As part of our series of posts looking at the UK BIM Alliance, “Going Digital: A Guide for Construction Clients” – released this month – we are going to look at Module 2: Strategy Making. If you remember, Module One was about the client becoming aware of what BIM is and the scope of work it can be applied to. The next stage is concerned with identifying the benefits of BIM for contractors that will be the most useful for your business. This is a high-level exercise which relies heavily on the identification of key advisors with BIM skills being in place so that they can guide the whole process.

Benefits of BIM

The benefits of adopting BIM will actually vary for each client you have as every business is individual. Let’s say your client core activity is construction, and they work with a lot of assets. The benefits they will see from BIM are wide-ranging and the issue they will have is in developing a clear road-map outlining which digital strategies they are going to use. On the other hand, if your client is only an occasional developer whose plan is to develop the asset and then sell it on completion, the benefits they get from adopting BIM will depend on the buyers they sell to, and whether they need data to assist them in their space management.

Draw up a Roadmap

Once you understand the business model of your client, and what benefits of digital working are most relevant to them, then you can start looking at a plan of how to move them into a more digital way of working. The roadmap will need to take into account the way the client wants to learn (before project launch or during the project), and what resources the client will need to enable their office to adopt digital working successfully. Then, digital standards can be drafted during the project that will make future projects more accessible.

Identify ROI

One of the most important things to do at this stage is to identify the ROI that clients will receive from adopting a more digital way of working, as this can help with BIM adoption. Again, the ROI will differ by the client, with benefits such as speed of project completion, and whole-life performance of the asset coming into play. This is why this module needs to be a high-level matter as client goals will need to be taken into account.

This step is critical in the whole BIM process, as it will not only help to avoid repetition of discussion but also make the progression of the digital strategy much more manageable. It also leads nicely into the next module, which deals with the equipping of the client office.

If you need any help with your BIM adoption, whatever area of construction you are in, then please get in touch with us today.