and can therefore leverage BIM capability for supporting the management of facilities. The same study also highlighted three areas that are highly affected due to the unorganized data which involves deliverance of the information models, their validation by requirement, and their usage in FM. Patacas et al. [45] further evaluated several evolving challenges related to a lack of a proper workflow in realizing the integration of BIM and FM. Other hindrances included limitations in the data extraction process from the resources and limitations in the validation process of the documents received. All these requirements further point toward the need for extensive use of BIM tools. Another study by Dixit et al. [111] stated that, while integrating BIM and FM, the major hindrance was the long and tedious data entry process in BIM which affected the FM process negatively. Moreover, the study also highlighted the customer’s unwillingness to adopt the integration of BIM and FM and the technical errors that are impediments to building trust. There is, therefore, a lack of extensive case studies that can showcase the appropriate usage of BIM and hence provide confidence and adequate references for practitioners. Muhammad and Mustapa reviewed the integration of BIM and FM and stated that accurate and precise information is required for the accurate use of BIM-enabled FM [101]. To summarize, BIM-enabled FM (i.e., BIM-FM) can be hindered by (a) the use of outdated software, which limits BIM and FM software integration; (b) inadequate communication among stakeholders, which limits collaboration and decision making; (c) lack of adequate BIM skills, which undermines the true capabilities of BIM tools; and (d) hard data entries, which limits the amount of data available for decision making. Hard data entry can be solved by improving the digitalization levels in the construction industry.

For the integration of LC and FM processes, i.e., LC-FM, the most frequent challenge faced by the workers is the language barrier, which was indicated in the interviews. Other hindrances include insufficient resources and high expectations of benefits associated with LC-FM. High expectations can lead to unwillingness to pursue further integration of LC and FM, thus limiting incremental benefits associated with this integration. However, Demirdöğen et al. [98] stated that a framework to reduce waste in the process of integrating LC and FM is essential to reduce waste in the FM process and enhance lean activities. Such frameworks are few thus limiting resources for practitioners. Moreover, the same study also stated that the data management strategy must be revised to realize effective integration [98]. Improving digitalization in construction companies could be beneficial for managing data. In contrast to this study, Bascoul et al. [112] highlighted the complexities that arise while integrating lean activities into FM. Such complications arise from the customers, product, process, market, and organizations that may not be familiar with integrated applications of LC and FM. Another study stated that the FM department needs to assign itself to organizational leadership and understand the business values, aims, and accomplishments for profitable integration; otherwise, the recommendation is to implement lean principles in work management [113]. According to Demirdöğen et al. [98], the literature on lean activities is consistently mentioned, as it is overcoming the core problems found in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Industry. However, the author criticizes lean performance when the cost of the project is considered [98]. Another study by Danshvar [114] stated that while emphasizing the challenges faced in adopting FM by integrating LC activities, continuous improvement was highly recommended, which indicated the lack of attention in many areas of the framework such as uneducated staff who may require consistent monitoring to ensure adherence to required changes in the implementation of lean. To summarize, hindrances associated with LC-BIM include (a) insufficient resources for integrating LC and BIM; (b) high expectations of the true benefits of integrating LC and BIM; and (c) language barriers that span from spoken languages and the technical jargon associated with LC and BIM. As for the technical jargon, there is a need to moderate the technical jargon associated with LC and BIM by differentiating the knowledge, applications, and implementation depending on the skill level of employees in the company. Thus, appropriate training is required to match the skill levels of employees depending on the implementation level of LC and FM.

For the tripartite integration of BIM, LC, and FM, i.e., BIM-LC-FM, the most significant challenge observed was the insufficient training and education provided to the working staff. Working staff require continuous training and refresher courses to keep the momentum going for perpetual benefits associated with the implementation of BIM-LC-FM. For this reason, the lack of education and skills in LC, BIM, and FM is a major hindrance in adopting the integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. In agreement with this study, Danshvar [114] observed that insufficient strategies in the organization of infrastructure and less trained staff were the most repetitive challenges. Another study by Shou et al., in contrast to this study, stated that clear guidance and best practices are not presented for the integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM. Although necessary for increased productivity, proficiency, and quality, lean concepts need to expand in terms of maintenance strategies by improving the reliability of the models and the reduction of wastage, thus facilitating proactive FM from project initiation [96]. Terreno et al. [53], in contrast to the current study, stated that while systematically mapping the challenges faced in integrating LC, BIM, and FM inefficiencies and variability in information management increased labor hours. This can be addressed by improving the digitalization level in the construction company as well as promoting extensive use of BIM tools. A study by Nascimento stated that implementing BIM with LC can help improve FM by taking over construction projects in a much better and sufficient manner and thus provide the industry with incremental benefits and profits [76].

The present study demonstrates that communication, language, and technical knowledge of LC, BIM, and FM are the major interruptions in the process of integrating LC, BIM, and FM. Further, the study unfolded new challenges faced by the construction industry in realizing optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM. It can be inferred that the authorities, particularly through the Public Works Authority, need to play a leading role in overcoming the highlighted challenges for the benefit of the national economy. Moreover, the Public Works Authority and the recently established Lean Construction Institute chapter in Qatar can consider the implementation of appropriate frameworks across all construction companies in Qatar for continuous improvements towards construction excellence. Moreover, a legal action plan for optimized implementation of LC, BIM, and FM could be formulated to highlight the perpetual benefits of integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM.

The findings of the results and interviews have shown that the following are the main hindrances: lack of communication among stakeholders, hard data entry, lack of training and BIM skills, lack of collaboration, scattered and unorganized data, language barrier, insufficient resources, high expectations on implementation, lack of appropriate education on LC, BIM, and FM, and cost of implementation. Lack of technical communication among stakeholders can be solved by encouraging stakeholders to acquire a moderate level of BIM usage since one of the strengths of BIM is to provide project technical information from design to operations. This encouragement is best carried out by PWA since they have complete control of what is happening in the local construction industry. A challenge associated with the notion of PWA leading the need for extensive usage of BIM is the low level of BIM usage nationwide. This challenge can be solved by equipping professionals in PWA, LCI-Q, and academia in Qatar with extensive training on using BIM so that nationwide training appropriated to incumbents can be provided. However, general communication among stakeholders can be solved by using an Integrated Communication and Collaboration Environment (ICCE) controlled by key stakeholders, i.e., LCI-Q experts and PWA professionals.

The ICCE can be developed as an application that is web-based or based on a common operating system that can be accessed through any of the social media so that it is accessible by all. This can also be supported by a call center for general inquiries. The integrated collaboration environment can be used to collaborate on projects on integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM, while extensive use of BIM can facilitate technical collaboration during implementation. Figure 5 shows an integrated collaborative environment that can facilitate communication and collaboration on an integration project from preparation to commissioning.

Language barriers are minimized by allowing flexibility in the communication language, as well as providing basic training related to the language needs of company personnel. One of the challenges faced in disseminating information is technical jargon. This can be solved by moderating training to suit the applications and implementation needs associated with the skills level of personnel and the level of involvement of company personnel in an integration project.

Another challenge is how to ensure that all integration projects conform to expected standards. In this respect, standards and controls are facilitated by involving experts from LCI-Q and professionals from PWA. A challenge in the implementation of the communication and collaborative environment is how to address the needs of all companies in the construction industry. This challenge can be solved by clustering companies that are at the same level of awareness, preparedness, and implementation prospects. This clustering can minimize resources and effort for training and consultancy, as well as knowledge and data dissemination. This clustering also serves to address the hindrance of insufficient resources. The underlying assumption is that companies are willing to collaborate, and personnel in the respective organizations are also willing to collaborate within and without the company.

In Figure 5, the system of records serves as a repository of company prospects on integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. This record is also used for clustering construction companies according to the level of intent of integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. The advantage of clustering lies in minimizing resources as well as the exchange of information and collaborative efforts among companies in the same cluster. In addition, clusters are formed based on the combination interests of each company, i.e., does the company want to integrate LC and BIM, BIM and FM or LC, BIM, and FM? In this manner, resources, experiences, and motivations can be shared among companies in a cluster. Training and education needs as well as costs are also minimized by clustering companies. The knowledge base provides information and data related to company and/or cluster needs. Performance metrics are used to assess company and/or cluster progress towards integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

Other hindrances not catered for in the integrated collaborative environment include hard data entry, lack of training and BIM skills, scattered and unorganized data, high expectations on implementation, and lack of appropriate education on LC, BIM, and FM. Hard data entries can be solved by increasing the digitalization level in construction companies. While digitalization is costly, the authorities in Qatar have been involved in assisting the local industry in their digitalization projects. A high level of digitalization can also solve the issues of scattered and unorganized data. In addition, increasing the usage of BIM can also solve the issue of scattered and unorganized data. Therefore, a combination of extensive usage of BIM and a high level of digitalization can go a long way in solving hindrances associated with a lack of data and information. To address these issues, an integrated collaborative platform (ICP) for optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM was developed and is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6 shows an integrated collaborative platform that was developed based on the findings of this research as well as the exploration conducted based on the success factors, challenges, and implications of the integrated models depicted in

Table 5. Integrated models: key determinants, success factors, and benefits.

National-Level Key Determinants	Company-Level Key Determinants	Success Factors	Integration Benefits
National policies and guidelines Legal Framework Rules and regulation Funding incentives Cross-organizational collaboration Culture Leadership and management	(a) Company Context	BIM-FM	BIM-FM
	Structure, strategies, and culture	Highly reliable relational contracting	Commissioning and closeout
	Policies, procedures	Timely and reliable target value design	Quality control and assurance
	Management and leadership	Successive integrated project delivery	Energy management
	Budgets for implementation	Mapping with value stream	Space management
	External collaboration	Consecutive growth in finance	Expanding market value
	Level of awareness for BIM and FM	High level of awareness	Improved decision making and competitive advantage
	Level of readiness for BIM and FM	High level of readiness	Enhanced collaboration and communication and improved facility performance and lifecycle management
	Level of implementation of BIM and FM	High level of implementation	Streamlined workflows and process efficiency, and enhanced data management and accessibility
		LC-FM	LC-FM
	Structure, strategies, and culture	Increase flexibility in work, reduce variability	Transparent information sharing, focus on concept selection
	Policies, procedures	The lean/BIM maturity model	Comprehensive requirements ensured in process, verify, and validate
	Management and leadership	Continuous improvement by the institute reduces lifecycle time	Select suitable production control Select suitable production control,
	Budgets for implementation	Reduce group size	ensure requirement flow down
	External collaboration	Increase flexibility in work	Cultivate an extended network of partners, ensure requirement flow down, early stakeholder involvement
	Level of awareness for LC and FM	High level of awareness	Improved decision making and enhanced collaboration and communication
	Level of readiness for LC and FM	High level of readiness	Increased operational efficiency and cost savings and improved profitability
	Level of implementation of LC and FM	High level of implementation	Enhanced project delivery and increased customer satisfaction
		BIM-LC-FM	BIM-LC-FM
	Structure, strategies, and culture	Reduce design development and life cycle	Utilizing electronic or online communication devices
	Policies, procedures	Effective capture and flow down of intent	Generating new construction plans rapidly
	Management and leadership	Reduce rework	Generating sketches, drawings, and document
	Budgets for implementation	Increase iteration for value improvement	Maintaining updated design model
	External collaboration	Increase predictability of investment and lifecycle cost	Ensures the timely fulfilment of requirements.
		Enhance ability to engage with stakeholders	Validation of work and information
	Level of awareness for LC, BIM, and FM	High level of awareness	Improved project planning and execution, and enhanced collaboration and integration
	Level of readiness for LC, BIM, and FM	High level of readiness	Enhanced decision making
	Level of implementation of LC, BIM, and FM	High level of implementation	Increased collaboration and communication, increased efficiency, and cost saving
	(b) Employees	BIM-FM	BIM-FM
	Knowledge and attitude	Highly approved, adopted in construction fields	Provides space for implementation, facilitates clear visualization of project before executing
	Training in BIM and FM	Highly trained staff is required in such scenarios	Introduce employees to new technologies
	Authority and responsibility	Lower the weight of responsibilities of employees	The model provides a visual representation beforehand which is amendable the stakeholders can make all the necessary changes before implementing, which saves time and cost
	Motivation and engagement	Highly motivated for implementation	Easily approved for adoption
	Awareness and relevance to change	Highly aware that technology is the new era of innovation	Promotes innovation in the construction department
	Local culture	Impacting highly to the environment of the company	Improve service quality
	Level of awareness of BIM and FM	High level of awareness	Improved collaboration, and enhanced problem solving
	Level of readiness for BIM and FM	High level of readiness	Enhanced productivity and enhanced technical skills
	Level of implementation of BIM and FM	High level of implementation	Streamlined work processes and increased productivity
		LC-FM	LC-FM
	Knowledge and attitude	Satisfied with the implementation	Facilitates time and work management while construction
	Training in BIM and FM	Efficient training with ethical training required	Work management with quality
	Authority and responsibility	Lower the weight of responsibilities of employees	During construction providing adequate roles to each worker according to their skills
	Motivation and engagement	Highly motivated to imply	Quality work on time
	Awareness and relevance to change	Not aware to a very high extreme; however, motivated to adopt the technology	Help in providing quality services to the customers by the employees
	Local culture	Impacting highly on the environment of the company	Positive working attitude and flexibility in work
	Level of awareness of LC and FM	High level of awareness	Improved teamwork and enhanced innovation
	Level of readiness of LC and FM	High level of readiness	Improved efficiency and enhanced decision making
	Level of implementation of LC and FM	High level of implementation	Improved process efficiency and increased employee engagement/empowerment
		BIM-LC-FM	BIM-LC-FM
	Knowledge and attitude	Satisfied with the implementation	Provides structure before final implementation, facilitates construction workers, timely implementation, and work management
	Training in BIM and FM	Highly trained staff required	Provide polished and fine work
	Authority and responsibility	Not authorized to a great extent due to its advancing methods which are costly	Management, assurance, and reliability
	Motivation and engagement	Motivated to adopt and improve engagement	Quality work on time
	Awareness and relevance to change	Aware and motivated to adopt however not highly implemented	Promotes innovation in the construction department
	Local culture	Can impact highly to the environment of the company	Improve service quality, positive working attitude, and flexibility in work
	Level of awareness of LC, BIM, and FM	Moderate level of awareness	Improved collaboration and enhanced problem solving
	Level of readiness of LC, BIM, and FM	Moderate level of readiness	Enhanced communication and increased productivity
	Level of implementation of LC, BIM, and FM	Moderate level of implementation	Enhanced skills, streamlined work processes

. Table 5 indicates that high levels of awareness, readiness, and implementation of LC, BIM or FM are required to start a project on integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. However, the prerequisites for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM are moderate since most of the construction companies are currently at an appreciation level for integrating LC, BIM, and FM. In addition, most of the hindrances identified in this paper can be solved by improving the level of usage of the BIM tool, as well as the digitalization level in construction companies. Therefore, in developing the ICP for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM, Figure 6 shows that companies must demonstrate a high level of awareness, readiness, implementation, and digitalization. In Figure 6, these are shown as the prerequisites for an integrated project on LC, BIM, and FM.

As shown in Figure 6, and the interviews conducted, if a construction company wants to embark on an integration project, the company should satisfy the pre-requisites, i.e., high levels of awareness, preparedness, and implementation of LC, BIM, and FM, either separately or integrated. The other requirements are a significant level of digitalization and a legal framework that shows the willingness of the company to engage in cross-organizational activities such as contractual agreements, incentive sharing, and working in cross-organizational teams in the construction industry. The integration needs and integration level should be clearly stated, and the company should be willing to join clusters of companies with similar integration needs. The company should also comply with the general key principles of integration as well as collaborative governance, i.e., company structures and leadership that enable decisions to be made effectively, efficiently, and transparently.

The ICP is essentially a construction excellence advisory service for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. The ICP can also be used to control and monitor construction performance data periodically across the construction industry. The ICP is developed as a real-time collaborative environment that can be implemented using, for example, Microsoft Teams, through which all stakeholders can access the platform, which is controlled based on the rights of admission depending on the role of the individual accessing the platform. The ICP is envisioned as a cost-effective service that supports integration projects for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM in the construction industry by emphasizing enablers and success factors while removing barriers and addressing challenges.

The main role of ICP is to disseminate differentiated knowledge on how to achieve seamless integration that supports integration projects for integrated applications in the implementation of LC, BIM, and FM in the construction industry. The knowledge is differentiated based on integration interests concerning various combinations of LC, BIM, and FM. In the published literature, several variations of integrating LC, BIM, and FM have been discussed, the most common ones being BIM and FM, LC and FM, and LC, BIM, and FM.

The last option, i.e., integration of LC, BIM, and FM, has been performed with various levels of emphasis depending on the main objective of the integration as well as the type and nature of the construction project and its requirements. Differentiated knowledge is also specific to clusters of construction companies as discussed in the previous paragraphs. Two challenges in implementing the ICP are the following: (1) How to achieve optimized integration of knowledge for integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM, and (2) How to simplify complicated knowledge associated with LC, BIM, and FM for low-skilled labor in the construction industry.

7. Integrated Models: Key Determinants, Success Factors, and Benefits

Key determinants, success factors, and benefits for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM were based on (a) the literature reviews, (b) a survey of the construction industry, and (c) interviews with experts in the construction industry. These are summarized in Table 5. The underlying logic is that decisions made at the national level and company levels have a significant impact on positioning the construction industry towards construction excellence. Table 5 shows that the national economy has key determinants that can facilitate the seamless integration of LC, BIM, and FM. On the other hand, the company context and individual employees also affect the seamless integration of LC, BIM, and FM at various levels of integration. Therefore, scrutiny of these key determinants and success factors can help companies prepare for integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM.

Table 5 provides an insightful framework that explains the interaction between success factors, integration benefits, and key determinants at both the national and company levels for the implementation of LC, BIM, and FM. The table illustrates that success factors, including elements like ‘national policies and guidelines’, ‘culture’, and ‘leadership and management’, significantly influence the integration benefits. This influence is demonstrated through specific company-level determinants, such as ‘highly reliable relational contracting’ and ‘timely and reliable target value design’ in the BIM-FM context, which are linked to enhanced benefits like ‘improved decision making’ and ‘competitive advantage’. Moreover, the table reveals that the level of awareness, readiness, and implementation of these factors varies across different scenarios, highlighting the nuanced nature of the relationship between success factors, benefits, and contextual determinants.

Table 5 holds crucial implications for understanding the challenges that hinder developing countries from effectively adopting integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. In this context, it is evident that the success factors outlined in the table play an important role in achieving integration benefits at the company level. However, translating these success factors into practice poses several challenges for developing countries.

Firstly, the challenge of institutional capacity arises. Developing countries often lack well-established national policies and guidelines that promote the integration of LC, BIM, and FM. This absence impedes the development of a conducive environment for these technologies to thrive. Unlike more developed nations, where policies may facilitate collaboration and innovation, developing countries struggle to create a robust legal framework and regulatory environment that supports these advancements. Secondly, financial constraints also pose a challenge because developing countries often face resource limitations. Implementing LC, BIM, and FM technologies requires a considerable investment in terms of software, training, and infrastructure. The financial burden can deter companies and organizations in these countries from embracing these integrated solutions. Additionally, the lack of awareness and readiness in developing countries can hinder progress. While the success factors highlight the importance of high awareness and readiness levels, the reality is that many individuals, organizations, and even government bodies in developing nations may have limited exposure to these technologies. This lack of awareness can lead to skepticism, resistance to change, and a reluctance to invest in training and technology adoption. Moreover, the challenge of capacity building is evident, as training and developing a skilled workforce capable of effectively implementing LC, BIM, and FM is critical. However, in developing countries, there may be a shortage of qualified professionals and training programs tailored to these technologies. This gap in human resources further complicates the adoption process. The challenge of cultural alignment also emerges as the success factors emphasize the significance of culture in integration. Developing countries often have unique cultural contexts that may not align seamlessly with the principles of LC, BIM, and FM. Adapting these technologies to local cultures and practices can be a complex and time-consuming process.

8. Conclusions

This research was conducted to identify the hindrances and challenges that may be faced in the integration of LC, BIM, and FM at three levels of inquiry, namely, BIM-FM, LC-FM, and BIM with LC-FM. Several hindrances have been identified at each of the three levels of inquiry. While a lot of benefits have been achieved in various parts of the world, integration requires sound strategies, mechanisms, processes, and systems to be in place. Based on the need to overcome the identified hindrances, an integrated collaborative platform for optimizing the integration of LC, BIM, and FM at three levels of inquiry was developed. The idea behind the integrated collaborative platform is to encourage construction companies to interact thereby facilitating the exchange of best practices, knowledge, information, and technology transfer in the construction industry in Qatar. The involvement of the Public Works Authority and the Lean Construction Institute chapter in Qatar can play a significant role in operationalizing the proposed integrated collaborative platform.

The various levels of inquiry discussed in this paper can be used as an initial guideline for realizing integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM at various levels in construction companies. Thus, companies with a strong orientation towards the usage of the BIM tool can start their journey by leveraging BIM-enabled FM. On the other hand, companies that have a strong presence in LC (i.e., high lean implementation levels) can start their journey by leveraging LC-informed FM. Furthermore, companies that have a strong orientation towards LC-informed FM can start their journey by unlocking the benefits associated with the implementation of the various untapped dimensions of BIM.

Future studies can be conducted as follows: investigate suitable policies and strategies for integrated implementation of LC, BIM, and FM at various levels in construction companies in developing countries; conduct more case studies on implementations of LC, BIM, and FM in developing countries; develop the operational details of ICP; test and implement; and develop the operational details of ICCE.