Digital plan of work

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a very broad term that describes the process of creating and managing digital information about a building or other facility such as a bridge, highway, tunnel and so on.

In the UK, the Government requires Level 2 BIM, that is, fully collaborative 3D BIM (with all project and asset information, documentation and data being electronic) as a minimum on centrally-procured public projects.

NBS (National Building Specification, owned by RIBA Enterprises Ltd) suggest that under level 2 BIM:

Employers are responsible for defining the deliverables required at each stage of a construction project as a digital plan of work (DPoW). This plan will cover the entire project timeline - from developing a strategy to managing the built asset. … The digital plan of work seeks to ensure that all participants are producing information at the right time and in the right way - using standardised processes and agreed standards and methods.

A digital plan of work can help the project team understand their obligations and ensure appropriate deliverables of geometry, data and other documentation are prepared for the client to enable timely and efficient decision making throughout the life of the project.

Typically, information is submitted to the client at key milestones, described as 'data drops' or 'information exchanges'. Generally, data drops are aligned to project stages, and the information required reflects the level of development that the project should have reached by that stage. This might be considered analogous stage reports on conventional projects.

The BIM toolkit, developed by NBS on behalf of the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) can be used by project teams to help develop a digital plan of work, and provides guidance on information requirements aligned to specific project stages. It can also be used to verify that the required information has been delivered, by identifying correctly classified objects and confirming that the required data is present.