Engineering the Future: Evaluation of Virtual Reality Across Project Lifecycle Stages

Management in the current era is strongly supported by a range of advanced technologies that enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness. One particularly promising technology is Virtual Reality (VR). This exploratory study investigates the perceived practicality of VR across the systems engineering project lifecycle, providing quantitative insights into how VR is valued at different stages and by various user profiles. Drawing on data from n = 56 professionals, the study employs advanced analytical methods like GLM, CFA, SEM, CATPCA, and CHAID classification trees to extract insights from the dataset. Results reveal that the perceived utility of VR varies significantly across project stages, with the training and proposal phases receiving the highest ratings, and early planning stages such as specification and requirement definition rated the lowest. A unidimensional structure of VR practicality was validated, with strong factor loadings for stages involving prototyping and testing. Key predictors of perceived practicality included willingness to adopt VR (positive effect), familiarity with VR (mixed effects), and education level (negative effect). While traditional demographic variables had limited explanatory power, experiential and psychological factors—such as hands-on VR exposure and openness to innovation—emerged as critical determinants of perceived value. These findings offer an empirically grounded framework for the strategic implementation of VR in systems engineering. Practically, this research guides decisions on resource allocation by identifying the specific project stages (e.g., training, proposal development) and user profiles (e.g., those open to adoption, those with specific experiential backgrounds) where VR is likely to provide the most significant benefit and return on investment.