1 - “The model they sent us is shit… it's not very good”

PROBLEMS

• It is very difficult to understand the singularities of a model made by another team without a prior explanation. And this leads us to think that the quality of the model is lower than what it really is.
• Reference standards are sometimes not defined or are very generic. Which makes it even more difficult to understand foreign models and the transfer of information between agents.
• The quality controls on the information in the project models are, in many cases, weak or non-existent. This does cause great real difficulties in taking advantage of the information from the models in the subsequent phases.
• The projects (and therefore, the models) are developed, in some cases, well in advance with respect to the actual start of the work. Which leads us to work on site with models from several years ago when the level of BIM maturity in our environment was still very low.

SOLUTIONS

• Information transfer criteria must be agreed upon correctly from the beginning: Developing a BEP (BIM Execution Plan) and a MIDP (Master Information Delivery Plan) that establishes how this information transfer should be carried out based on the information requirements of the project.
• Singularities and exceptions must be documented and communicated during the development of the modeling work. Working with BCF communication systems between the agents of the different phases, and adding the delivery of a Technical Note that always accompanies each model, are measures that are usually very useful.
• Quality control systems must be implemented and audits carried out periodically on the models to guarantee the validity of the information they contain. In this post we explain how to develop an audit of a BIM model.

2 - "BEP? Of course, which one?"

PROBLEMS

• Contractor or construction companies usually join the project in late phases. At this point, there is already a lot of management work that must have been done correctly, or if not, it must be corrected soon so as not to drag on this lack of coordination.
• Currently, it is common for each team to be immersed in internal implementation processes that, at times, are very rigid and not very permeable to collaboration.**
• In some cases, we work with "Template BEPs" that: are not collaborative or are not born directly from the Information Exchange Requirements of the asset. Therefore, many times they do not comply with them adequately, and they are not led nor coordinated by the owner or manager of the asset (or the person designated by him). As recommended by the ISO 19650 Standard. In this link you can download a diagram of this Standard.

SOLUTIONS

• The application of the BIM methodology is even more effective when contracted based on collaborative principles such as Integrated Project Delivery. And also if you work based on agile management methodologies such as Lean Construction or the Last Planner System. These systems also encourage the incorporation of construction companies in the early phases of the project, which usually results in greater efficiency and profitability in execution.
• Each project must be analyzed independently and set objectives that all agents involved are capable of successfully achieving.
• The assignment of responsible for BIM management and the distribution of responsibilities is essential to guarantee coordination.

3 - “They are very good, but they do not work in BIM”

PROBLEMS

• It is common, and even positive, that contractor or construction companies usually work with those companies they know or with which they have already worked before. But, sometimes, whoever "chooses" these companies does not know enough about the BIM methodology to take it with a key factor and that can be a mistake.
• When we ask someone who has not worked in BIM to do it, we feel responsible if the results are not what was expected.

SOLUTIONS

• We must lose the fear of asking to work in BIM methodology from our partners or sub-contractors. For a BIM project to not be successful, it is enough that only one of the main teams cannot or does not want to work in this methodology. BIM is the present and, by requesting it or establishing it as a requirement, we will be helping others not to be left behind.
• It is also true that in order to request it, we must first implement it ourselves. Sometimes, when the relationship between different companies is close and this proximity is not wanted, a joint and shared implementation is possible and recommended, which fundamentally favors the result of the collaboration and provides benefits to both companies.

4 - “All this BIM stuff seems very good to me, but where does this Fan-Coil go?”

PROBLEMS

• BIM models are a great source of information, but this information may be inaccessible to personnel not trained in BIM or who do not have the necessary tools.
• All construction personnel must have knowledge that allows them to understand how the methodology affects their daily work, and how they can take advantage of the benefits that this new way of working offers them. This is not always feasible or easy due to the large rotation and participation of different teams and personnel on site.

SOLUTIONS

• For information from BIM models to be truly useful, it must arrive filtered and simplified at the time it is needed and in the place it is needed.
• It is important to know what are the realities of "the last person" to whom the information in the models is directed, and who is normally an operator standing on a ladder or scaffolding. For this reason, it will be necessary to adapt the delivery formats listening to the needs of the operator and ensure that this information is transmitted clearly and without errors.
• It is also necessary that the team training plans be realistic and adapted. A single course on modeling platforms will never train our construction staff to understand what are the unique characteristics that occur when a work is carried out applying the BIM methodology. Therefore, it is very important, especially in these early phases, to have the figure of a BIM consultant/implementer within each technical office, who has a BIM Implementation and monitoring Plan adapted to the needs of the project and the team.

5 - “Sorry, did you call me? I was in the basement and there is no coverage there.”

PROBLEMS

• More and more BIM management and visualization tools aimed at "the cloud" are being developed. This is actually a positive point since this way you could always get the latest updated and shared version of the models. But the truth is that today the cloud does not reach everywhere, and the works are often that part.
• On the other hand, it is common that the computer equipment and devices used in the work are obsolete equipment or simply not suitable for the development of a project using BIM methodology. We spend a lot on cell phones, and little on PCs or computers.

SOLUTIONS

• The BIM objectives or uses must be adapted to the facilities in which it is going to be developed or, if possible and profitable, adapt the facilities to the proposed BIM uses (advance the installation of mobile signal repeaters, set up temporary telecommunications installations...).
• Technological implementation studies must be developed in the contracting companies, in order to guarantee that the equipment is appropriate for the development proposed. The investment made in equipment often more than offsets the waste of time caused by working with outdated equipment.

At ATBIM, as experts in BIM implementations in contractor and construction-oriented companies, we recommend that you take these points into account before starting an implementation, and contact us if you have any questions or think we can help you.