To you and yours…  A heartfelt Holiday wish…

Wishing you a joyous Christmas and a very happy New Year

Mark

I have been asked what a good candidate project might be for a new pilot in BIM.  Here are my thoughts.

The whole point is to learn the tools not the become a design champion.

Project duration should be neither too short nor too long. 1-2 months is short – 12-18 months is long. This would be just straight design time, not including agency review time.

Project Size and Scope:
A smaller job is better, first time out.
A small job to me would be 30,000  to 50,000 sq feet.
A mid-size job may be up to 150,000 sq feet
Multiple stories adds complexity. Single story projects are better.

A project that has all phases is better, SD, DD, CD, etc.  but not required. Stopping in DD would not provide the bang for the buck that the CD phase may see.

Level of complexity: should be neither complex or boring. It just needs to not have any wildly creative components. Complex wall canting or expanses of storefronts may be a problem. Tight spaces may be a concern. Creative internal vertical circulation may be a concern. A good candidate may be a single use building that is fairly square, modern in style with not a lot of ornamentation. Pick something bland.

Construction Cost: Design fee and schedule are key indicators to see if the job can handle the impact of learning a new tool. Can some hours be lost in the learning curve and not felt?

The Client: should embrace or allow for the use of new technology. If they are only focused on speed – it may be a problem.

If the client is providing CAD files, it may actually hamper the process if they think it will make the team run faster by starting with CAD.

Consultants: need to be using or understand the impact of Revit on data exchange.

Project Team Members: Defining the project team allows us to see who is in the mix and if they can be focused on this project only.   splitting time between BIM and non-BIM projects may cause frustration.  If any have experience in Revit that is a plus. Training time will need to be set aside, can the team do it?

In general, I think that BIM causes people to work together.

CAD processes are made up of individual tasks.  These tasks are divided into individual files.  I can work on one area of a facility without even thinking about other areas of the building.  There is little need to interact with others (until they find out that I have done something that impacts them).

BIM processes are collective tasks.  They are gathered into one model.  I cannot work on one area of the model without it impacting other areas.  I have to work together with others.

When a CAD team creates a work plan, they divide the work up into tasks and assign them to the team members.  The team then scatters back to their desks and starts working on the individual files and may not interact until their task is completed.

When a BIM team creates a work plan, they define who is doing what and how they will interact with each other to get the model updated.  Even when the team goes back to their desks, they need to interact even in the middle of their tasks.

I did a survey and asked the above question.  Here are some of the answers I received:

• Hired as the CAD manager then implemented  BIM
• Hired after doing BIM consulting and training
• Happened to be the most BIM savvy at the firm at the time. Was an architect who helped implement Revit in a firm and then looked for a firm to do BIM Management full-time.
• Started as a CAD Manager and moved more into BIM
• I am a Recovering Architect who moved into CAD support due to me being good with technology (and an admittedly crappy architect). Learned as much as possible and moved up the ranks.
• Directly applied after seeing it on a job board and also sent a copy of my app to a person who works at the firm (through a network contact)
• Advanced through projects using Revit, firm noticed abilities and moved me up.
• Migrate from CAD Manager
• Headhunted
• Previously the IT/CAD Manager in our firm. Took charge of exploring the option of going to BIM and I am the most technically savvy person in our office. The role just fell on my shoulders.
• Purely by chance and having experience in the software.

After reviewing the more than 60 answers, I came up with the following:

Summary of how most people come to be BIM Managers

• Most grew into it from within the firm
• Some hired into it from outside
• Some create the position and fill it
• Some were forced into it – or took it on by default
• Some were already doing CAD Support and you expanded to BIM
• Most achieved the title via software skills and knowledge

BIM Project Execution Planning Guide

The Computer Integrated Construction Research Program at Pennsylvania State University

From the site…

“This BIM Project Execution Planning Guide is a product of the BIM Project Execution Planning buildingSMART alliance™ (bSa) Project. The bSa is charged with developing the National Building Information Modeling Standard™ (NBIMS). This guide was developed to provide a practical manual that can be used by project teams for designing their BIM strategy and developing a BIM Project Execution Plan. The core modeling and information exchange concepts are developed to complement the long term goals of the bSA in the development of a standard that can be implemented throughout the AECOO Industry to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of BIM implementation on projects.”

It may be more than you need -but it is worth the read…

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