The tale
A while ago, I worked on a project where a ‘BIM Execution Plan’ was required and this pleasure fell upon myself. The client had engaged a design consultant as the project ‘BIM Consultant’.
I prepared the document and forwarded it to the client and their consultant for review & approval.
The feedback was essentially that the document was unsatisfactory and needed further work.
I requested more details on where it was lacking, or exactly what additional information was required.
However, it quickly became apparent that they just expected a thicker, heavier document.
I guess they were looking for the satisfying & reassuring ‘thwunk’ of document hitting desk and a value-for-money feel-good. The content wasn’t so important.
In the end, both the client and consultant couldn’t identity any significant deficiencies or omissions. I wasn’t going to back down or volunteer for extra, pointless work. They sheepishly accepted the document with just a few token changes to make it look like their feedback had been incorporated (and the consultant could justify their fees).
Less is More
Unfortunately, this seems to be a common occurrence in the BIM world, both in specifications and in plans which are bloated with every conceivable requirement & minor detail, or just plain waffle. Many BIM plans are more of a CAD manual or training handbook.
I prefer a minimum of detail, with a focus on the stuff that really matters. So although my plan did have a sparse, maybe spartan feel about it, it included all the important information.
It sounds like a cheesy advert for luxury goods, but quality really is more important than quantity. My post ‘Less is More” describes this in more detail.
Why, not how
A plan should not cover detailed steps on how BIM is done, but should clearly define what needs to be achieved, and why, who does it & when.
Tips for BIM Plans
- Focus on the important i.e what must be done
- Focus on outcomes, not method
- Specify who does what and when (not so much how)
- Don’t get bogged down in too much detail, especially ‘LOD’ or ‘model element author’ matrices or clash detection processes.
- Don’t use an off-the-shelf template.
- Write your own plan- an external BIM Consultant can’t do it for you.
- Use plain language with a minimum of acronyms and jargon.
- Write it once, then go back through it and delete all the stuff that is not essential.
Andrew Hannell: POV 