IN-HOUSE ADOPTION
Developing a BIM system for an organization in-house might be a slower process in comparison with having an external consultant support. However, in-house BIM implementation has its own long-term benefits. The process can be expedited by identifying or hiring full time resources with experience in implementing BIM in the past.
Implementing BIM in-house without external consulting support involves greater commitment towards the change. The team set-up and time management for the activities required for the initial set-up should be organized with little or no affect to the existing project deadlines.
- One Influencer
Identifying the right lead to influence and encourage the team is the most important part of the process. The BIM lead should be able to provide direction to the tea m with the implementation activities and also educate peers and other managers regarding BIM and its benefits. - Expectations
While implementing BIM with no external support, the most important thing would be to set the goals to be practical and achievable. Setting the right expectations with all executive level staff members is absolutely critical. The only way to approach this is top-down where the management encourages and empowers the staff with required tools and knowledge.- BIM Implementation is a time consuming process and a long-term commitment.
- Adopting BIM requires the organization to go through a learning curve.
- There will be a productivity loss during the early stages.
- Buying the required software is not enough to gain the value of BIM.
- Working with consultants and growing together will be advantageous.
Benefits of in-house adoption
Although it requires more effort to get started in the process, in-house adoption has its own benefits;
- Vigorous learning experience for the team.
- Flexible deadlines based on the existing projects.
- Less budget required up-front.
- No restriction on the deliverables.
HIRING EXTERNAL CONSULTANTS
Taking support from external BIM consultants will help gain the immediate benefits of BIM early in the process. A well managed BIM Consultancy service will help achieve the goals sooner. Ideal BIM Implementation time-line should involve a mixed task-force of both internal and external staff.
Contrary to the in-house BIM adoption, the process and the outcome of use an external BIM consultant is very different. An external BIM consultant can act as the subject matter expert for all things BIM during the time of engagement. However, external consultant activities should be closely monitored by the in-house team lead to ensure that the expected results are achieved.
Level of Involvement
While considering to engage with an external BIM consultant, it is important to understand the level of involvement and draft out the scope of work in detail. However, the ideal engagement should involve the in-house team to work closely with the external consultant to gain the maximum value.
A BIM Consultant’s scope of work is broadly classified into 2 different categories;
Organizational level BIM Support
- This helps the team to get past the steep learning curve quickly.
- The scope of work should include not only the BIM system set-up but also training the team with the required knowledge to use the system.
- Buying the required software is not enough to gain the value of BIM.
- Working with consultants and growing together will be advantageous.
- Organizational BIM Set-up is a time consuming process and it is advisable to avoid Time& Material contracts. (Fixed priced contracts are ideal ).
- Understand all the deliverables provided by the consultant and pick and choose only the ones that will add value to the organization at long-run.
- BIM Maintenance is generally not part of such engagements and should consider having in-house team to carry out such activities.
- Success is measured on the deliverables and not on the productivity gain or loss.
- Outcome is pre-defined and less flexible.
Project Specific BIM Support
- Project specific engagement is much simpler than the organizational level engagement.
- The deliverables should coincide with the project BIM uses such as BIM Models, BIM Coordination & Clash detection etc.
- Having a proper quality control check-list in place for all the deliverables is essential.
- Immediate benefit of BIM is achieved on project specific consulting.
- Working with consultants and growing together will be advantageous.
OPEN BIM
With new technology being developed every year, BIM Models should not be constrained to one software / technology. Open BIM as a concept promotes interoperability between various software programs to enable collaboration regardless the technology used for model authoring.
Being able to share the project information with all stake-holders more collaboratively is the core concept and the benefit of using Building Information Modeling. Open BIM aims at enabling the industry with required tools for such sharing regardless the technology used during authoring.
Benefits of Open BIM
- Enables transparent and seamless information sharing.
- Agnostic approach towards the technology used.
- Process & Standards take precedence over technology.
- Beneficial to all project stakeholders through out the project life-cycle.
- Standardizes BIM communication across the industry.
Standardizing process and formats that affect the industry is a complicated process. Two commonly used standards for open BIM are IFC & COBie.
IFC : Industry Foundation Class
IFC is an open standard is being developed and maintained by buildingSMART. IFC file format has been fairly successful for openBIM and is supported by all major BIM enabled software to various degrees. IFC as a data file format is often perceived as a 3 dimensional model carrying element level information which can be imported and exported (interoperable) into other BIM enabled software.
COBie: Construction Operations Building Information Exchange
While IFC is a 3 Dimensional model based file format, COBie is a non-graphical data organized in a spreadsheet format conveying the same project information as required by project stake holders mostly at the operation & maintenance stage. COBie is gaining prominence as the right direction to integrate BIM with Facility Management systems. The spreadsheet format makes COBie more user-friendly and easy to adopt when understood properly.
Beyond using the right file formats, Open BIM requires a commitment from the project team to follow the set standards and share information neutrally.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Managing the change to BIM for an organization involves activities more than acquiring the license for the software. Implementing BIM should be structured to cover three main aspects : people, process and technology.
First step to succeed in the BIM Implementation is for the organization to realize the importance of this change at all levels. BIM Implementation should be driven by the higher management taking a structured approach to achieve both short term and long term goals.
This can be achieved by having a documented BIM Strategy in place.
BIM implementation strategy should cover the 3 aspects of change people, process and technology. It should also include the key process indicators to monitor the change.
- People
Adapting to a new working environment while meeting the demand for higher quality design is a stressful process. Having a governance model in place to drive the implementation activities is important. Ensuring that everybody involved in the process are aware of the importance of this change and gaining their teams support is the key. - Process
Working in a BIM environment is more than a change in the software technology used. Organizational and project specific work-flows are more collaborative with frequent communication. These procedures should be defined and tested as part of the BIM Strategy. Work-flows should cover both management and technology aspects. - Technology
The most obvious change to deal with during the implementation process is technology. BIM being the center of focus in the construction industry, new BIM software and tools are frequently introduced. Changing the core tools used at an organizational level requires careful analysis of the BIM Capabilities available in the software. Developing a technology upgrade plan as part of BIM Strategy is important.
NOTE:
This is a multiple-part series detailing the complete funtionalities and implementation process of Building Information Modelling (BIM).
Below are the other topics included in the series:
A brief introduction to BIM
How BIM can deliver optimum results
Top 5 areas where BIM can help realise a project’s full potential
Understanding the “I” in BIM
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