Purpose: The adoption of robotics and automation (R&A) within the construction industry has been adjudged as slow, despite the possibility of it reducing the high risk posed on health and safety of humans by the activities of the industry. The call for research and development in this area of technology to improve its adoption in the delivery of construction projects is evident in past studies. Thus, this paper aims to conduct a review of R&A in construction-related fields with a view to revealing the area of focus of past studies.Design/methodology/approach: A bibliometric approach was adopted for this study, and data used were gathered from the Scopus database. Keywords such as “robotics”, “automation” and “construction” were used to extract papers from the database. VOSviewer was used to prepare a co-authorship and co-occurrence map based on the bibliographic data gathered.Findings: The findings revealed that focus is placed on construction automation, industrial robots and application, robots’ systems and designs, robotics in earthworks, and robots’ control and information system. Furthermore, currently, research focus in this area is tending towards a more digitalised application of R&A especially in the areas of 3D manufacturing.Research limitations/implications: The findings of this study are limited due to the use of a single database.Practical implications: Despite its limitations, the findings open a knowledge gap that can be explored in developing countries particularly in Africa to improve construction delivery in the continent through R&A.Originality/value: The study adopted the bibliometric approach in mapping out research focus in R&A – an aspect of digital technology that has not been given considerable attention in recent bibliometric and scientometric studies.

Purpose: This study presents a fuzzy synthetic evaluation of the challenges of smart city realisation in developing countries, using Nigeria as a case study. By defining and delineating the problems faced by the country, more viable directions to attaining smart city development can be achieved.Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a post-positivist philosophical stance with a deductive approach. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from built environment professionals involved in the delivery of Nigerian public infrastructures. Six dimensions of the challenges of smart cities were identified from literature and explored. They are governance, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal issues. Data gathered were analysed using Cronbach alpha test for reliability, Shapiro-Wilks test for normality, Kruskal-Wallis H-test for consistency and fuzzy synthetic evaluation test for the synthetic evaluation of the challenges of smart city attainment.Findings: The findings revealed that all six assessed dimensions have a significant impact on the attainment of smart cities in Nigeria. More specifically, issues relating to environmental, technological, social and legal challenges are more prominent.Originality/value: The fuzzy synthetic approach adopted provides a clear, practical insight on the issues that need to be addressed before the smart city development can be attained within developing countries.

Purpose: The construction organisations in developing countries are lagging in digital technology usage; hence, they are still characterised by poor project delivery and technological backwardness. To checkmate this problem, partnering with other organisations was proposed, while critical factors needed for successful digital partnering of construction organisations were assessed.Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a qualitative research approach. Delphi method was used to get experts' opinion on some identified factors necessary for successful digital partnering. The experts for the study were selected using defined criteria, and a combination of interquartile deviation, Kendall's coefficient of concordance and chi-square was used to achieve robust consensus among respondents. Mann–Whitney U test was also used to ascertain the difference in perception of experts.Findings: The findings revealed trust in digital partners, top management support and digital partner selection as the three key success factors for partnering. Other factors that can be considered alongside these main factors are the creation of a common goal, a long-term commitment, effective communication, proper conflict resolution and structured as well as continuous digital training, workshops and meetings.Practical implications: Instead of going through the digitalisation journey alone, construction organisations, particularly in a developing country like South Africa, stand a better chance of surviving the dynamic construction and digital environment by partnering with other organisations within and outside the industry. Carefully selecting the right partner, trusting in their capability and ensuring constant commitment is necessary for the success of the process.Originality/value: The value of this study lies in its ability to showcase the critical success factors needed for effective digital partnering, an aspect that lacks adequate consideration in the digitalisation of construction industry discourse.

In the quest to promote constant value for money, value management (VM) has been proposed and adopted within the construction industry of countries across the world. To improve the VM process for a more effective outcome, pervasive digital technologies can be employed throughout a project and in the VM process. However, developing countries like South Africa are still lagging in using these emerging technologies. Therefore, this study assessed the digital technologies that can improve the VM process and the barriers hindering their usage within the construction industry. The study adopted a postpositivism philosophical stance with a questionnaire used to gather quantitative data from construction professionals that have participated in VM exercises within the South African construction industry. The data gathered were analysed using mean item score, standard deviation, the Kruskal-Wallis H-test, multiple linear regression and exploratory factor analysis. The study found with high predictive accuracy that digital technologies such as computer-based software, BIM, mobile devices, electronic meeting tools, cloud computing, augmented and virtual realities will significantly impact the overall success of VM practices. Furthermore, the barriers to the effective deployment of these technologies in the VM process can be categorised into (1) cost and awareness, (2) complexities of the VM and digital tools, (3) the construction industry’s digital culture, and (4) the availability of technology and expertise. This study provides a theoretical backdrop for future studies exploring the use of digital technologies for VM practices—an aspect that has not gained significant attention in VM discourse in the construction industry.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the barriers to the adoption of value management (VM) in the construction industry of developing countries with a view to providing possible measures in avoiding these barriers and increasing the usage of the system within the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach: The level of knowledge and adoption of VM practices, as well as the barriers to its adoption in the construction industry were assessed through a survey design. Construction professionals were sampled from the six geo-political zones in Nigeria through the use of a structured questionnaire. Factor analysis was conducted on data gathered on the barriers of VM. Findings: The study revealed a moderate level of knowledge of VM among construction professionals. This implies that the problem of VM is not that of awareness, but readiness to adopt the system. The study also reveals that the barriers to the adoption of VM can be categorised under the general stakeholder’s barriers, training and education barriers, client barriers and government/top management barriers. Practical implications: This study was conducted across the six geo-political zones of the country as against common practice of selecting a particular region or states to represent the entire country. The findings therefore show a true reflection of the barriers to VM adoption in the country and its recommendations can to a large extent promote the adoption of VM in the country and also other developing countries where construction projects are executed through similar method, style and approach. Originality/value: This paper highlights the possible barriers to the adoption of VM in Nigeria construction industry and provides ways to avoiding these barriers in order to achieve better quality construction and value for money.

Modular construction has been identified as a major part of the continuous improvement being experienced in site procedures and construction processes globally. Few construction projects are being executed using modular building components in developing countries. This study is aimed at assessing the challenges to the implementation of the modular method of construction (MMC) with a focus on developing countries using two major states in Nigeria as a case study. A quantitative research approach was adopted with the design of a questionnaire survey. The study engaged construction professionals such as Quantity Surveyors, Architects, Engineers, Builders and Project Managers in Nigeria. Data retrieved were analysed using percentile, mean item score, Kruskal-Wallis H-Test as well as exploratory factor analysis. The findings showed that construction practitioners are faced with the challenge of finding a compromise between the cost of the project and the value obtainable by using MMC. The challenges were further classified into construction industry practices, client concerns and site characteristics. Practically, the study revealed the need for the proper enlightenment of both construction practitioners and clients with regards to the inherent value of the MMC. This involves the inclusion of MMC requirements in the client’s information requirement for the construction project, the tender pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ), and the contractor’s technical method statement for the construction project. Theoretically, the study serves as a good foundation for future research seeking to explore the use of MMC in developing countries. The study will assist construction organisations as well as the industry at large in shaping their policies to accommodate the use of innovative methods of construction by understanding the challenges that might hinder its effective implementation.