This page is part of our BIM and the CWMF section.
Step 1: Information Manager
Appoint an Information Manager who will facilitate, manage the transition and develop the organisational BIM Strategy. For large organisations or those with large programme this should be a full time employee or employees. For small organisations or those with an occasional capital expenditure requirement it may be delivered via consultancy. In the initial stages they will assist in determining the Organisation Information Requirements (OIR) in accordance with the asset management strategy. They will input into developing the Project Information Requirements (PIR), Asset Information Requirements (AIR) and the OIR, PIR and AIR combined feed into the project’s Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) which is a key tender document.
Step 2: Develop a plan and adopt ISO 19650
Create a structured BIM Implementation Plan (BIP). This document details everyone’s roles, and define the goals and requirements using the ISO 19650 series of standards.
Step 3: Choose appropriate software and hardware
Equip yourself with an understanding of all the available features so that you can choose the right software for your needs. These include 3D modelling, scheduling and planning, cost estimation and budgeting, efficiency improvement and more. The Information Manager will assist with this assessment. It will also involve establishing a cloud facility to operate the Common Data Environment (CDE) a requirement of ISO 19650.
Step 4: Set Goals
Setting strategic goals for your organisation can help your team stay on track and have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. These goals need to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and mapped onto a timeline. One such goal will be to define success and what that looks like for the organisation.
Step 5: Choose the Team
When forming the team for your BIM project, it is important to define all the roles within the project team. This applies whether the team is made up of employees or part of a consultancy team engaged for a project. This way, everyone knows what is expected of them.
The team dynamic is also crucial in encouraging a positive uptake of the new software and workflows. Team members need to be open to learning from each other and sharing their experiences. A good idea would be to facilitate open learning sessions to encourage such an environment.
As a measure to ensure greater support on an organisational level, there should be some level of communication with the entire staff.
Step 6: Training
New processes and software require support and training on the job.
Step 7: Monitor, Evaluate and Adjust
After you have taken the plunge and implemented BIM, the focus should then turn to improving your processes. This involves monitoring, evaluating, adjusting and repeating.
As you use the software, you will learn more and be able to make improvements to your projects. Reviewing different stages in your projects and making appropriate adjustments along the way will also help to improve the final products.