Lean construction and BIM in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in construction: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Lean construction (LC) and building information modeling (BIM) are two of the prominent concepts challenging the traditional practices in construction management. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often constitute the largest group in construction supply chains. Increasing BIM and LC adoption amongst SMEs is a key condition for achieving the transformation of the construction industry through BIM and LC. The paper presents a systematic literature review of the adoption of (i) LC, (ii) BIM, and (iii) both LC and BIM in SMEs to evaluate the current literature, and 114 papers were included in the review. The bibliographic and content characteristics of the literature were discussed in detail. It was found that despite the importance of SMEs, the current LC and BIM literature falls short in terms of both number of publications and content of publications. The paper concludes with some generic suggestions for future research and action.