The “i” is for intelligence.
It is 2017.
By some accounts, BIM or Building Information Modeling, has been around for the better part of two decades. For mass market consumption, that is probably closer to 12 years or so, but still, that is an eternity in Technology terms.
Why then, has adoption been so woefully slow? Tones of white papers have been published about the dreadful state of productivity in the E&C (Engineering & Construction) industry, highlighting the opportunities that exist for those who step out of their comfort zone, and invest in innovation, and yet we largely continue to revert to traditional methods and miss opportunities.
Partly the blame rests with the very makeup of our industry. We are an inherently fragmented group. According to the World Economic Forum, over 80% of the E&C firms in the US employ less than 10 people! We need to collaborate, yet we’re not particularly good at it. Many bemoan the nature of the contracts that define our legal obligations to one another and our liability to the project. We are, in short, not made to collaborate, with the result being that it is all too easy to relegate BIM to what those geeks (I am one, so I can say that) with the 3D models do over in a corner. Sure, we have perfected some workflows, such as MEPF coordination. Any subcontractor worth their mustard is adept at modeling their scope and making sure that it all fits, even if they do so with out an official timeline to do it in, and often with no official budget, because we’ve all agreed it is worth doing. But when is the last time you saw a project where the whole team had a BIM Execution Plan that covered all the players? An IPD here and there probably did, but even then, why a BIM Execution Plan? Shouldn’t it be a Project Execution Plan? Why fragment out the BIM piece? Of course, I think I answered that one above.
That is just half the story though. We also need to take an honest look inwards and discover what else is lurking under the surface. The BIM community has perpetuated the model-driven definition of BIM. Arguing for more and more detail be put into the model, later advocating for LOD as “Level Of Development” not detail, which is all fine and well, I happen to be a big fan of this. Think of it this way: You’re taking a trip. Level Of Detail is how much stuff you pack. Level Of Development is how much you THINK about what you pack. Will you really need that parka in Hawaii? Still, we are cramming that LOD in to a model environment, and we try to convince everyone that the model is the source of truth. How many times have you heard the the “I” in BIM is the important piece? Enough to be sick, I’m sure.
Here is the problem. No matter how many iPads and Data Vaults you scatter at your job site, the building is not being built from a model, but rather sets of CDs and shop drawings. As much as I want it to be, the model is not the contract, the drawings are. The technology has made it so that we can extract the shops and CDs from the model with ease, but we continue to do manual drawing work because the models are really not doing it for us. We blame the software, …Revit won’t let me do… and such.
We are increasingly: Information Rich, but Knowledge Poor.
We lack context and background, and every day we make million dollar decisions under those conditions. Think about that for a minute. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
So, what will it take to incorporate the BIM we know and love into the greater project mindset? A redefining might just do the trick. Sounds trivial, but semantics matter, and Building Information Modeling is loaded with “3D” model.
I would propose “Building Intelligence Management. The act of managing the communication of all project stakeholders about said project, thereby giving context to all decision making.” See that, not a 3D model in sight. A Project Executive can get behind that! Don’t get me wrong, models are an important piece of this puzzle, but not more so than a Submittal or an RFI response, and a model can, and should be part of both those things too. The point is to put the energy into managing the information thereby turning it into knowledge. To that end, collaborations tools are instantly more important than modeling software and the platform options open up.
Currently we predominantly use e-mail for this task, which is outdated at best, but that is a topic for a different blog post.
At BuilderBox we specialize in providing a collaboration platform to Manage your Building Intelligence. Collaborate and Communicate. Document everything. Make Decisions based on Data. Those are the pillars upon which to build great things.
We are committed to creating the best tool for the job and revolutionize how teams manage projects and communicate with one another giving you access to that context I was talking about. Comprehensive, yet open to integrate with your other tools, and with a pricing policy that respects you and your bottom line (unlike those other folks who assume they can ask you for a % of your project budget) even if you’re not building an airport or hospital wing. Low bid to IPD, and everything in between, BuilderBox is the way teams collaborate.
