Last edited 21 Oct 2023

Benefits of embracing a BIM execution plan

[edit] Benefits of BIM execution plans

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has revolutionised the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. With BIM, a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a facility is created, which serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about the facility. This collaboration and information sharing is enabled by adopting a BIM execution plan.

A BIM execution plan defines the processes, workflows, software platforms, and asset information requirements needed to deliver a BIM-enabled project. It sets out the roadmap for integrated project delivery using BIM. Embracing a comprehensive BIM execution plan offers many advantages:

A BIM execution plan allows different project stakeholders - owners, architects, engineers, contractors - to coordinate their work in a collaborative environment. It defines who is responsible for generating which BIM deliverable and when. With a unified workflow, clashes are detected earlier and schedule delays prevented, resulting in significant time and cost savings.

BIM enables virtual construction of a facility prior to its actual physical construction. Clashes and errors can be detected and fixed digitally in the design stage rather than expensively during construction. This results in fewer change orders and less rework on site. The execution plan optimises uses of BIM for efficiency gains across project lifecycle.

The execution plan institutes standards, specifications and processes for quality assurance of BIM deliverables. With defined model formatting, coordinate systems and level of detail, BIM models are created with greater accuracy. They are subject to quality control checks, improving the quality of the virtual model and the actual physical asset.

A defined BIM execution plan allows project teams to identify risks early and implement mitigation measures proactively. The plan mandates create risk logs, design reviews and clash detection that reduce surprises and prevent errors during construction. This improves overall project risk management.

The plan fosters a more collaborative, transparent and integrated workflow between project stakeholders. Responsibilities of design team members are clarified upfront in the plan. Platforms like common data environments ease real-time sharing of BIM models, plans and other project documents, enhancing team communication.

The BIM execution plan ensures the 3D model developed during project design and construction has all the needed information structured correctly for hand off to facility management teams. This enables further use of model for operations, maintenance and management over the entire lifecycle of the asset.

A well-defined BIM execution plan can serve as the basis for process standardisation across an organisation or even sector-wide standardisation. Standardised ways of working using BIM enables streamlining of workflows and improves quality through repetition on multiple projects.

Clearly, embracing a BIM execution plan unlocks many advantages over the project lifecycle, from design and construction to handover and operations. As BIM adoption increases, a plan will help solidify standardised ways of working and ensure robust information exchange between project teams and stakeholders. With appropriate investment in its development, the gains of following the BIM execution plan will far outweigh the costs across the board.