Benchmarking Off-Site Construction Readiness in Canada: A Survey-Based Assessment of Organizational Maturity Across Design, Manufacturing, and Construction

Abstract

Although construction is a cornerstone of economic and social development, the sector has lagged behind other industries in terms of productivity improvement. As digital transformation gains momentum, improving productivity in construction increasingly depends on the ability of organizations to adopt and integrate new delivery approaches, technologies, and workflows. In this context, assessing and benchmarking organizational readiness for off-site construction (OSC) has become increasingly important within the Canadian construction landscape.

This paper presents the development, pilot testing, and application of a national survey instrument designed to assess organizational maturity for OSC adoption in Canada, with the objective of supporting productivity-focused capability development. Three structured surveys were developed to evaluate maturity across the design, manufacturing, and construction phases using the dimensions of People, Process, and Technology. The survey instrument was informed by established maturity frameworks and refined through expert review. A pilot testing phase was conducted with industry participants to evaluate the clarity, relevance, and consistency of survey questions, leading to revisions that improved reliability and usability. The finalized surveys were implemented as a national benchmarking exercise through guided engagements with OSC-related organizations, capturing organizational characteristics, phase-specific involvement, and maturity levels on a five-point scale ranging from ad-hoc to innovative practices. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify maturity patterns across phases and dimensions.

At the national scale, maturity levels across the three project phases and performance dimensions were relatively consistent, suggesting a broadly uniform level of OSC capability development across organizations. However, at this preliminary stage, regional and organizational-type comparisons suggest increased variability, offering preliminary insight into potential differences in OSC adoption pathways. The findings provide an initial exploratory survey-based benchmark of OSC organizational maturity in Canada and establish a scalable tool for ongoing benchmarking, longitudinal assessment, and evidence-based policy and investment decisions to support the advancement of off-site construction in Canada.