Do you have what it takes to make BIM a strategic initiative in your firm? Are you ready to start winning new business with BIM, performing effectively and profitably, and offering the Owner a better experience? Vico can help.
During the last five years, Vico’s customers proved for themselves the benefits of BIM. Innovation drove new project wins, customers exploited 3D modeling, clash detection, model-based coordination, rigorous content planning, multi-model management, change management, and model-derived block drawings.
Some went further into 5D with model-derived quantity takeoff, cost estimating, and location-based scheduling.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Vico customers who “went the deepest” are the same companies who reaped the most benefit from the technology. They literally picked the jobs they wanted to win, developed the best plans, recruited the best teams, executed more effectively in the field, and delivered a new and exciting owner experience.
So how do you get started?
Contractors from all over the world turn to Vico for advice about getting started with 5D BIM. Our specailist cosnultants at Synergy Software Systems jhav eworked in the ocnstrucitonindustry and know what GCs need to successfully implement BIM within their organizations.
Stephen Strickland, one of Vico Software’s onsite project managers, recently offered his recommendations for contractors who are considering the impact of BIM. Stephen began his career in law, but got the construction bug watching buildings go up in Detroit. He quickly became involved with BIM while working for a large General Contractor where he served as a project BIM manager and helped outline new implementation processes.
1.Listen to Coach Wooden:
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden always told his players “failing to prepare is preparing to fail” – I think contractors should always keep this phrase in mind when making decisions about BIM. When you combine the rampant inefficiency that has plagued the construction industry with the advent of modern technology, the shift toward BIM as the hub of project information is not a matter of IF, but rather a matter of when and how. If you have not already started building an infrastructure to develop the knowledge, skills, and workflows required for BIM implementation, then you are preparing to fail.
2. Every Project is an Opportunity:
No excuse! Utilize BIM in some way on every project you perform. Pick one BIM use and apply it on a single floor or area of a building, to gain practical knowledge and experience that will benefit your company in the long run. While each individual pilot implementation may only seem like a small step, the accumulated value of the knowledge and experience gained from such exercises will be exponential when applied across your entire organization.
3. Involve Everyone:
The phrase “lonely BIM” was coined to describe parties utilizing BIM in isolation on a project. Avoid thiswhen you implement BIM within your own company. The development of an effective BIM strategy requires personnel from all parts of your organization to contribute the information and feedback necessary to shape the integration of BIM into standard workflows. At a minimum, at least one person from each operational unit should participate in some manner to guide your BIM strategy – don’t just leave it all to “the BIM guy.”
4. Master Your Information:
If you want to fully leverage the power of BIM, you must develop an organized and systematic approach to classify building elements and data. While BIM provides the platform to efficiently integrate and analyze huge amounts of project information, the output will only be useful when the proper relationships are established between data and objects within the model. Investing time and resourcesto thoroughly understand and organize all the data your company utilizes throughout the project lifecycle will enable you to map this data to objects and unlock the full capabilities of BIM.
5. BIM is Not a Volunteer Activity:
For BIM initiatives beyond the project level, the prevailing mindset is to leave it up to “internal champions” to take up BIM as a personal cause and lead the charge for awareness and change within the organization. While such people are essential to the success of BIM, even the most passionate individuals cannot succeed unless they are provided with dedicated time within work hours. BIM is far too important to be developed only by volunteers in their spare time – if you want to make BIM a priority, find the right people within your company and find a way to incorporate BIM into their weekly job responsibilities.
