From Strategy to Practice: Implementing Digital Ways of Working in Large Contracting Firms

Research Project, 2026 – 2028

Construction firms are investing heavily in digital platforms to connect project processes, stakeholders, and project members through shared digital ecosystems. The goal is to work with real-time project data, reduce fragmentation, and improve collaboration, efficiency, and profitability. Yet in practice, turning digital strategies into everyday routines remains a major challenge due to horizontal and vertical misalignments inherent in the project-based organisation of the sector. This prospective project investigates how new work processes, based on the use of connected digital project data, are introduced and implemented in ongoing construction projects, focusing on production and site-level operations. The empirical data consists of in-depth case studies of Sweden’s two largest contractors— NCC, implementing the digital platform StreamBIM, and PEAB, implementing Dalux—both aiming for uninterrupted use of digital data between design and construction to better manage production processes. It should be noted that the research does not focus on technical comparisons, but rather on how digital strategies are put into practice in each organisational setting and what can be learned from their similarities and differences. The findings will provide construction firms with practical insights on turning digitalisation strategies into action on site and in production environments, and plan and execute digitalisation more effectively in real project settings.