Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Ain Shams Engineering Journal

journal homepage: www.sciencedirect.com

Civil Engineering

Identification of critical success factors for the adoption of Industrialized

Building System (IBS) in Malaysian construction industry
Syed Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul ⇑, Syed Ammad, Muhammad Altaf, Abdul Hannan Qureshi
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University Technology Petronas, Bandar Seri Iskandar, 32610 Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: As the global population continues to grow, efficient construction methods without compromising pro-
Received 21 April 2021 ject quality are needed. This study identified the critical success factors (CSFs) required for adoption of
Revised 5 June 2021 Industrialized Building System (IBS) in Malaysian construction industry (MCI). Preliminary factors influ-
Accepted 18 June 2021
encing adoption of IBS from previous studies were contextually adjusted using pilot study. These factors
Available online 15 July 2021
were categorized into five areas: stakeholder understanding, resource availability, process management,
issues and perceptions, and future needs. Questionnaires were then administered to 314 IBS players
Keywords:
within MCI followed by data analysis methods. Relative Importance Index (RII) ranked increasing skilled
Industrialized Building System (IBS)
Critical Success Factors
labor, introducing renovation capabilities, and removing negative social perception as the main CSFs for
IBS Adoption adoption of IBS in MCI. The results of this study will be a guide for construction stakeholders to improve
Questionnaire Survey efficiency in construction by introducing IBS in MCI.
Ó 2021 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams Uni-
versity. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction One such system of interest is the Industrialized Building Sys-

Malaysia’s population is projected to reach 35 million by 2025
[1] resulting in an increased demand for construction. The Malay-
sian government’s most recent demographic data sets confirmed
an increase in Malaysian citizen population from 29.1 million in
2018 to 29.4 million in 2019 [2]. This rise in this population is
expected to increase construction demand in future [3]. However,
the Malaysian construction industry (MCI) is confronted with the
challenge of meeting rising residential demand [4]. According to
the Malaysian Department of Statistics [5], development in the
conventional construction sector dropped by 44.9 percent in the
second quarter of 2020, which contradicts the Malaysian govern-
ment’s goal to construct one million residences for its citizens
[6]. It is quite evident that the traditional approach of construction
can handle Malaysia’s residential crisis to a specific limit [7], and a
more efficient construction method is needed.
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: wesam.alaloul@utp.edu.my (W.S. Alaloul).
Peer review under responsibility of Ain Shams University.
Production and hosting by Elsevier
tem (IBS) [8]. The IBS is a construction method in which building
components are manufactured on-site/off-site under controlled
conditions before being assembled [9,10]. The IBS is known in
the construction industry for its industrially controlled efficiency,
rapid installation, waste reduction, cost optimization, and
energy-saving capability [11]. Globally, IBS construction is also
known as Prefabricated construction [12], Offsite construction
[13], and Modular construction [14].
Theoretically, the Malaysian government recognized the bene-
fits of IBS in construction, and founded the Construction Industry
Development Board Industrialized Building System (CIDB-IBS) as
a subsidiary of CIDB Malaysia to conduct research and invest in
IBS methods [15]. But practically, the uptake of IBS in the private
construction industry seems relatively slow in reference to the
one million construction units delivery by 2028 [6,16]. Since
2008, for all private-sector constructions in Malaysia, the projects
worth more than RM 50 million are to achieve a 50 per cent IBS
score, but recent report published in 2019 illustrate that only 35
percent of these projects achieved this goal for construction pro-
jects [17].
Based on the arguments produced by Malaysian government to
reduce its goal of one million residential units [6] and that con-
struction stakeholders are slow to adopt IBS [7], the study sets
out the following research question: What are the important
aspects to consider for the implementation of IBS in Malaysian

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2021.06.031
2090-4479/Ó 2021 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

Fig. 1. Construction Industry Development Board corporate structure and subsidiaries.

construction industry? Hence there is a need to assess this topic The CIDB’s IBS database provides significant data for construc-
which can be accomplished by quantitatively analyzing the per- tion stakeholders [30]. The database enables potential clients to
spectives of IBS players to adopt the IBS method in MCI [18]. Jason identify authorized public and private construction companies
Mandor identifies the objectivity and accuracy of using quantita- who have been using IBS guidelines in Malaysia’s various regions.
tive methods in research with few variables as the right approach Table 1 illustrates various IBS categories and corresponding num-
to uncovering insights about the perception of target audience ber of IBS Manufacturers and Suppliers associated with IBS con-
[19]. Raihan and Zuhairi are credited to be amongst the first few struction methods from the construction industry open data
researchers to identify these few variables in IBS adoption. More- made available from CIDB [31].
over, Faridah [20] and Nawi [21] consider these few variables as CIDB defines stakeholders connected to IBS as ‘‘IBS players” and
the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) necessary to be adopted for a has divided them into four categories, i.e. IBS Manufacturers and
successful IBS adoption in MCI [8,22]. Although modest efforts Suppliers, IBS Contractors, IBS Professionals, and IBS Installers.
have been produced to enhance IBS uptake but no significant Among these IBS players, the IBS contractors are further subdi-
recent updates on quantitative analysis are available for MCI. Con- vided into seven grades, i.e. G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, and G7. Table 2
sequently, this study responds to the recommendations made by illustrates the IBS players and their current numbers within Malay-
earlier studies to further investigate the issue of slow IBS adoption sia extracted from the IBS database.
progress in MCI [23-25]. This study is significant because it adds
valuable data gained from the IBS players working in MCI to the
body of knowledge. Whereas, the aim of this study is to identify Table 1
IBS categories and the corresponding number of IBS Manufacturers and Suppliers.
the CSFs of IBS adoption in MCI by using quantitative survey tech-
nique to help MCI establish a successful IBS adoption strategy. Category IBS Categories IBS Manufacturer/Supplier
A Precast Concrete System 96
(a) Precast 77
2. Literature review (b) Onsite 19
B Reusable Formwork System 36
C Metal Framing system 62
2.1. CIDB’s corporate structure and IBS classification
(a) Steel Structure 30
(b) Metal Root Truss 32
To comprehend the adoption of IBS in Malaysia, it is essential to D Timber Framing System 5
first understand the Construction Industry Development Board E Block Work System 39
(CIDB) as a governing body which regulates the structure of IBS (a) Solid Block 4
(b) Hollow Block 11
in Malaysia [27]. The Construction Industry Development Board (c) Interlocking Block 5
Holdings (CIDBH) is the CIDB’s wholly owned construction invest- (d) Light Weight Block (AAC) 6
ment subsidiary with an aim to recognize underutilized construc- (e) Light Weight Block (CLC) 13
tion opportunities. CIDBH is further subdivided into three zones: F Innovative System 66
(a) Total IBS Players 304
Construction Industry Development Board Industrialized Building
System (CIDB-IBS), Akademi Binan Malaysia (ABM), and the Con-
struction Industry Development Board Technologies (CIDB-TECH).
The CIDBH wholly owns CIDB-IBS, which aims to become a leading Table 2
player in MCI for prefabricated construction. Similar to CIDB-IBS as Classification of IBS players and their numbers in Malaysia.
a subsidiary ABM and CIDB-TECH deal with training CIDB stake-
Category IBS Player Total No
holders, and non-destructive testing, welding, and blasting paint-
A IBS Professionals 881
ing operations respectively. Construction Labour Exchange
B IBS Contractors 12,031
(CLAB), CIDB E-Construct (CIDBEC), and the Construction Research (a) G1 3216
Institute of Malaysia (CREAM) are also subsidiaries of CIDB Malay- (b) G2 1583
sia. The CLAB supports both local and international employees in (c) G3 840
finding jobs in MCI. The CIDBEC works to develop information (d) G4 949
(e) G5 1319
technology and connectivity for the construction industry on a (f) G6 763
national and international scale [28]. CREAM is concerned with (g) G7 3361
overall project preparation, execution, and management, as well C IBS Manufacturers/Suppliers 304
as project research and development [29]. Fig. 1 depicts the CIDB D IBS Installers 10,498
Total 23,714
and its subsidiaries’ corporate flow.
2
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

2.2. Geographic locations of IBS players
Based on the open data made available by CIDB [31], there are
23,714 IBS players associated with the IBS construction methods
in Malaysia. This study used the CIDB database to identify the loca-
tions of these IBS players using the Geographic Information System
(GIS). Fig. 2 illustrates the Geo-Coded (Green Circles) IBS players
affiliated with CIDB whose locations are distributed across the var-
ious regions of Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur is the largest city for IBS investment and has the
most IBS players. With 36 IBS Contractors and 18 IBS Manufactur-
ers/Suppliers, Penang is ranked second in this category, with 54 IBS
Players; similarly, Johar Baru has 54 IBS Players. Ipoh is ranked
third in Malaysia in terms of the total number of IBS Players,
i.e. 45. Following these cities are Kota Kinabalu with 40 IBS Players,
Malacca City with 24 IBS Players, Alor Setar with 18 IBS Players,
Kuantan with 12 IBS Players, and Tawau and Sandacan with 3
IBS Players each. Table 3 illustrates the population of ten largest
cities in Malaysia by population and the corresponding number
of IBS players in each of these cities categorized into Contractors,
Manufacturers, and Suppliers [32].
With reference to Table 3 and by utilizing the GIS software, the
location of the four largest IBS player invested cities are mapped in
Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, the transparent red outlined circle centered in mid-

Fig. 2. GIS-based locations of the Malaysian IBS players extracted from the CIDB portal.

Table 3
Distribution of IBS players in ten most populated cities of Malaysia.

City Population Range IBS Players

Contractors Manufacturer/Suppliers Total
Kualalumpur 7,200,000 50 Km 378 504 882
Penang 2,412,616 50 Km 36 18 54
Ipoh 657,892 50 Km 30 15 45
Johor Baru 497,067 50 Km 15 39 54
Malacca City 484,855 50 Km 12 12 24
Kota Kinabalu 452,058 50 Km 20 20 40
Kuantan 427,515 50 Km 4 8 12
Alor Setar 405,523 50 Km 6 12 18
Tawau 397,673 50 Km 1 2 3
Sandakan 396,290 50 Km 1 2 3

PENANG IPOH KUALALUMPUR JOHOR BARU

54 IBS Players in 50 KM 45 IBS Players in 50 KM 882 IBS Players in 50 KM 54 IBS Players in 50 KM
Range Range Range Range
Fig. 3. Geolocation (GIS) for the four largest cities of Malaysia regarding IBS players’ locations.

3
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

dle of a city has a diameter of 50 KM. The identified cities are: Table 5
Penang, Ipoh, Kualalumpur, and Johor Baru. Green circles are fur- Preliminary list of IBS factors.

ther geo-located within the 50 KM red circle to represent geo- Factors Reference
graphic locations based on addresses available on the CIDB portal. Need of Skilled Labor [37]
More Knowledge Resources [38]
Updating Design Standards [39]
2.3. Preliminary success factors in IBS adoption: previous studies Increasing Manufacturing Supplies [40]
Higher Governmental Incentives [26]
Table 4 illustrates the critical success factors from previous Governmental Initiative Support [40]
studies with respect to the implementation of IBS in MCI. It has Design Phase Management [38]
Maintenance Methods [41]
been identified that higher number of incentives provided to the Renovation Capabilities [42]
IBS stakeholders privately or by the government can increase the Quality Management [25]
IBS manufacturers in Malaysia [15,26,33]. Most of the resources Stocks Control Ability [43]
are wasted in poor supply chain management and logistics man- Ease in Team Collaboration [44]
Innovative Customization [45]
agement, which are further elevated by inferior payment methods
Ease in Redesigning Process [24]
[15,26,33,34]. Even in today’s Malaysian construction era, tradi- Ease in Procurement System [46]
tional methods of construction continue to triumph over IBS meth- Design Integration [47]
ods, which are directly linked to a lack of awareness among Negative Social Perception [42]
construction stakeholders [33]. Setting optimized enforced mea- Fragmentation Issue [48]
Design Complications [49]
sures for IBS adoption in low to medium construction firms can Complex IBS Score Mechanism [34]
produce positive [33,35]. Increased collaboration can be produced Un-Controlled Carbon Emissions [22]
by the latest technology adoption [36], especially by the use of Fear of investment [42]
early decision systems in IBS construction methods which are envi- IBS Cost Measurement Platform [50]
IBS Time Measurement Platform [50]
ronmental friendly [15,34,35].
Integrated IBS Carbon Emission Measuring Tool [51-53]
Table 5 outlines the list of factors included in the questionnaire
survey based on previous research. Based on this list five distinct
groups were established discussed in further sections.
Descriptive Frequency (DF), and Relative Importance Index (RII).
DCM was applied to know the inter relationship of included vari-
3. Research methods ables, Mean and Standard Deviations helped to identify the varia-
tions from the data average, The respondents’ data frequency
As shown in Fig. 4, the data collection and analysis procedures selection was visually analyzed with the help of DF, whereas RII
were divided into four phases. In the first phase, the preliminary helped to rank and identify the importance of quality factors
factors were obtained. Then, in conjunction with the questionnaire involved in the study.
update, a pilot study was conducted to gain a better understand-
ing. Thirdly, a questionnaire survey was administered to the corre- 3.1. Questionnaire survey
sponding IBS players. Finally, data analysis was performed to
supplement the preliminary set of data collected with the perspec- Questionnaire is an instrument which incorporates a series of
tives of the respondents on the factors influencing IBS construction questions with a purpose to collect respondent-based information
needs. Four methods were used to examine the relationships [54]. The questionnaires can be in the form of a conducted inter-
among the obtained variables in the data analysis section: Demo- view or in the form of an online circulated document [55]. The
graphics Correlation Matrix (DCM), Mean and Standard Deviation, questionnaire has proved itself as an effective mean to measure

Table 4
Success factors for IBS’s implementation.

Study Title Survey Technique Success Factors References

Critical factors of implementing Industrialised Building System in Sarawak: A research on Interviews and Increase Incentive [26]
SMEs Questionnaire Increasing number of manufacturer
of prefabricated elements
Remove logistics problems
Better conventional payment
method
Identification of Critical Factors and Difficulties of Industrialised Building System (IBS) Interviews and Increase Awareness [33]
Formwork in the Malaysian Construction Industry Questionnaire Increase Skills and exposure to IBS
Increase Incentives and Promotion
Enforcement for Government Policy
Higher Manufacturing Capabilities
IBS survey 2010: Drivers, barriers and critical success factors in adopting Industrialised Interviews and Early Decision to Use IBS [15]
building system (IBS) construction by G7 contractors in Malaysia Questionnaire Site Logistic & Machineries
Increased Collaboration
Competent Workforce
Critical success factors for improving team integration in Industrialised Building System (IBS) Interviews and Transparent Collaboration [35]
construction projects: The Malaysian case Questionnaire Policy
Technology Adoption
Management Factors for Successful IBS Projects Implementation Interviews and Good Collaboration [20]
Questionnaire Management of Supply Chain and
Logistic
Environmental Friendly Methods

4
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

DATA ACQUISITION METHOD AIM OF METHOD

Preleminary variable acquision of the factors
Phase 1 Literature Review influencing the future needs of IBS
construcon projects.

Verificaon of the acquisioned variables

Phase 2 Pilot Study
completeness and modificaon.

Quesonnaire Verificaon of the acquisioned variables

Phase 3
Survey completeness and modificaon.

Phase 4 Assessing variable relaonships using methods

Data Analysis
of Deviaons, DCM, DF, and RII.

Fig. 4. Research methods included in study.

the preferences, attitudes, opinions, behaviour, and the intentions Table 6

of subjects under study. Most of the time a questionnaire can Classification of open and close-ended questions in the current study.

include closed and open-ended questions to collect the data, linked
to the qualitative and the quantitative data production [56].
According to Nelson et al. [57] closed-ended questions are ques-
tions structured in a way to allow only pre-planned answers based
on a classification matching the characteristics of the study. In the
closed-ended questions, the data can be placed within a classifica-
tion known as the Nominal Data [58]. The nominal data is limited
to as few as two options which may include, e.g. Yes or No or any
other lists of study suited alternatives that for respondent selection
[58]. The closed-ended questions also provide a ranked data which
is known as the Ordinal Data, often implemented in the form of a
continuous rating scale which measures the attitudes emotions or
for the selected participants [59]. As an example, the options may
include, i.e. Un-Familiar, Slightly Familiar, Moderately, Familiar,
Very Familiar, and Extremely Familiar.
Among many question design techniques within a question-
naire, one method is to implement a Likert Scale. The Likert Scale
questions within a questionnaire are a psychometric scale which
is commonly implied to rank the respondent experiences over a
well-defined set of variables or numbers [60]. For the current
research, the Likert Scale has been interchangeably implemented
with a rating scale.
3.1.1. Questionnaire structure and pilot survey
This study leveraged from the recommendations of Julian to test
the hypothesis using a questionnaire survey [61]. In the initial
research phase, a preliminary list of factors that influenced future
Section Title Open Ended Close Ended
A Demographics U U
B Respondent Preferences ✕ U
C Resource Availability ✕ U
D Process Management ✕ U
E Issues and Perceptions ✕ U
F Future Needs ✕ U
needs was identified, and this list of these preliminary concerns
was shared with the IBS practitioners. Interviews with multiple
project parties with more than 10 years of experience in the public
building sector, including on-site/offsite IBS supervisors and schol-
ars, were sought and coordinated. To receive instructions on the
factors influencing consistency from the experts, the question-
naires were self-administered. Surveys were also conducted during
the pilot study and useful feedback was obtained from the survey,
which was subsequently reflected in the main study.
The current study considers a mixed approach of closed and
open-ended questions within the circulated questionnaire. This
methodology is selected because the topics were already identified
from the predefined subjects based on the literature review priory
conducted. The questions within the questionnaire are spread
across six sections, i.e. Demographics, Respondent Preferences,
Resource Availability, Process Management, Issues and Percep-
tions, and Future Needs. Table 6 categorically illustrates the distri-
bution of open and close-ended questions within the circulated
questionnaire. Only the demographic section has been left open-
ended in the questionnaire. This is because the ‘‘Others” category

Table 7
Questionnaire questions and its subparts following the abbreviated Likert Scale pattern.

Question Subparts Likert Scale Abbreviations

a b c d e f g h i j
8 U U U U U U - - - - UF SF MF VF EF
9 U U U U U U – – – – UA IS MA SA AA
10 U U U U U U U U U U UA IS MA SA AA
11 U U U U U U – – – – FA SA NND DA FD
12 U U U – – – – – – – FA SA NND DA FD

5
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

was introduced to consider the missed public and private sector
respondents working profiles into consideration.
Table 7 illustrates the Question numbers and the associated
subparts linked to the Likert Scale abbreviations. For the eighth
question, five abbreviations are used on Likert Scale i.e. UF (Un-
Familiar), SF (Slightly Familiar), MF (Moderately Familiar), VF (Very
Familiar), EF (Extremely Familiar). For question nine and ten, the
abbreviations include are UA (Unavailable), IS (Insufficiently Avail-
able), MA (Moderately Available), SA (Sufficiently Available), and
AA (Abundantly Available). Whereas the question eleven and
twelve include following abbreviations, i.e. FA (Fully Agree), SA
(Slightly Agree), NND (Neither Agree nor Disagree), DA (Disagree),
FD (Fully Disagree).
The first part of the questionnaire is the Demographics, which
includes a total of seven questions related to the respondent’s level
of education, a position at the organization, the construction indus-
try experience within either Public, Private or Non-Governmental
Organization (NGO). The number of employees involved within
the respondent’s organization; the number of projects conducted
within the last three years ranging from none to above 20 projects.
Along with this, the demographics also include the respondent’s
organization’s work volume within the last three years in terms
of invested money ranging from less than 10 million ringgits to
greater than 50 million ringgits.
The second part of the questionnaire required a thorough
understanding of the various IBS categories as defined by CIDB.
This included the Precast Concrete System, Reusable Form Work
System, Timber Frame System, Steel Frame System, Blockwork Sys-
tem, and Innovative System.
The third part of the questionnaire included the options tailored
under the umbrella of Resource Availability. This section included
six sub-parts. This section was designed for the respondents to select
the correct level of their agreement with respect to the resource avail-
ability for the statements tailored with respect to the Industrialized
Building System within the Malaysian construction industry.
The fourth section included ten sub Parts titled under Process
Management, i.e. Design Phase Management, Maintenance Meth-
ods, Renovation Capabilities, Quality Management, Stocks Control-
lability, Ease in Team Collaboration, Innovative Customization,
Ease in Redesigning Process, Ease in Procurement System, and
Design Integration. In this section, the respondents must choose
from among the five possible variations of the options available,
i.e. Unavailable, Insufficiently Available Moderately Available, Suf-
ficiently Available, and Abundantly Available.
The fifth section in the questionnaire was titled as the Issues
and Perception, which was further subcategorized into six cate-
gories. The respondent in this section had to assess the issues
and perceptions that have highly influenced the Industrialized
Building System construction’s adoption in the Malaysian con-
struction industry within the recent years based on their experi-
ence. The various subparts included under this title include the
Negative Social Perception, Fragmentation Issue, Design
Complications, Complex IBS Score Mechanism, Uncontrolled Car-
bon Emissions, and Fear of Investment. The respondents in this
section had to select one of the five categories, i.e. Fully Agree,
Slightly Agree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Disagree, and Fully
Disagree.
The last section of the questionnaire was titled as the Future
Needs in which the respondent had to choose his/her own opinion
with respect to the essential parameters for the future develop-
ment of IBS construction and adoption strategy. The subparts in
this section included the IBS Cost Measurement Platform, IBS Time
Measurement Platform, and Integrated IBS Carbon Emission Mea-
surement Platform The respondent in this section had to either
Fully Agree, Slightly Agree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Disagree,
or Fully Disagree to the selections.
3.1.2. Questionnaire assessment
Once the initial questionnaire design was drafted, the Question
Understanding Aid (QUAID) Tool was used to identify the potential
problems that the respondents might face while comprehending
the meaning of questionnaire questions. The QUAID Tool picked
up the problems in the questions related to vague/ unfamiliar
terms, ambiguous phrases, and syntax complexity [62]. QUAID tool
is a questionnaire assessment tool developed by the University of
Memphis to identify different aspects of questionnaire questions
which may be peculiar to some of the participants [63]. With the
help of the QUAID tool, any terms which were technically unfamil-
iar, vague, relatively imprecise, or ambiguous to most of the popu-
lation were identified early in the questionnaire design. Alongside
all sentences having repetitive noun phrases along with complex
syntaxes were also identified via a prebuilt algorithm within the
questionnaire aid tool. The summary of assessment has been pro-
duced in in Table 8.
During the study, it was observed that the QUAID Tool was unable
to recognize the abbreviations, i.e. IBS etc. For this reason, if the
QUAID Tool displayed Unfamiliar Technical Terms error for already
defined terms. Thus, this error was mutually ignored by the authors.
It was also noted that the QUAID Tool did not recognize the country
names, i.e. Malaysian; hence this error was also ignored.
3.1.3. Sample size
In a research, any number of participants incorporated by a
study is referred to as the research sample size [64]. The sample
size is mostly represented by the alphabet ‘n’. There are two main
statistical properties that are influenced by the sample size, i.e.
conclusive output made by research, and precision level of the esti-
mates [54]. There are many methods to calculate the sample size
for a given population. Among many formulas to calculate the sam-
ple size, Yamane proposed a simplified formula to calculate the
sample size for a given set of the population [64]. An assumption
of 95% confidence level and a ‘P’ value of 0.5 is used in Eq. (1).
N
n¼ ð1Þ
1 þ NðeÞ2

Table 8
Questionnaire aid tool question and options assessment summary.

QUAID Tool Error Section Title

A B
Unfamiliar Technical Term U –
Temporal Ambiguity U –
Frequency Ambiguity U –
Quantification Ambiguity U –
Vague Noun – –
Complex Syntax U –
Imprecise Relative Terms – –
Vague Adverb – –
C D
– –
U –
– –
– –
– –
– –
U –
– –
E F
– –
U U
U U
– –
U U
– –
– –
U U

6
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

Table 9 respondents had more than 30 employees in their organization, i.e.

Respondents demographics illustrating frequency and respective percentage. 281.Majorityofthe respondentscorrespondedto havingapriorexpe-
Question Demographics Frequency Percentage rience with at least 1 to 10 IBS based projects, i.e. 162. Finally, the
1 Level of Education responses also revealed that in the with respect to construction work
(a) Diploma/Advanced Diploma 163 51.9 volume in the last three years the majority of respondents, i.e. 151
(b) Bachelor’s Degree/ Professional 87 27.7 were a part of at least RM 10 million.
Qualification
(c) Master’s Degree/PhD Degree 64 20.4
(d) Others 0 0 4. Data analysis
2 Position at Organization
(a) Project Director 26 8.3 4.1. Demographics correlation matrix (DCM)
(b) Professional Technologist 89 28.3
(c) Engineer 157 50.0
(d) Professor/ Lecturer 42 13.4
The coefficient of correlation (a value between 1 and +1)
3 Construction Industry Experience shows how deeply the two variables are interrelated. This study
(a) 1–5 Years 55 17.5 used the CORREL function in Excel to identify the coefficient of cor-
(b) 6–10 Years 131 41.7 relation between two column arrays serving as variables in a single
(c) 11–15 Years 85 27.1
case. A coefficient of correlation of +1 indicates the existence of a
(d) Above 15 Years 43 13.7
4 Type of Organization positive correlation, i.e. Variable Y increases as variable X elevates
(a) Public Organization 262 83.4 or Variable Y declines as variable X diminishes. A correlation coef-
(b) Private Organization 48 15.3 ficient of 1 implies an inverse or a negative correlation, i.e. Vari-
(c) Non-Governmental Organization 4 1.3
able Y decreases as variable X increases or Variable Y increases as
(NGO)
(d) None 0 0
variable X decreases. On the other hand, a coefficient of correlation
5 Employees in Organization equal or very near to 0 indicates no correlation existence [65].
(a) 1–10 Employees 0 0.0 Table 10 illustrates the demographics correlation based on the fre-
(b) 11–20 Employees 0 0.0 quency of survey response. The highest positive frequency correla-
(c) 21–30 Employees 33 10.5
tion was observed in between question 1 and 7, i.e. 0.953, followed
(d) Above 30 Employees 281 89.5
6 IBS Projects conducted in the last 3 years by question 6 and 7, i.e. 0.533. On the other hand, the highest negative
(a) 1–10 Projects 162 51.6 frequency correlation was observed between question 2 and 6, i.e.
(b) 11–20 Projects 51 16.2 0.936, followed by question 1 and 5, i.e. 0.821.
(c) Above 20 Projects 6 1.9
(d) None 95 30.3
7 Work volume in the last 3 years (RM)
4.2. Mean and standard deviation
(a) Less than RM10 million 151 48.1
(b) RM10 million – less than RM 20 61 19.4 SPSS was used to calculate the descriptive statistics for the
million coded data. Within any given data set, there is always a central
(c) RM 20 million – less than RM 40 78 24.8
value for a discrete number set. This central value is referred to
million
(d) RM 40 million – less than RM 50 0 0.0 as the mean of the selected number domain, which is obtained
million by summation of all the individual terms divided by the total num-
(e) More than RM 50 million 24 7.6 ber of terms. The following Eq. (2) is a generalized form to calculate
the mean.
In Eq. (1), the variable ‘n’ represents sample size, ‘N’ represents the RT n T o þ T 1 þ T 2 ::::T n
size of the population, and ‘e’ represents the level precision. For the
l¼ ¼ ð2Þ
Tt Tt
current study, the simplified formula of proportions in Eq. (1) with a
where ‘‘RT n ” represents the sum of the included terms up to the
92.5% confidence level produces a sample size of 314 IBS players.
‘‘nth” number, ‘‘Tt represents the total terms included in the formula
The Malaysian construction industry provides a diversified
to calculate the mean value ‘‘l”.
ground for implementation of IBS methods. The IBS system incorpo-
Standard deviation is a measure of selected values associated
rates both the public and private construction sectors, supported by
with the dispersion or variation of the targeted value set within
the building research academics. Thus, the target audience for this
a fixed domain. A lower set of standard deviation values indicate
research includes the construction stakeholders from the public
a closer relationship with the mean, whereas an elevated standard
and private construction sectors along with the research academics
deviation value indicates a broader spread value dispersion. The
across Malaysia. It must be noted here that for the current research
following Eq. (3) illustrates a generalized form to calculate the
to be transparent, the scope of audience selection is limited only to
standard deviation.
the construction stakeholders authorized by the CIDB.
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
P
ðxi  lÞ2
3.1.4. Respondent Demographics d¼ ð3Þ
N
The questionnaire was sent to 950 participants, which resulted in
the retrieval of 314 full survey responses. Within the questionnaire,
the first seven questions were related to the respondent Demograph- Table 10
Frequency correlation matrix based on survey demographics.
ics. The target audience included 314 construction-related individu-
als. From the data as shown in Table 9, it was observed that most Q.No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
included individuals were diploma holders followed by undergradu- 1 1.000 -0.221 0.146 0.897 -0.821 0.490 0.953
ate/postgraduate degree holders. Most of the responses were 2 -0.221 1.000 0.520 -0.591 -0.320 -0.936 -0.217
responded by Engineers, i.e. 157. The majority of respondents had 3 0.146 0.520 1.000 -0.247 -0.611 -0.571 -0.110
more between 6 and 10 years of construction industry experience, 4 0.897 -0.591 -0.247 1.000 -0.484 0.818 0.913
5 -0.821 -0.320 -0.611 -0.484 1.000 0.083 -0.705
i.e. 131. Most of the respondents were affiliated with public organiza-
6 0.490 -0.936 -0.571 0.818 0.083 1.000 0.533
tions, i.e. 262 percent followed by private organizations, i.e. 48. The 7 0.953 -0.217 -0.110 0.913 -0.705 0.533 1.000
survey response demographics also indicated that most of the
7
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

Table 11 as the ‘‘Descriptive Frequency” within the SPSS, which can be

Descriptive statistics for the coded variables in SPSS. accessed by the following path within SPSS on the File tab click
Descriptive Variables Descriptive Statistics Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Frequencies. When the new win-
Mean Std. dow appears all the pre-coded variables are selected to run the
Deviation analysis followed by clicking the ‘‘OK” button.
Skilled Labor 3.5 1.6
Timber Frame System 2.9 1.5 4.3.1. DF-Q8
Ease in Procurement System 2.9 1.5 To assess the appropriate understanding of respondents for the
Precast Concrete System 3.2 1.5
IBS categories, a categorical question i.e. Question 8 was asked
Block Work System 3.2 1.5
Maintenance Methods 3.1 1.3
based on the CIDB classified IBS systems. This included the Precast
Quality Management 3.5 1.2 Concrete System, Reusable Formwork System, Timber Frame Sys-
Innovative Customization 3.6 1.2 tem, Steel Frame System, Blockwork System, and Innovative
Renovation Capabilities 4.2 1.2 System. In this question, the respondents were asked to select their
IBS Cost Measurement Platform 3.4 1.1
familiarity based on five categories, i.e. Unfamiliar, Slightly Famil-
Stocks Control Ability 3.6 1.1
Governmental Initiative Support 3.7 1.1 iar, Moderately Familiar, Very Familiar, and Extremely Familiar.
Design Standards 4.0 1.1 The data analyzed via SPSS software after coding in terms of
Integrated IBS Carbon Emission Measurement 3.7 1.1 Descriptive Frequency showed that for the Precast Concrete Sys-
Platform
tem, majority of the respondents selected ‘‘Moderately Familiar”,
Ease in Team Collaboration 3.6 1.1
Governmental Incentives 4.0 1.1
i.e. 79, for the Reusable Formwork System the highest number of
IBS Time Measurement Platform 3.6 1.0 respondents selected ‘‘Very Familiar”, i.e. 120, for the Timber
Ease in Redesigning Process 3.7 1.0 Frame System it was ‘‘Unfamiliar”, i.e. 86, For the Steel Frame Sys-
Knowledge Resources 3.8 1.0 tem it was ‘‘Slightly Familiar”, i.e. 151, For the Block Work System
Design Integration 4.1 1.0
it was ‘‘Extremely Familiar”, i.e. 95, whereas for the Innovative Sys-
Un-Controlled Carbon Emissions 3.9 1.0
Reusable Form work System 3.6 1.0 tem the majority of the respondents selected ‘‘Slightly Familiar”,
Manufacturing Supplies 3.6 1.0 i.e. 210. The summarized results of the respondents are illustrated
Complex IBS Score Mechanism 4.0 1.0 in Table 12.
Design Phase Management 3.7 1.0
Fear of investment 3.9 0.9
Innovative System 2.2 0.9 4.3.2. DF-Q9
Design Complications 4.1 0.9 To assess the respondents experience based on the resource
Fragmentation Issue 4.1 0.9 availability for the IBS construction within Malaysian building sec-
Negative Social Perception 4.1 0.9
tor six distinct categories were assessed as mentioned earlier,
Steel Frame System 2.6 0.8
which included Skilled Labor, Knowledge Resources, Design Stan-
dards, Manufacturing Supplies, Governmental Incentives, and
Governmental Initiative Support. The response based Descriptive
Where ‘‘xi ”represents each value in the selected population, ‘‘l rep-
Frequency illustrated that Skill Level was ‘‘Abundantly Available”
resents the mean of the population, ‘‘N” represents the population
(137 respondents), Knowledge Resources were ‘‘Sufficiently Avail-
size of the standard deviation ‘‘” formula.
able” (118 respondents), Design Standards are ‘‘Abundantly Avail-
The descriptive statistics are illustrated in Table 11, it is observ-
able” (142 respondents), Manufacturing Supplies are ‘‘Abundantly
able that the highest mean value was recorded for the Renovation
Available” (120 respondents), Governmental Incentives are ‘‘Abun-
Capabilities (Value = 4.2), followed by Design Integration
dantly Available” (118 respondents), and Governmental Initiatives
(Value = 4.1), Design Complications (Value = 4.1), Fragmentation
Support are ‘‘Sufficiently Available” (104 respondents). The sum-
Issues (Value = 4.1), and Negative Social Perception (Value = 4.1).
marized results of the respondents are illustrated in Table 13.
On the other hand, the highest Standard Deviation was recorded
for the Skilled Labor (value = 1.6), followed by Precast Concrete
4.3.3. DF-Q10
System (Value = 1.5), Block Work System (Value = 1.5), Timber
To extract the respondents’ knowledge about the processes
Frame System (Value = 1.5), Ease in procurement System
involved within the IBS construction system, ten categories were
(Value = 1.5), and Maintenance Methods (Value = 1.3). Table 11
involved within the questionnaire which included Design Phase
illustrates the descriptive statistic details of all the descriptive vari-
Management, Maintenance Methods, Renovation Capabilities,
ables coded in SPSS.
Quality Management, Stocks Control, Ease In Team Collaboration,
Innovative Customization, Ease In Redesigning Process, Ease In
4.3. Descriptive Frequency (DF) Procurement System, and Design Integration. Majority of the
respondents produced positive vibes with respect to the processes
The Descriptive Statistics helps to visually analyze the respon- involved within the IBS construction system. About 130 respon-
dents’ data selection frequency. This selection frequency is known dents agreed that the ‘‘Design Phase Management” is ‘‘Sufficiently

Table 12
Respondents selections based on the level of IBS categories understanding.

Questions Respondents
UF SF MF VF EF Total
Precast Concrete System 55 55 79 30 95 314
Reusable Form work System 4 39 88 120 63 314
Timber Frame System 86 35 57 81 55 314
Steel Frame System 12 151 108 35 8 314
Block Work System 55 35 79 50 95 314
Innovative System 47 210 25 16 16 314

8
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

Table 13
Respondents selection based on resource availability necessary for an optimized IBS adoption.

Questions Respondents
UA IS MA SA AA Total
Skilled Labor 54 46 45 32 137 314
Knowledge Resources 6 23 76 118 91 314
Design Standards 6 29 56 81 142 314
Manufacturing Supplies 4 39 88 120 63 314
Governmental Incentives 8 26 55 107 118 314
Governmental Initiative Support 12 29 77 104 92 314

Table 14
Respondents selections based on the availability or unavailability of IBS processes.

Questions Respondents
UA IS MA SA AA Total
Design Phase Management 7 23 84 130 70 314
Maintenance Methods 45 64 78 76 51 314
Renovation Capabilities 16 17 40 65 176 314
Quality Management 26 36 85 81 86 314
Stocks Control Ability 11 44 83 100 76 314
Ease in Team Collaboration 8 47 72 121 66 314
Innovative Customization 22 43 49 119 81 314
Ease in Redesigning Process 7 40 75 125 67 314
Ease in Procurement System 86 35 57 81 55 314
Design Integration 5 17 52 96 144 314

Table 15
Respondents selections based on the Issues and perceptions associated with IBS adoption.

Questions Respondents
FA SA NND DA FD Total
Negative Social Perception 2 7 65 120 120 314
Fragmentation Issue 12 0 72 110 120 314
Design Complications 3 10 60 120 121 314
Complex IBS Score Mechanism 8 13 69 120 104 314
Un-Controlled Carbon Emissions 8 19 71 127 89 314
Fear of investment 6 17 65 132 94 314

Available” in IBS, 78 respondents stated that the Maintenance
Methods are ‘‘Moderately Available”, Renovation Capabilities are
‘‘Abundantly Available” was stated by 176 respondents. Quality
Management is ‘‘Abundantly Available” (86 respondents), Stocks
Control Ability is ‘‘Sufficiently Available” (100 respondents), Ease
in team collaboration is ‘‘Sufficiently Available” (121 respondents),
Innovative Customization is ‘‘Sufficiently Available” (119 respon-
dents), Ease in redesigning process ‘‘Sufficiently Available” (125
respondents), Ease in procurement system is ‘‘Unavailable” as per
86 respondents, whereas 144 respondents selected that the Design
Integration is ‘‘Abundantly Available” in IBS method. The summa-
rized results of the respondents are illustrated in Table 14.
‘‘Disagree” was selected by 127 respondents. The summarized
results of the respondents are illustrated in Table 15.
4.3.5. DF-Q12
The respondents were also asked about the future development
prospects for IBS in terms of adoption strategy. For this purpose,
three categories were selected including IBS Cost Measurement
Platform (‘‘Slightly Agree” by 107 respondents), IBS Time Measure-
ment Platform, (‘‘Slightly Agree” by 133 respondents), and Inte-
grated IBS Carbon Emission (‘‘Fully Agree” by 120 respondents).
The summarized results of the respondents are illustrated in
Table 16.

4.3.4. DF-Q11 4.4. Relative importance index (RII)

In order to produce an understanding linked to the issues and
perceptions of the respondents corresponding to the IBS system,
six categories were included within the descriptive analysis, i.e.
Negative Social Perception, Fragmentation Issue, Design Complica-
tions, Complex IBS Score Mechanism, Uncontrolled Carbon Emis-
sions, And Fear Of Investment. In regards to the Negative Social
Perception 120 Respondents selected either ‘‘Fully Disagreed” or
simply ‘‘Disagreed”, Fragmentation Issue most of the respondents
selected ‘‘Fully Disagree” (120 respondents), for Design Complica-
tions the term ‘‘Fully Disagree” was selected by 121 respondents,
for Complex IBS Score Mechanism ‘‘Fully Disagree” was selected
by 104 respondents, whereas for Uncontrolled Carbon Emissions
9
The current research incorporates the Relative Importance
Index (RII) method for data analysis. For the current research, only
those questions are included for the RII data analysis, which fol-
lowed the Likert Scale pattern, further details of these inclusions
are shared in coming sections.
For a given set of data, the relative importance index is a mean
corresponding to the weight of perceptions of the respondents on
the Likert scale. The considered factors within the relative impor-
tance index with the highest weight has the RII value equal to 1,
whereas the next consecutive factor with a reduced weight has
an RII value equal to two, and this is the pattern followed in a sim-
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

Table 16
Respondents selections based on the future IBS development parameter.

Questions Respondents
FA SA NND DA FD Total
IBS Cost Measurement Platform 22 107 95 36 54 314
IBS Time Measurement Platform 15 133 82 27 57 314
Integrated IBS CEMT 120 26 81 14 73 314

Table 17
Ranks based on the RII analysis based on data of IBS understanding.

Multiplication Factor 1 2 3 4 5 Total N A*N RII Rank

Questions UF*1 SF*2 MF*3 VF*4 EF*5
Precast Concrete System 55 110 237 120 475 997 314 1570 0.635 3
Reusable Form work System 4 78 264 480 315 1141 314 1570 0.727 1
Timber Frame System 86 70 171 324 275 926 314 1570 0.590 4
Steel Frame System 12 302 324 140 40 818 314 1570 0.521 5
Block Work System 55 70 237 200 475 1037 314 1570 0.661 2
Innovative System 47 420 75 64 80 686 314 1570 0.437 6

Table 18
Ranks based on RII analysis for resource availability necessary for an optimized IBS adoption.

Multiplication Factor 5 4 3 2 1 Total N A*N RII Rank

Questions UA*5 IS*4 MA*3 SA*2 AA*1
Skilled Labor 270 184 135 64 137 790 314 1570 0.503 1
Knowledge Resources 30 92 228 236 91 677 314 1570 0.431 4
Design Standards 30 116 168 162 142 618 314 1570 0.394 6
Manufacturing Supplies 20 156 264 240 63 743 314 1570 0.473 2
Governmental Incentives 40 104 165 214 118 641 314 1570 0.408 5
Governmental Initiative Support 60 116 231 208 92 707 314 1570 0.450 3

ilar way for the rest of the factors [32]. The RII can also be stated as
a mean score for a particular item, which is scaled in between a
value of 1/A to 1, where ‘‘A” is the number of response categories.
The following equation illustrates a generalized formula for calcu-
lation of RII for five variables.
RWn nX n    5n5 þ 4n4 þ 3n3 þ 2n2 þ 1n1
RII ¼ ¼ ð4Þ
A  Nr 5  Nr
In the given equation ‘‘Wn” illustrates the weight of the individ-
ual factors by the participant ranging from the number one to five
for instance ‘‘n1” is equal to the total number of participants of very
little importance, ‘‘n2” illustrates the number of participants for
some amount of importance, ‘‘n3” illustrates the number of partic-
ipants with a higher importance level, ‘‘n4” illustrates respondents
with respect to an elevated significance, whereas ‘‘n5” illustrates
respondents with a very high significance, ‘‘Xn” is the nth value to
be summed as a weight . It must also be noted that variable ‘‘A”
in the equation represents the highest weight, i.e. Five, whereas
‘‘Nr” represents the total number of respondents included within
the questionnaire. The relative importance index for this study
ranges from zero to one (i.e. 0 to 1).
Five questions are included in the RII analysis for the current
research, which was further coded into six to ten subparts in SPSS
as discussed earlier. Based on the Descriptive Frequency data, the
tables were generated to calculate the RII values in MS Excel. The
following sections discuss the ranks based on the calculations of
RII, i.e. RII-QX, where the ‘‘Q” represents Question and ‘‘X” repre-
sents the number of question analyzed.
4.4.1. RII-Q8
Based on the R-II analysis for the IBS understanding the Reusa-
ble Formwork System was ranked first with an RII value of 0.727,
10
followed by Block Work System (RII = 0.661), and Precast Concrete
System (RII = 0.635) as illustrated in Table 17.
4.4.2. RII-Q9
Based on the RII analysis for the resource availability necessary
for an optimized IBS attempt adoption. The need for Skilled Labor
was ranked first with an RII value of 0.503 followed by Manufac-
turing Supplies (RII = 0.473), and Governmental Initiatives Support
(RII = 0.450). The summary of the calculations is illustrated in
Table 18.
4.4.3. RII-Q10
Based on the RII analysis for the availability or unavailability of
processes involved in IBS method the Ease in Procurement System
was ranked first with RII value of 0.610, followed by Maintenance
Methods (RII = 0.585) and Quality Management (RII = 0.495) as
illustrated in Table 19.
4.4.4. RII-Q11
Based on the RII analysis for the issues and perceptions associ-
ated with the IBS adoption within the Malaysian construction
industry, the Negative Social Perception was ranked first with RII
value of 0.822 followed by Design Complications (RII = 0.820)
and Fragmentation Issue (RII = 0.808). The calculations are illus-
trated in Table 20.
4.4.5. RII-Q12
Based on the RII analysis for the development of the future idea,
the integrated IBS Carbon Emission Measurement Tool (CEMT) was
ranked first with an RII value of 0.668, followed by IBS Time Mea-
surement Platform (RII = 0.614), and IBS Cost Measurement Plat-
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al. Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547

Table 19
Ranks based on RII analysis for the availability or unavailability of processes involved in IBS method.

Multiplication Factor 5 4 3 2 1 Total N A*N RII Rank

Questions UA*5 IS*4 MA*3 SA*2 AA*1
Design Phase Management 35 92 252 260 70 709 314 1570 0.452 8
Maintenance Methods 225 256 234 152 51 918 314 1570 0.585 2
Renovation Capabilities 80 68 120 130 176 574 314 1570 0.366 10
Quality Management 130 144 255 162 86 777 314 1570 0.495 3
Stocks Control Ability 55 176 249 200 76 756 314 1570 0.482 4
Ease in Team Collaboration 40 188 216 242 66 752 314 1570 0.479 5
Innovative Customization 110 172 147 238 81 748 314 1570 0.476 6
Ease in Redesigning Process 35 160 225 250 67 737 314 1570 0.469 7
Ease in Procurement System 430 140 171 162 55 958 314 1570 0.610 1
Design Integration 25 68 156 192 144 585 314 1570 0.373 9

Table 20
Ranks based on the RII analysis for the Issues and perceptions associated with IBS adoption.

Multiplication Factor 1 2 3 4 5 Total N A*N RII Rank

Questions FA*1 SA*2 NND*3 DA*4 FD*5
Negative Social Perception 2 14 195 480 600 1291 314 1570 0.822 1
Fragmentation Issue 12 0 216 440 600 1268 314 1570 0.808 3
Design Complications 3 20 180 480 605 1288 314 1570 0.820 2
Complex IBS Score Mechanism 8 26 207 480 520 1241 314 1570 0.790 4
Un-Controlled Carbon Emissions 8 38 213 508 445 1212 314 1570 0.772 6
Fear of investment 6 34 195 528 470 1233 314 1570 0.785 5

Table 21
Ranks based on the RII analysis based on the future IBS development parameter.

Multiplication Factor 5 4 3 2 1 Total N A*N RII Rank

Questions FA*5 SA*4 NND*3 DA*2 FD*1
IBS Cost Measurement Platform 110 428 285 72 54 949 314 1570 0.604 3
IBS Time Measurement Platform 75 532 246 54 57 964 314 1570 0.614 2
Integrated IBS CEMT 600 104 243 28 73 1048 314 1570 0.668 1

form (RII = 0.604) respectively. These calculations are illustrated in
Table 21.
5. Discussion
5.1. IBS players understanding
Understanding the IBS construction system is an important
aspect towards IBS’s adoption into the Malaysian construction
industry [20]. The IBS players who participated in quantitative
study showed a good knowledge about the processes of IBS cate-
gories. From the analytical results (i.e. RII), it is evident that Reusa-
ble Form Work System, Block Work System and Precast Concrete
System are the most understandable categories amongst all classi-
fications (i.e. 0.7–0.6 on RII scale). However, innovative system
(RII = 0.4) in IBS classification is the least understandable amongst
the participants. Whereas the remaining IBS categories revealed a
neutral understanding. These quantitative findings theoretically
align themselves with the works of Zuhairi [22]. Their study
reveals that a failure to understand the categories of IBS system cli-
ents in a Malaysian context will dissuade them from adopting the
IBS system and will alter the IBS adoption rate in Malaysia.
5.2. Availability of essential resources
manufacturing supplies and higher governmental initiatives (i.e.
RII = 0.45–0.5) for successful IBS adoption. The quantitative analy-
sis also reveals that design standards, knowledge resources for IBS
systems are sufficiently available. The quantitative data tandems
itself with the findings of Noor et al. [24]. They are of the opinion
that sufficient resources and government support are the cores to
successful representation of IBS in construction industry.
5.3. Processes and Management
The third principal component in IBS adoption is processes and
management. This includes the management prospects of IBS. The
CSF’s included in this component are: Design Phase Management,
Maintenance Methods, Renovation Capabilities, Quality Manage-
ment, Stocks Control Ability, Ease in Team Collaboration, Innova-
tive Customization, Ease in Redesigning Process, Ease in
Procurement System, and Design Integration. The quantitative
analysis results revealed that the IBS players feel that Ease in Pro-
curement System for IBS products in Malaysia, IBS’s Maintenance,
and IBS’s Quality management is readily available (RII = 0.6–0.4).
However, IBS systems lag in renovation capabilities, and design
integration (RII = 0.3). This finding aligns itself to the report of
Zuhairi et.al [22] which states that improving procurement and
contract can establish a clear statement of needs from clients.

The second principal component identified necessary for the IBS
adoption is availability of essential resources, such as skilled labor,
knowledge resources, design standards, manufacturing supplies,
governmental incentives, and government initiative support. The
participants agreed that there is a need of skilled labor, more IBS
11
5.4. Issues and perceptions of stakeholders
Issues and perceptions is the fourth principal component quan-
titatively analyzed by the study. This component is based on the
perceptions of the involved IBS players about the problems they
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al.
encounter in construction choirs [39]. The CSF’s included in this
component are Negative Social Perception, Fragmentation Issue,
Design Complications, Complex IBS Score Mechanism, Un-
Controlled Carbon Emissions, and Fear of investment. The negative
social perception about adopting IBS in construction based on the
RII analytics ranked highest amongst the CSF’s in issues and per-
ceptions component, i.e. RII = 0.822. This is also supported by the
studies of Hamid et al. [66] who highlight that the poor public per-
ception is another setback to IBS. Consequently, IBS is not popular
among architects due to the misconception that IBS will ultimately
limit their ability to design buildings freely [67]. Many industry
insiders and outsiders still have the opinion that IBS is inflexible
and is unable to conform to the idiosyncrasies of construction
[68]. Design complications is the second ranked second amongst
the CSF’s (RII = 0.820). Rahman et al. [67] argue in favorer of the
identified CSF that, IBS buildings are often associated with un-
pleasant aesthetics and complicated designing.
5.5. Future needs (Tools for Productivity)
Three future prospects were produced based on the recommen-
dations of Hamid et al. to develop integrated object-oriented tools
for designers to use without affecting the flexibility and creativity
of the current design methods [22]. Focusing this recommendation
three productivity enhancement areas were identified by exploring
academic literature and correspondingly a need of productivity
tools was queried via quantitative analysis. These queries included
the following: IBS cost measurement platform, IBS time measure-
ment platform, and Integrated IBS carbon emission measurement
tool. Amongst the queried majority of the IBS players agree that
Integrated IBS Carbon Emission Tool is needed for IBS’s current
practices in Malaysian construction industry (RII = 0.668). Bing
et al. [69] endorse the stance of technological integration to
increase productivity and state that the emerging technologies
can be useful to managers and lenders, enabling them to increase
productivity in the construction industry [70].
6. Conclusion
Malaysian population follows a proportional correlation with
the demand of construction facilities needed in few years. There-
fore, fast paced construction methods instead of traditional con-
struction are recommended by this study such as the
Industrialized Building System. Based on the preliminary literature
available through the databases the study identified IBS resource
availability, process management, perceptional issues as the prin-
cipal components for IBS’s successful adoption in Malaysian con-
struction industry. Further classification of these principal
components revealed that a need of skilled labor, manufacturing
supplies, governmental support in the domain of resource avail-
ability is necessary to support the IBS adoption strategy, whereas
lack of renovation capabilities and design integration is concerning
to IBS players in terms of processes of IBS construction. The IBS
players also agreed a negative social perception exists within pub-
lic, which is further reinforced by the perception of design compli-
cations in IBS. Lastly, the study recommends the development of an
integrated IBS carbon emission measurement tool as per the
demand of IBS players to enhance the productivity of IBS construc-
tion methods in Malaysia.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.
12
Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547
Acknowledgements
This study appreciates the contributions of all the authors and
the generous resources provided by Universiti Teknologi Petronas.
References
[1] Statista. Malaysia: Total population from 2016 to 2026 2021. https://www.
statista.com/statistics/318725/total-population-of-malaysia/.
[2] Department of Statistics Malaysia. Current Population Estimates, Malaysia,
2018-2019 2019. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/
cthemeByCat&cat=155&bul_id=aWJZRkJ4UEdKcUZpT2tVT090Snpydz09&
menu_id=L0pheU43NWJwRWVSZklWdzQ4TlhUUT09 (accessed July 21, 2020).
[3] Ibrahim AR Bin, Roy MH, Ahmed Z, Imtiaz G. An investigation of the status of
the Malaysian construction industry. Benchmarking An Int J 2010.
[4] Alaloul WS, Musarat MA, Rabbani MBA, Iqbal Q, Maqsoom A, Farooq W.
Construction Sector Contribution to Economic Stability: Malaysian GDP
Distribution. Sustainability 2021; 13: 5012.
[5] Department of Statistics Malaysia. Quarterly Construction Statistics, Second
Quarter 2020 2020. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/
cthemeByCat&cat=77&bul_id=TWxzVlA3L2lkYksxOWpjS3d6c3hHQT09&
menu_id=OEY5SWtFSVVFVUpmUXEyaHppMVhEdz09 (accessed October 31,
2020).
[6] The Malaysian Reserve. Plans for 1m affordable homes scrapped 2020. https://
themalaysianreserve.com/2020/09/23/plans-for-1m-affordable-homes-
scrapped/ (accessed May 29, 2021).
[7] Luo L-Z, Mao C, Shen L-Y, Li Z-D. Engineering, Construction and Architectural
Management Risk factors affecting practitioners’ attitudes toward the
implementation of an industrialized building system: A case study from
China Risk factors affecting practitioners’ attitudes toward the imple. Archit
Manag Iss Archit Manag Iss Eng Constr Archit Manag 2015;22:669–91.
[8] Dzarif RB. Critical success factor of industrialised building system (IBS)
implementation in government school project 2018.
[9] Lu N, Korman T. Implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in
Modular Construction: Benefits and challenges. Constr. Res. Congr. 2010 Innov.
Reshaping Constr. Pract. - Proc. 2010 Constr. Res. Congr., 2010, p. 1136–45.
https://doi.org/10.1061/41109(373)114.
[10] Yusof MR. Industrialized building system plan of work 2016. https://www.
researchgate.net/publication/309412879_Industrialized_building_
system_plan_of_work (accessed February 8, 2020).
[11] Bari NAA, Abdullah NA, Yusuff R, Ismail N, Jaapar A. Environmental Awareness
and Benefits of Industrialized Building Systems (IBS). Procedia - Soc Behav Sci
2012;50:392–404. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.08.044.
[12] Du Q, Bao T, Li Y, Huang Y, Long S. Impact of prefabrication technology on the
cradle-to-site CO2 emissions of residential buildings. Clean Technol Environ
Policy 2019; 21: 1499–514. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10098-
019-01723-y.
[13] Nadim W, Goulding JS. Offsite Production in the UK: The Construction Industry
and Academia. Archit Eng Des Manag 2009;5:136–52. doi: https://doi.org/
10.3763/AEDM.2008.0094.
[14] Ghannad P, Lee Y-C, Choi JO. Investigating Stakeholders’ Perceptions of
Feasibility and Implications of Modular Construction-Based Post-Disaster
Reconstruction. Modul Offsite Constr Summit Proc 2019:504–13. https://doi.
org/10.29173/mocs132.
[15] Kamar KAM, Azman MNA, Nawi MNM. IBS survey 2010: Drivers, barriers and
critical success factors in adopting industrialised building system (IBS)
construction by G7 contractors in Malaysia. J Eng Sci Technol 2014;9:490–501.
[16] The Edge Financial Daily. IBS adoption still low — survey 2017. https://www.
theedgemarkets.com/article/ibs-adoption-still-low-—-survey.
[17] Mohd Amin MA, Abas NH, Shahidan S, Rahmat MH, Suhaini NA, Nagapan S,
et al. A review on the current issues and barriers of Industrialised Building
System (IBS) adoption in Malaysia’s construction industry. IOP Conf Ser Mater
Sci Eng 2017;271. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/271/1/012031.
[18] Fauzi MA, Hassan SH, Yunus JN, Sulaiman H, Hashim MZ. A feasibility study of
Supply Chain Management (SCM) in Industrialized Building System (IBS) from
contractor’s perspective: A case study. J Eng Appl Sci 2017;12:6916–21. doi:
https://doi.org/10.3923/jeasci.2017.6916.6921.
[19] Jason Mandor. How to Use Qualitative and Quantitative Research to Your
Advantage 2017. https://blog.gwi.com/trends/qualitative-vs-quantitative/.
[20] Ismail F, Yusuwan NM, Baharuddin HEA. Management Factors for Successful
IBS Projects Implementation. Procedia - Soc Behav Sci 2012;68:99–107. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.12.210.
[21] Nawi MNM, Lee A, Kamar KAM, Hamid ZA. A critical literature review on the
concept of team integration in industrialised building System (IBS) project.
Malaysian Constr Res J 2011;9:1–17.
[22] Hamid ZA, Kamar KAM, Alshawi M. Industrialised Building System (IBS):
Strategy, People and Process; 2011.
[23] Gin LJ, Sentosa I, Arputhan S. Developing A Framework For Enhancing Project
Performances Through The Adoption Of The Industrialized Building System In
The Malaysian Construction Sector. Int J Soc Sci Humanit Invent 2016; 3.
https://doi.org/10.18535/IJSSHI/V3I9.01.
[24] Noor SRM, Yunus R, Abdullah AH, Nagapan S, Mazlan SMSS. Insights into the
adoption of lean management in Industrialised Building System (IBS)
implementation: The drivers and challenges. Int J Eng Technol 2018;7:22–31.
S. Saad, Wesam Salah Alaloul, S. Ammad et al.
[25] Luo L, Mao C, Shen L, Li Z. Risk factors affecting practitioners’ attitudes toward
the implementation of an industrialized building system: A case study from
China. Eng Constr Archit Manag 2015; 22: 622–43. https://doi.org/http://
dx.doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-04-2014-0048.
[26] Hadi NA, Muhamad WMNW, Othman MKF. Critical factors of implementing
Industrialised Building System in Sarawak: A research on SMEs. IOP Conf Ser
Earth Environ Sci 2017;67. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/67/1/012006.
[27] CIDB Holdings. Corporate Structure 2020. https://www.cidbholdings.com.
my/corporate-structure/ (accessed October 8, 2020).
[28] CIDB E-Construct. About CIDB E-Construct 2020. https://www.cidbec.com.my/
about/ (accessed October 8, 2020).
[29] CREAM. Construction Research Institute of Malaysia 2020. https://www.
cream.my/my/about-us/overview (accessed October 8, 2020).
[30] CIDB Portal. Industrialised Building System n.d. http://ibsportal.cidb.gov.my/
Player/Company (accessed October 4, 2020).
[31] CIDB Malaysia. Construction Industry Statistics (Open Data) 2021. https://
www.cidb.gov.my/index.php/en/construction-info/construction-
statistic/construction-industry-statistic-open-data.
[32] Gregory Sousa. Biggest Cities In Malaysia 2018. https://www.worldatlas.com/
articles/biggest-cities-in-malaysia.html (accessed October 7, 2020).
[33] Baharuddin MN. Identification of Critical Factors and Difficulties of
Industrialised Building System (IBS) Formwork in the Malaysian
Construction Industry - A Literature Review 2017. https://www.researchgate.
net/publication/313600184_Identification_of_Critical_Factors_and_
Difficulties_of_Industrialised_Building_System_IBS_Formwork_in_the_
Malaysian_Construction_Industry-A_Literature_Review (accessed October 13,
2019).
[34] CIDB. Management Factors for successful IBS Projects Implementation 2012;4.
[35] Nawi MNM, Lee A, Kamar KAM, Hamid ZA. Critical success factors for
improving team integration in Industrialised Building System (IBS)
construction projects: The Malaysian case. Malaysian Constr Res J
2012;10:44–62.
[36] Xue X, Zhang X, Wang L, Skitmore M, Wang Q. Analyzing collaborative
relationships among industrialized construction technology innovation
organizations: A combined SNA and SEM approach. J Clean Prod
2018;173:265–77.
[37] Mohsen A, Yunus R, Handan R, Kasim N, Hussain K. Determining factors for
enhanced skilled worker requirements in IBS construction projects in
Malaysia. In: IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci., vol. 220, Institute of Physics
Publishing; 2019. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/220/1/012048.
[38] Gin LJ, Sentosa I, Arputhan S. Appropriate strategic management approaches
for enhancing project performance through the adoption of the industrialized
building system in the Malaysian construction sector. Res World J Arts Sci
Commer 2016: 1–7. https://doi.org/10.18843/RWJASC/V7I4(1)/01.
[39] Gan Y, Shen L, Chen J, Tam VWY, Tan Y, Illankoon IMCS. Critical factors
affecting the quality of industrialized building system projects in China.
Sustain 2017;9:216. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su9020216.
[40] Berawi MA, Berawi ARB, Hadwart KA. Managing construction logistics
management: Findings from construction contractors and industrialized
building system (IBS) manufacturers. African J Bus Manag 2012;6:1932–44.
doi: https://doi.org/10.5897/AJBM11.2047.
[41] Ismail ZA, Mutalib AA, Hamzah N. Case study to analyse problems and issues
in IBS building maintenance. Int J Appl Eng Res 2016;11:226–32.
[42] Jabar I laili, Ismail F, Abdul Aziz AR. Stakeholder’s Perception of Industrialized
Building System (IBS) Implementation. Asian J Behav Stud 2018;3:159.
https://doi.org/10.21834/ajbes.v3i10.90.
[43] Ahmad S, Soetanto R, Goodier C. Lean approach in precast concrete component
production. Built Environ Proj Asset Manage 2019; 9: 457–70. https://doi.org/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-02-2018-0051.
[44] Bin Ismail ZA. Improving contractor social networking on IBS infrastructure
maintenance projects: a review. Eng Constr Archit Manag 2018;25:479–96.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-08-2016-0180.
[45] Abd Rashid MN, Abdullah MR, Ismail D. Key Elements Towards Automation
and Robotics in Industrialised Building System (IBS). In: Proc ASEAN Post Grad
Conf 2018, Univ Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 2018:152–60.
[46] Dzulkalnine N, Azman MNA, Bing KW, Habidin NF, Ayub AR. Issues of payment
procurement process for industrialised building system (IBS) project. J Teknol
2016; 78: 11–5. https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v78.8826.
[47] Asri M, Nawi MNM, Nadarajan S, Osman WN, Harun AN. Success factors of JIT
integration with IBS construction projects–A literature review. Int J Supply
Chain Manag 2016;5:71–6.
[48] Mohd Nasrun MN, Angela L, Mohamed Nor Azhari A, Kamarul Anuar MK.
Fragmentation Issue in Malaysian Industrialised Building System (Ibs)
Projects. J Eng Sci Technol 2014;9:97–106.
[49] Ismail Z-A, Mutalib AA, Hamzah N. A Case Study of Maintenance Management
Systems in Malaysian Complex and High-rise Industrialized Building System
Buildings. Int J Econ Financ Issues 2016;6.
[50] Yunus R, Masrom MAN, Abdullah AH, Mustakim F. Conceptual model of
contractor satisfaction in the Industrialized Building System (IBS)
13
Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13 (2022) 101547
Implementation. Appl Mech Mater 2015;773:828–33. doi: https://doi.org/
10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.773-774.828.
[51] Xu Z, Wang S, Wang E. Integration of BIM and energy consumption modelling
for manufacturing prefabricated components: A case study in China. Adv Civ
Eng 2019.
[52] Saad S, Salah Alaloul W, Ammad S, Hannan Qureshi A, Mohsen Mohammed
Alawag A, Kumar Oad V, et al. A Noded Carbon Emission Tool (NCET) to
Measure Embodied Carbon (EC) in Compositional Cementitious Materials.
Solid State Technol 2020;63:4099–105.
[53] Saad S, Salah Alaloul W, Ammad S, Hannan Qureshi A, Altaf M, Rasheed K.
Design phase carbon emission prediction using a visual programming
technique. In: 2020 Second Int. Sustain. Resil. Conf. Technol. Innov. Build.
Des., IEEE Conference Publications; 2020, p. 0–3. https://doi.org/10.1109/
IEEECONF51154.2020.9319978.
[54] Taherdoost H. Determining Sample Size; How to Calculate Survey Sample Size
2017.
[55] Grady MP. Qualitative and action research: A practitioner handbook. Phi Delta
Kappa International; 1998.
[56] Psychology S. Questionnaire: Definition, Examples, Design and Types | Simply
Psychology; n.d. https://www.simplypsychology.org/questionnaires.html
(accessed October 3, 2020).
[57] Nelson-Gray RO, Haas JR, Romano B, Herbert JD, Herbert DL. Effects of open-
ended versus close-ended questions on interviewees’ problem-related
statements. Percept Mot Skills 1989;69:903–11.
[58] Perreault Jr WD, Leigh LE. Reliability of nominal data based on qualitative
judgments. J Mark Res 1989;26:135–48.
[59] Iannario M. Modelling uncertainty and overdispersion in ordinal data.
Commun Stat Methods 2014;43:771–86.
[60] Joshi A, Kale S, Chandel S, Pal DK. Likert scale: Explored and explained. Curr J
Appl Sci Technol 2015: 396–403.
[61] Parfitt J. Questionnaire design and sampling. Methods Hum Geogr A Guid
Students Doing a Res Proj 2005:78–109.
[62] University of Memphis. QUAID 2020. http://quaid.cohmetrix.com/.
[63] Graesser AC, Cai Z, Louwerse MM, Daniel F. Question Understanding Aid
(QUAID) a web facility that tests question comprehensibility. Public Opin Q
2006;70:3–22.
[64] Yamane. Yamane (1967) formula to calculate sample size 1967. https://people.
utm.my/maslin/2020/02/24/yamane-1967-formula-to-calculate-sample-size/
(accessed October 6, 2020).
[65] Easy E. Correlation 2020. https://www.excel-easy.com/examples/correlation.
html.
[66] Hamid Z, Kamar KAM, Zain M, Ghani K, Rahim AHA. Industrialized Building
System (IBS) in Malaysia: the current state and R&D initiatives. Malaysia
Constr Res J 2008;2:1–13.
[67] Rahman ABA, Omar W. Issues and challenges in the implementation of
industrialised building systems in Malaysia. In: Proc. 6th Asia-Pacific Struct.
Eng. Constr. Conf. (APSEC 2006); 2006, p. 5–6.
[68] Din MI, Bahri N, Dzulkifly MA, Norman MR, Kamar KAM, Abd Hamid Z. The
adoption of industrialised building system (IBS) construction in Malaysia: The
history, policies, experiences and lesson learned. In: 2012 Proc 29th Int Symp
Autom Robot Constr ISARC 2012 2012;1.
[69] Qi B, Razkenari M, Li J, Costin A, Kibert C, Qian S. Investigating us industry
practitioners’ perspectives towards the adoption of emerging technologies in
industrialized construction. Buildings 2020;10:85.
[70] Razkenari M, Bing Q, Fenner A, Hakim H, Costin A, Kibert CJ. Industrialized
construction: Emerging methods and technologies. Comput. Civ. Eng. 2019
Data, Sensing, Anal., American Society of Civil Engineers Reston, VA; 2019, p.
352–9.
Syed Saad is a Civil Engineer holding a Masters in Con-
struction Project Management from United Kingdom
currently enrolled with University Teknologi Petronas,
Malaysia as a Graduate Assistant as well as pursuing his
Ph.D. to implement his profiled knowledge and to map a
positive managerial milestone through attained skills as
a research candidate via team collaboration.