When we started the CAD Room, our focus was on CAD design services, but the construction industry has moved on in such leaps and bounds in recent years that our focus is now more on building information modelling (BIM). This allows us to offer clients a more comprehensive modelling alternative to CAD and allows everyone involved in the construction project to get a fuller picture of the project throughout the whole building lifecycle.
To take full advantage of everything that BIM can bring to a construction project you need to take the following factors into account:
#1 A Great Framework
There are lots of variables that feed into a BIM project which means that a BIM model can appear complicated to people who are not familiar with it. Therefore, having a robust framework in place, to begin with, is critical as Autodesk recently pointed out: ‘essential to the success of BIM is a concise and well-articulated vision from executive leadership.” They went on to say that this vision should include what the elements of the transformation would be and what it would achieve for the business as a whole. As with any great vision, it should answer the five Ws: Who, What, Where, Why and When.
#2 Clear Goals
If you are in the process of implementing BIM into your organisation, then you will be aware that it will bring about significant change, so having clear goals of what you want to achieve is critical to success. When you are setting out your goals, you need to make sure that not only do they outline the benefits of the project, but also make clear the underlying building and planning philosophy as well.
#3 Get Buy-in From Leaders
Every successful project starts from the top, and so you need to ensure your business leaders are on board right at the beginning of the project. It is highly likely that your employees who are going to be directly affected by BIM will be able to grasp the benefits of BIM more easily – your leadership team may focus instead on the potential challenges.
#4 Don’t Treat Data in Isolation
As we have said before BIM models can be quite complex as they contain a wide range of data inputs which makes planning and execution of the building a lot more efficient than in the past. The data that can be involved in the BIM model includes designer data, environmental data, financial data, geospatial data, legal data, owner data, specifier data and sustainer data.
#5 Collaboration is Key
BIM has to be a collaborative process in order to be successful, especially when it comes to the data, we talked about in the point above. Every level of the organisation has to come together and collaborate on the single model, and the only way to do this is to get a team together that consists of a representative from each area of the business. It also means that all of these people need to communicate throughout the whole project to make sure that it is implemented successfully.
#6 Have the Right Partner on your Side
As you can see the process for a successful BIM implementation is complicated, and so having the right partner on your side is crucial. A specialist BIM company, like ourselves, have the necessary skills and knowledge needed to ensure you do the right thing every step of the way. We can take care of the technical and build-out processes while you concentrate on the more strategic elements.
If you want to ensure your BIM implementation is a success, then please get in touch with us today to see how we can help set you on the path to long-term success.
