A Recipe for BIM

As we kickoff the summer grilling season, think of BIM Implementation like steak...you have to decide not only “what” you want but “how” you want it done.

Hint: unlike your steak, your BIM should always be well done ;-)

Here is how to assemble an appetizing BIM treat:

1.      Define what and how. BIM can be prepared in many different ways so you need to identify not just what the overall goals are, but how you want to consume the information. Talk through what benefits your organization will gain from data-driven decision making. Be specific. What data points would improve decision making on your project(s) and how should they be served? An online dashboard? An excel table? An interactive model? JSON files to interact with other corporate data? Plain old PDFs? Different goals require the model to be prepared differently.

Owners, take note of this first item, you need to be actively involved. Not understanding or being uncomfortable with technology is no excuse. In plain language, you need to clearly communicate what defines success for you before anyone can figure out “how” to get you there.

2.      Organize your content. Implementation plans, consistent naming conventions, shared content locations, and a way to manage content sounds like a big yawn but it has to get done if you are to have any chance to leverage your data efficiently.

3.      Establish process. Defining BIM workflows is critical. If you have five different teams build a digital model of the same thing for you without direction, it will be built (at least) five different ways. You must not only define the end product, but how your team should get there. It matters.

4.      Verify consistency in both content and process. We all need “good” trusted data to drive value-added insights. Consistency allows you to more easily spot valuable outliers and costly inconsistencies. It is also necessary to open up automation possibilities.

If you can follow this recipe, great design collaboration, Design Automation, Augmented Reality, 6D planning, IoT, Gamification, Eliminating Waste, Industrialized Construction and all the other BIM “desserts” are waiting for you.

How would you like your BIM?