Bridging Governance Gaps in Construction through Integrated Management and Emerging Technologies

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4108/dtip.13033

Keywords:

Construction Project Management, Emerging Technologies, Organizational Governance

Abstract

 INTRODUCTION: Digital transformation pressures are reshaping construction governance in the construction sector, as emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) analytics and on-site Augmented Reality (AR) visualization tools increasingly complement traditional project management practices.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to diagnose governance gaps in a Portuguese construction firm, propose a Project Management Office (PMO) supported by Earned Value Management (EVM) and a structured lessons-learned system, and outline how AI-based forecasting and AR-based job-site visualization could be integrated into this governance framework.

METHODS: A mixed-methods case study conducted within a construction company employed document analysis, employee surveys, and semi-structured interviews to map existing processes and identify inefficiencies in budgeting, procurement, and interdepartmental coordination.

RESULTS: The analysis identified inconsistent cost tracking, limited schedule visibility, and ad hoc knowledge capture as key areas of concern. The proposed PMO framework standardizes workflows, the EVM module provides real-time performance metrics, and the lessons-learned repository institutionalizes continuous improvement. The findings also support the feasibility of future integration of AI-driven variance prediction and AR-based progress visualizations.

CONCLUSION: By integrating established governance practices with a clear pathway toward AI and AR augmentation, this study provides an adaptable framework for construction firms seeking to enhance collaboration, optimize resource utilization, and prepare for the next phase of digital transformation.

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Author Biographies

  • Anabela Tereso, University of Minho

    Anabela Tereso has a degree in Systems Engineering and Informatics, a Master's in Informatics, and a PhD in Production and Systems. She is an Assistant Professor with Habilitation in the Production and Systems Department and a researcher at the ALGORITMI Research Center at the University of Minho (Portugal). She was responsible for creating the Master in Engineering Project Management and has been on its board since its creation. Her research interests are project management, project scheduling, resource allocation, risk management, decision analysis, and its applications. She is the author of more than 150 articles, having supervised over 100 M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses and participated in several research projects. She is currently the coordinator of the Portuguese Project Management Observatory, an initiative of APOGEP (Portuguese Association of Project Management). She is certified in Project Management by IPMA (IPMA-D) and PMI (PMP).

  • João Pedro Couto, University of Minho

    João Pedro Couto (PhD, MSc, and Licentiate Civil Engineer) is Assistant Professor at the Civil Engineering Department, School of Engineering, of the University of Minho and member of the research centre – Centre for Territory, Environment and Construction. He has lectured various undergraduate and master courses in construction management at the Civil Engineering Department, Production Department and Architecture Department of the University over the last 25 years, has supervised 70 master and PhD thesis, and published more than 160 conference papers, journal articles, books and book chapters. Over the last few years, he has been involved in several Projects related to construction management and his current research interests include construction safety management, buildings refurbishment, environmental management at construction sites, construction and demolition waste management and the building economics focused on productivity and economical analysis of construction resources. Recently, their research activities have also focused on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and other emerging technologies that support the digitalization of construction, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).

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Published

06-10-2026

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026): EAI Endorsed Transactions on Digital Transformation of Industrial Processes

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 José Ribeiro, Anabela Tereso, João Pedro Couto

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, which permits copying, redistributing, remixing, transformation, and building upon the material in any medium so long as the original work is properly cited.

How to Cite

1.
Ribeiro J, Tereso A, Couto JP. Bridging Governance Gaps in Construction through Integrated Management and Emerging Technologies. EAI Endorsed Digi Trans Ind Pros [Internet]. 2026 Oct. 6 [cited 2026 Oct. 7];2(2). Available from: https://publications.eai.eu/index.php/dtip/article/view/13033