Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have transformed the landscape of project management and contributed significantly to improving efficiency, decision-making, and optimizing resource allocation. Although there exists a number of research examining the integration and utilization of AI and ML into project management, the fragmented literature highlights the need for a systematic literature review to consolidate current knowledge, identify emerging trends, and examine AI’s role in project management. This study aims to critically analyze the existing literature to identify opportunities for, enablers of, and barriers to AI adoption, providing a comprehensive framework to guide future research and practice. A systematic literature review (SLR) following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines revealed three key themes: The Knowledge Ecosystem in Project Management: In the Era of AI, The Intersection of AI and Humanity in Project Management, and Integrating AI into Project Management and Landscaping. The findings highlight AI’s transformative effects on forecasting accuracy, risk mitigation, stakeholder collaboration, and safety management while addressing challenges such as integration with legacy systems, data quality issues, and resistance to change. The research presents valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners, facilitating the navigation of adoption barriers, capitalizing on enablers, and unlocking AI’s potential to reshape project management practices across industries.

This paper presents a systematic literature review of the impact of emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and gamification on student engagement, learning outcomes, and employability in Built Environment (BE) education. This review covers studies conducted between 2013 and 2023, utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework. From an initial pool of 626 studies, 61 were identified and rigorously analyzed. The findings reveal that these technologies significantly enhance student engagement by providing immersive and interactive learning experiences that bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Furthermore, their use is shown to improve learning outcomes by facilitating a deeper understanding of complex concepts and increasing student motivation. In terms of employability, the integration of digital tools into BE education equips students with the requisite skills that are increasingly demanded in the modern workplace. However, the study also identifies several challenges, including high costs, limited resources, and the need for extensive faculty training, which act as barriers to the effective implementation of these technologies. Despite these challenges, this review underscores the transformative potential of digital technologies in BE education. This study is significant as it synthesizes recent evidence to highlight the critical role of digital technologies in reshaping BE education. It offers practical recommendations for educators and policymakers to enhance teaching and learning practices. Providing pathways for integrating these technologies into BE curricula, this study aims to inform future research and pedagogical strategies, ultimately contributing to the development of a highly skilled and adaptable workforce.

Despite substantial investments and efforts by governments, construction organisations, and researchers, the construction industry remains one of the most male-dominated industries in Australia, with women being underrepresented numerically and hierarchically. Efforts to attract and retain women in construction have been implemented inconsistently on an ad hoc basis. As part of a larger research project that focuses on retaining women in the Australian construction industry, this research conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The objective is to explore the factors that influence women’s careers and their experiences in the Australian construction industry that have been identified in the literature over the past three decades. Additionally, the findings are anticipated to inform future efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of current initiatives to retain women and develop a framework for enhancing women’s experiences and retaining them in this profession. This SLR revealed that excessive and rigid work hours, gendered culture and informal rules, limited career development opportunities, and negative perceptions of women’s abilities are the main factors and issues that cause women to leave the industry. Among these, rigid and long work hours seem to be the foremost factor to be prioritised. Understanding the roles of key variables in driving this cultural change is important to ensure that concrete progress is made. The paper draws three major aspects from the literature in which solutions and policies can be researched, designed and implemented.

Common sense suggests that organisations are more likely to deliver successful projects if they have systems in place that reflect a mature project environment based on a culture of continuous improvement. This paper develops and discusses a Management Maturity Model (MMM) to assess the maturity of project management organisations through a customisable, systematic, strategic and practical methodology inspired from the seminal work of Darwin, Deming, Drucker and Daniel. The model presented is relevant to organisations, such as construction and engineering companies, that prefer to use the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK™ Guide) published by the Project Management Institute (PMI), but without the disadvantages of excessive time and cost commitments and a ‘one size fits all’ approach linked to rigid increments of maturity. It offers a game-changing advance in the application of project-based organisational performance assessment compared to existing market solutions that are unnecessarily complex. The feasibility of MMM is field-tested using a medium-sized data centre infrastructure firm in Tehran.

Purpose: This research explores how digital technologies can improve the environmental (E), social (S) and governance (G) performance of infrastructure projects. Design/methodology/approach: Grounded in the dynamic capability view (DCV), this study adopted an exploratory qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with infrastructure professionals experienced in digital transformation and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). An inductive thematic analysis was applied to derive insights directly from the data. To interpret and refine the emerging themes in relation to DCV, the research employed an abductive logic through a process of systematic combining allowing theory and empirical data to iteratively inform each other. Findings: The results revealed that digital transformation improves ESG performance through informed decision making using real-time data, reduces time consumption in manual data processing, enhances system complexities and facilitates local and global standardization of ESG performance. Furthermore, digital technologies have far-reaching impacts on data collection, structuring, reporting and transparency. Environmental (E), social (S) and governance (G) elements of ESG can significantly be promoted using advanced technologies. The drivers and challenges associated with the adoption of digital technologies to improve ESG performance of infrastructure projects are also highlighted. Practical implications: The findings of this research offer valuable insights to infrastructure professionals aiming to improve ESG performance to achieve net-zero targets, promote sustainable investment and enhance competitive advantages by adopting digital transformation in the era of digital economy. Originality/value: There is dearth of empirical studies focusing on qualitative research methods that explore the use of digital technologies to advance the performance of infrastructure projects within the framework of ESG.

Successful subway construction projects involve many socio-economic, cultural and environmental challenges. These projects enhance public convenience, and are complex and uncertain, involving multiple governmental organizations. The critical success factors (CSFs) of these projects have been identified and prioritized from a main contractors’ perspective, to enable project managers to prioritize their efforts and concerns. This study sheds light on CSFs in subway construction projects and contributes to the project delivery success literature with an overarching focus on the contractors' perspectives. Our investigation revealed that, for subway construction projects in Iran, goal setting through clear and realistic project goals, project management competency, competent project team, good cultural fit, top management support and adequate funding throughout the project are the top-ranking CSFs. An extensive body of literature is reviewed, and 140 potential success factors are identified. Then, a focus group has been conducted in which the potential CSFs reduced to 39 success factors. The priorities and ranking of the success factors were evaluated according to the views of 63 project managers of subway projects. The correlation coefficients analysis was used to analyze the results, and it revealed that 23 success factors such as goal setting, top management support and PM competency were perceived to be critical by the respondents. No other research has, until now, found the critical factors leading to success in subway construction industry in Iran. The results have been verified against other research done in other countries.