A path with no obstacles leads to nowhere: An FCM based modelling of consequences of obstacles on BIM application in architectural design

Abstract

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has revolutionized construction, yet its success in the architectural design phase remains hindered by interrelated obstacles. Using Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) and expert input from a large-scale commercial project in Iran, this study models the causal relationships among 23 obstacles, 10 intermediate consequences, and the triple constraint (time, cost, quality Drawing on expert knowledge from a large-scale commercial project in Iran, static (max-min path analysis) and dynamic (iterative activation until equilibrium) analyses were performed. Key findings reveal that ‘lack of teamwork mentality’ (E4) consistently emerges as the most critical intermediate consequence across all scenarios (final activation 0.58–0.65). Environmental obstacles exert the strongest negative influence on project cost (0.65) and time (0.63), while human-related barriers — particularly lack of compatible standards and guarantees for smaller projects — dominate in the real-case validation. Scenario simulations demonstrate that activating environmental obstacles produces the highest equilibrium values on the triple constraint, whereas organizational and human obstacles most strongly amplify reduced productivity and lack of teamwork mentality. The resulting FCM provides a quantifiable, decision-support framework for prioritizing mitigation strategies in BIM implementation during architectural design. These insights advance understanding of obstacle propagation dynamics and offer actionable guidance for practitioners and policymakers in developing and emerging construction markets.