Industry perspective on prioritising construction tasks for digitalisation and grass root demand analysis of technologies

Construction is the second least digitalised sector globally, affecting its performance and productivity. In NSW, Australia, the sector is dominated by micro-SMEs, which exacerbates digital adoption. Thus, there is a critical need for an effective mechanism to initiate this transition. This research aims to (a) evaluate the construction tasks that are prioritised for digitalisation and (b) conduct a grassroots demand analysis of technologies. To fulfil the first objective, a questionnaire survey was conducted at a roundtable event with 72 industry participants and academics from various disciplines, resulting in 30 responses and a response rate of 42%. The questionnaire included 39 key tasks spanning from the planning to commissioning phases of construction projects. Respondents were asked to rank these tasks on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the importance of digitalisation, where 1 denotes the least important and 5 denotes the most important. To fulfil the second objective, respondents were asked to mention the software they predominantly use to accomplish the above-mentioned construction task in their job role. The survey findings indicate that the construction tasks in the design phase of a construction project should be prioritised for digitalisation. Among the 39 key tasks, project estimating and budgeting, developing technical designs, tendering, document management, and monitoring building performance were identified as top priorities for digitalisation. In terms of technologies, cloud computing, BIM and AI are identified as trending technologies. The study's findings will be used to develop a digitalisation policy framework for the construction industry in NSW, Australia.