Abstract
Over the past many years, the construction industry has demonstrated
reluctance to embrace change towards its conventional ways of doing business. With an economic
force generated by a technology moving as rapidly as that of the computer, change is
inevitable. Hence, there is a need to identify measures that need to be considered for
the effective implementation of Building information modelling (BIM) and Enterprise resource
planning (ERP), two construction software's that are meant to help
with timely delivery of construction projects. Therefore, this paper investigates the critical
success factors that should be considered for the successful implementation of an
integrated BIM and ERP systems in the South African construction industry. The
investigation was done by identifying from literature factors which are considered critical for
the successful implementation of these software's. Thereafter, the identified factors were
further confirmed through a quantitative survey conducted amongst professionals working in
private sector construction firms engaged in projects ranging from building to civil
engineering projects in the South African construction industry. Selected findings reveal that
the factors regarded as critical for the successful implementation of a BIM and ERP hybrid
include a competent implementation team, sufficient support from top management,
infrastructure availability, and competent staff training and human resource among others.
Although the findings are based on the perceptions of construction professionals in
the South African construction -particularly the Gauteng Province, but the findings supports
the knowledge regarding the successful implementation of an integrated BIM and ERP
system in the South African construction industry.