Critical success factors for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) technology implementation in the Turkish construction industry

Abstract

The construction sector is known for its highly fragmented, project-based, and complex nature. Besides, resistance to new technology adoption in construction projects worldwide, mainly in developing countries, is considered a main cause behind productivity problems. Hence, integrating drone technology, known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to construction management tasks can solve this issue. From this point, this study aims to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) leading to the successful integration of drone technology in the Turkish construction industry. After conducting a comprehensive literature review, a list of 28 CSFs was obtained. A questionnaire survey was prepared and administered to both public and private sectors to collect data using a 1-5 Likert Scale. Ninety-two respondents provided valid responses out of 313 sent questionnaire forms. Then, the relative importance of the 28 CSFs for drone technology implementation was investigated. Statistical analysis results show that the three most important factors are (1) effective leadership and top management support, (2) proved effectiveness of the technology, and (3) organization's innovation culture and flexibility. Also, “Factor analysis” was used to determine the underlying categories for the CSFs. Results indicate that the underlying five factor groups for the 28 CSFs are UAV and technology characteristics, organizational characteristics, project teams characteristics, market-related factors, and legal and environmental factors. Research findings are expected to assist construction practitioners by identifying the focus points for a successful technology adoption. The study provides guidelines helping drone pilots, managers, contractors, consultants, and owners to effectively employ drone technology in construction projects. It constitutes a groundwork for further research.