Challenges of Requirements Communication and Digital Assets Verification in Infrastructure Projects

2025-04-29

AI Summary

This study addresses critical challenges in requirements communication and digital asset verification between clients and suppliers in infrastructure projects. Drawing on two domain-specific case studies from road and railway engineering, we conducted semi-structured interviews with ten subject-matter experts and applied thematic coding analysis. For the first time, we systematically identified 13 recurrent challenges, analyzing their root causes, operational impacts, and striking parallels with well-documented software engineering problems. Our contribution lies in advancing cross-domain solution transfer: we synthesize reusable collaboration mechanisms and verification pathways grounded in empirical evidence. These findings provide both theoretical grounding and practical foundations for developing standardized, trustworthy frameworks for requirements coordination and digital asset validation in infrastructure delivery. (128 words)

Technology Category

• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Distributed CSP/Optimization
• Application Domains: Software Engineering
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Web applications in cross-disciplinary domains and verticals such as mixed reality, smart cities, and digital health
• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Web data provenance, reliability, and authenticity
• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance

Abstract

Background: Poor communication of requirements between clients and suppliers contributes to project overruns,in both software and infrastructure projects. Existing literature offers limited insights into the communication challenges at this interface. Aim: Our research aim to explore the processes and associated challenges with requirements activities that include client-supplier interaction and communication. Method: we study requirements validation, communication, and digital asset verification processes through two case studies in the road and railway sectors, involving interviews with ten experts across three companies. Results: We identify 13 challenges, along with their causes and consequences, and suggest solution areas from existing literature. Conclusion: Interestingly, the challenges in infrastructure projects mirror those found in software engineering, highlighting a need for further research to validate potential solutions.

Problem

• Exploring client-supplier requirements communication challenges in infrastructure projects
• Investigating digital asset verification processes in road and railway sectors
• Identifying parallels between infrastructure and software engineering challenges

Innovation

• Studied requirements validation via case studies
• Identified 13 challenges with causes
• Suggested solutions from existing literature