Exploring the critical success factors of offsite construction in Turkey

Abstract

Offsite construction method consists of well-established techniques, which can enhance the construction industry by transferring some portion of onsite work to fabrication shops. However, its application in the Turkish industry limited. Offsite construction method has been faced with different challenges and a number of factors have different effects on the successful application of offsite construction. A limited number of studies focus on to determine critical success factors in order to enable wider use of offsite construction in Turkey. This paper aims to examine the CSFs for successfully implementing the offsite construction method. A total of 14 CSFs determined through literature review, in-depth interview and pilot studies with experts. A questionnaire survey was conducted in order to determine the level of significance of these factors in Turkey. CSFs were grouped for pairwise comparison using AHP. In the first stage of AHP, the factor groups were compared in pairs and their weights were calculated. Factor groups in descending order of significance were determined as (1) leadership, (2) technical, (3) resources, (4) regulatory, (5) process. The second stage of AHP involved the pairwise comparison of factors within the factor groups. Global weights of CSFs were obtained by multiplying the weights obtained through these two stages and 14 CSFs were compared accordingly. First five most significant CSFs were determined as: (1) project managers’ problem solving ability, (2) contractors leadership & experience, (3) effective information sharing, (4) skilled labor availability, (5) the maturity of techniques & technologies used. This contribution provides an insight into the construction industry in Turkey for further deployment of offsite construction methods in the construction market.