Critical risks associated with BIM adoption: A case of Singapore

In the recent years, building information modelling (BIM) has attracted worldwide attention from both academics and industry practitioners. Although there have been well-recognized benefits from the BIM adoption, the potential risks associated with BIM adoption should not be ignored. The objective of this study is to assess the potential risks in the BIM adoption in Singapore. To achieve the objective, a total of 16 risks were identified through a literature review, and a questionnaire survey was conducted with 36 industry practitioners. The magnitude of impact, likelihood of occurrence, and criticality of risks were analysed. The results indicated that the risk criticality scores ranged from 2.89 to 3.68, and that “lack of competency or expertise in using BIM” was the most critical risks associated with BIM adoption, followed by “cost overrun with BIM” and “lack of collaboration among project participants”. With respect to the impact, “lack of competency or expertise in using BIM” also received the top position. In terms of the likelihood of occurrence, “cultural resistance” was ranked top. The identification of the critical risks contributes to a better risk awareness in the organizations that were adopting BIM, and enables the industry practitioners to develop appropriate risk response measures.