A Customized Business Intelligence Dashboard Utilizing Building Information Modeling for Better Control and Management of Construction Projects

Abstract

The construction sector is one of the primary areas that underpin a country’s economic development. However, this sector is characterized by various types of obstacles, including the participation of numerous stakeholders, strict schedules, limited resources, and the management of vast amounts of data throughout the project lifecycle. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as a promising technology for centralizing and managing construction data throughout the project lifecycle. However, having the ability to extract real-time, decision-oriented insights from BIM models remains a challenge for project stakeholders. To address this limitation, this research paper explores the integration of BIM with Business Intelligence (BI) to enhance control and management of construction projects throughout the development of a customized Power BI dashboard. The proposed framework of the paper utilizes BIM’s data-rich environment and Power BI’s advanced analytical and visualization capabilities to deliver real-time and interactive insights about project performance and progress. The customized dashboard enables stakeholders, especially project managers, to monitor key performance indicators of the project that are related to cost and schedule. It also supports progress tracking, early identification of inefficiencies, and data-driven decision-making. To demonstrate the practical application of the proposed framework, a case study was conducted. The results indicate that integrating BIM with BI helps in enhancing project control, improving transparency, and facilitating collaboration between stakeholders through a centralized cloud platform that can be easily accessed through desktop and mobile devices.