Development of an assessment methodology for innovation activity of construction enterprises

The purpose of this paper is to develop an assessment methodology for innovation activity of construction enterprises. The ability of the enterprise to react clearly and appropriately to the changes in the market through the release of new products or improvement of existing products, the introduction of new production and marketing technologies, the improvement of a system of internal company management, and the use of the latest marketing strategies are the key components. As a result of this study, the indicators of conditions and results of innovation activity were analyzed, an algorithm for the methodic of a comprehensive assessment of the efficiency of innovation activity was developed, and a typology of construction enterprises was structured according to the level of development of innovation activity. Innovative development, competitiveness and sustainable development of enterprises are achieved through the systematic introduction of innovations.


Introduction
The main condition for the productivity of construction enterprises is the identification of an economic indicator or a group of indicators. It is also the final element of the efficiency development of innovation activity in order to increase the competitiveness and efficiency of the enterprise. These indicators will provide an opportunity to make the correct conclusion about the feasibility of implementation of the innovative project.
Therefore, the methods, indicators and specifics of the assessment of innovation activity described in the study should be included in the unified system for assessing the efficiency of an innovative project in the construction industry [1].
In our point of view, the system of comprehensive analysis of innovations should analyze all parts and stages of innovation activity, characterize the unity of quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis, and should be aimed at finding the result in implementation of the main objectives of the activity of construction enterprises. In order to assess the efficiency of the innovation activity of the enterprise, it is necessary not only to correctly choose and determine the values of the system of economic indicators, but also to show the feasibility of using them in the reality [2]. That is why this system should give an unbiased assessment of the actual state of innovation activity of the studied construction enterprises.

Materials and methods
In order to assess the efficiency of the innovation activity of the enterprise, it is necessary not only to correctly choose and determine the values of the economic indicator system, but also to show the feasibility of using them in the reality. That is why this system should give an unbiased assessment of the actual state of innovation activity of the studied construction enterprises. It should also take into account the distinctive features of the production system, the specifics of innovative processes in the construction industry, and the category of production. Accordingly to the results of determination of the relationship between innovation analysis and comprehensive economic analysis of enterprises, we selected and grouped the following blocks of performance indicators (Table 1). Indicators of resistance to external factors Assessment of the market situation and prospects due to the growth of innovative activity of competitors, stability assessment Based on the above, it is possible to consider the algorithm for a comprehensive assessment of the efficiency of innovation for small and medium-sized businesses in the construction sector (a flowchart is presented in Figure 1.). This algorithm characterizes the assumptions and results of innovation activity, integrates the calculation and expert methods of assessment, projects the impact of the innovation introduction results on the objective orientation of the enterprise and its production activities, and also implements the functions of analysis and control when making management decisions.
The proposed algorithm of the methodic of a comprehensive assessment of the efficiency of innovation uses economic indicators determined by the reporting of enterprises, and allows not only to assess the dynamics, but also to conduct a factor analysis of the results of innovation activities of enterprises [3]. Forming a system of indicators revealing the innovative activity of construction enterprises, we were guided by the following points: indicators should express the essence of innovative activity of enterprises and give it an accurate quantitative and qualitative assessment; they should be comprehensive and multifaceted, allowing to obtain the broad and diversified characteristics of the state of innovative activity of enterprises; indicators should ensure the reliability, completeness and timeliness of obtaining the initial information for their calculation; indicators should take into account possible changes in the conditions and objectives of innovation activity of enterprises; indicators should be

Results
Since the definition of the state of innovation activity can't be fully mathematically formalized, the most acceptable method, in our opinion, is the method of expert assessment (Delphi method). This approach was chosen due to the fact that the average value is a summing up indicator, an expression of the essence of a number of parameters in one number.
Let's consider the stagewise expert assessment (Table 2). Firstly, the expert group selects and qualitatively analyzes the indicators that have the greatest impact on the innovation activity of the enterprises being assessed. The list of key indicators of innovation activity of enterprises is unique for all of them and is widely represented in the scientific literature [5,6].
The structure of the group can include both employees of these construction enterprises, and external experts who specialize in the area of innovation, the development of innovative projects, and financing of innovation activity. The level of competence of experts should be taken into account at the stage of group formation, and all experts should be considered equally competent.  Assessment of the state of innovation activity is the basis for the development of innovation strategy by construction enterprises with the aim of achieving competitive advantages [7,8].
In our opinion, there are three most important main areas in the innovative activity of construction enterprises:  introduction of resource-saving technologies (process-innovation);  product differentiation based on the offer of new products;  creation of new markets based on the offer of radically high quality products.
In accordance with the proposed methodology for assessing the state of innovation activity, various ways of improvement are possible, depending on the characteristics of the components of innovation activity. The possible states of results of the analysis and the most appropriate solutions are presented in Table 3.
The advantages of this methodology are the objectivity caused by the selection of indicators and determination of the level of their impact on innovation activity, as well as the possibility of a unified assessment of heterogeneous indicators that vary in different directions and with different intensity, and the relative simplicity of calculations and clearness of their presentation [9].
That is why the proposed approach makes it possible to identify the state of innovation activity. And depending on the results of the expert assessment, certain recommendations can be proposed to maintain the existing level or to eliminate the weaknesses.