Systematic Review of Barriers to Standard Method of Measurement Adoption

Abstract

Failure to adopt the standard method of measurement (SMM) affects the uniform preparation of the bill of quantities during construction works. This is based on past and current analyzes of the standard measurement method, with a focus on project construction issues. Nevertheless, various obstacles and difficulties have delayed the implementation of the standard measurement method. The need to study existing knowledge about the barriers to SMM adoption has been given little attention. This paper offers a systematic review of the literature on barriers to SMM adoption, published in academic journals. Following the guideline on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), a systematic review was undertaken to evaluate the limitations in the 2000 to 2019 use of a standard measurement method in the Scopus and Google Scholar databases. It was found that the biggest challenge in SMM adoption was resistance or unwillingness to change the current procedure. The lack of information, experience awareness training and skills that influenced the measurement did not help updating the new technologies, construction methods and new materials that occurred. The most widely reported challenges in the literature were no regulatory and legislative body to reflect different uses of the measurement method and different local standard and international standard measurement methods. This study provided the construction practitioners and scholars with a valuable guide to incorporate the SMM in construction projects. Additionally, an established checklist of SMM barriers may be useful for further empirical study in this paper.