Supply chain visibility (SCV) is essential for coordination, responsiveness and resilience in industrial construction projects. Despite its importance, SCV remains limited due to a range of barriers that are insufficiently examined within the construction industry context. This study aims to identify, evaluate, and categorize the barriers that hinder SCV in industrial construction projects.
A multi-phase methodology was adopted, involving a literature review, structured workshops with industry experts and a large-scale survey targeting the main stakeholders, including owners, contractors, designers and suppliers. The barriers were first refined through expert input, then evaluated using relative importance index (RII) analysis. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was subsequently applied to uncover the underlying dimensions underpinning these barriers.
Twelve barriers to SCV were identified, with incompatibility of information technology (IT) systems, material data not in IT systems, organizational structure constraints, the size and complexity of the supply chain and lack of awareness of information sharing benefits emerging as the top-ranked barriers. Rankings differ by stakeholder role, emphasizing the need for targeted, role-specific interventions. EFA yielded three latent dimensions: relational and institutional barriers, technological and infrastructure barriers and organizational structure and awareness barriers, providing a structured framework to guide future interventions.
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study offers one of the first stakeholder-informed assessments of SCV barriers in industrial construction. The research provides a three-factor framework and guidance to improve SCV and supply chain performance.
