A Systematic Classification and Evaluation of Automated Progress Monitoring Technologies in Construction

Progress monitoring is one of the essential tasks while executing a construction project. Effective monitoring will lead to an accurate and timely analysis of the project's progress which is required to make vital decisions for project control. On the other hand, inefficient and delayed updates regarding the project's progress, which is estimated by comparing the as-built status with the as-planned status, will lead to time and cost overruns. Automated progress monitoring techniques are preferred over the conventional manual data entry method as the latter is time-consuming and complex, especially if the project scope is vast. Numerous tools and technologies are being used for progress monitoring of construction projects. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically classify and evaluate them based on their advantages and limitations for successful and appropriate implementation. Hence, this article identifies several progress monitoring methods and classifies them based on the technology they use to support progress monitoring. Then they are evaluated by highlighting their advantages and limitations. Several qualitative and quantitative factors affecting the selection of these technologies for implementation have also been identified. In future, a framework for objectively identifying the project-specific technology will be developed.