MT - Using BIM as a PM Tool: 1.2- Problem Definition

BIM is argued to be “a catalyst for change, poised to reduce industry's fragmentation, improve its efficiency/effectiveness and lower the high costs of inadequate interoperability” (Succar, 2009: p. 357). Studies show that there has been an important growth on the use of BIM software in the recent years (AIA, 2009; McGraw-Hill, 2008 and McGraw-Hill, 2010).

In the USA, as of 2008 and according to AIA (2009), 34% of registered AIA members have purchased a BIM software package, percentage that doubles the numbers of 3 years before (Ibid). It is important to remember the definition of BIM used on the previous section comprises not only tools but also the adoption of new processes, so the data expressing “use of BIM” has to be analyzed with caution for it is not clear if it refers only to the use of BIM software or to the holistic approach to BIM that this dissertation is interested in.

Regardless of this difficulty analysing the data, the penetration rates (McGraw-Hill, 2010a) show the relevance that the technology is gaining in some countries. But not all countries embrace it at the same pace. As it can be seen on Figure 1.2, North America is ahead of Europe on BIM adoption rates.

Figure 1.2 BIM Adoption Rates in North America and Europe
After McGraw-Hill, 2010a)

On the other hand, and despite the great increase in Journal Articles about BIM in recent years (Figure 1.3), Project Management Literature has tended to ignore the topic of BIM. Only Bansal (2011) and Benjoaran (2009) mention this concept in the International Journal of Project Management. The only mention found on the Project Management Institute literature –the Project Management Journal and PMI organised Conferences- is a conference paper by Lee (2008) that briefly mentions the possible beneficial outcomes of using BIM from the Project Manager point of view.
BIM is becoming a relevant topic of research in recent years (Figure 1.3) but none of this increase in interest on the topic has arrived to PM specialised literature (Table 1.2). Research is thus needed on the role of BIM as a Project Management [PM] tool. Most of the potential benefits of BIM mentioned on the previous section of this chapter are key aspects of the role of a Project Manager (PMI, 2004), for this reason PM literature should no longer ignore this topic and join other scholars on analyzing the potential benefits of implementing BIM in construction projects.

Figure 1.3 Evolution of the Number of Journal Articles Mentioning BIM

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MT - Using BIM as a PM Tool: 1.1- Background

The author of this Master Thesis has always been interested in the implementation of ICT in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction [AEC] Industry. During the last decade, the major shift in ICT for the AEC industry has been the proliferation of Building Information Modelling [BIM] in industrial and academic circles as the “new CAD paradigm” (Succar, 2009).

BIM is currently the most common denomination for a new way of approaching the design, construction and maintenance of Buildings. Different authors and commercial firms have chosen to name this new approach in different ways (Table 1.1) but they all refer to the same concept that will be referred always on this dissertation as BIM.

There is not a single definition of what BIM is. Some scholars define it as “a set of interacting policies, processes and technologies generating a methodology to manage the essential building design and project data in digital format throughout the building's life-cycle” (Succar, 2009: p. 357). Other scholars prefer to define it using papers by commercial BIM vendors. Aouad et al. (2006) used the following definition: “building information model (BIM) is a computer model database of building design information, which may also contain information about the building’s construction, management, operations and maintenance” (Graphisoft 2003, cited in Aouad et al., 2006: p. 5). Other software vendors have also stated their own definitions of BIM such as “create and operate on digital databases for collaboration, manage change [...] and capture and preserve information for reuse by additional industry-specific applications” (Autodesk, 2002 : p. 2). For the purpose of this dissertation the author would like to use his own definition of BIM that encompasses the most common accepted views on the topic.

Building Information Modelling [BIM] is the most commonly used term to describe a set of parametric CAD tools and processes for the creation and maintenance of an integrated collaborative database of multi-dimensional information regarding the design, construction and/or operations of a building, with the purpose of improving collaboration between stakeholders, reducing the time needed for documentation of the project and producing more predictable project outcomes.

Table 1.1 Widely used terms related to BIM

(after Succar, 2009 : p. 359)

Although it is sometimes understood that BIM is only the software platform and that all the inter-organizational integrated processes should receive other names (like Integrated Design, Integrated Project Delivery, etc), when referring to BIM in this dissertation, the reader should always understand that BIM refers to the previous definition of tools and processes and never to just the software tools that allow the geometrical modelling and the input of information. It is the understanding of the author, that this holistic definition embraces all the potential of BIM and offers a better understanding of all its scope.

Defining the term though, is not the purpose of this dissertation. As we will see in the following section, despite the potential benefits that we can infer from the previous definition, the implementation of BIM and the perception of its benefits is not equal everywhere (AIA, 2009; McGraw-Hill, 2008 and McGraw-Hill, 2010). This disparity between potential benefits and acceptance is the starting point for our problem definition.

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MT - Using BIM as a PM Tool: 1.- Introduction

The development of a construction project goes through several stages and requires a wide range of services (Clough et al., 2008). During any project, there will be reciprocal interdependencies between different stakeholders, such as financing bodies, authorities, architects, engineers, lawyers, contractors, suppliers and tradesmen (Ibid.). Another driver in the project-management domain causing an increase in reciprocal interdependencies is the rise in concurrent engineering [CE] (Williams 1999).

To this inherent complexity of stakeholders we must add that construction projects are becoming much more complex and difficult (Chan et al., 2004; Williams, 2002; Alshawi and Ingirige, 2003). The big size of projects is traditionally seen as the cause of project complexity (Williams 2002) although it is argued that it is not the size itself but aspects derived from the size of the project - like number of stakeholders or number of project management tools and methods – that contribute to project complexity (Bosch-Rekveldt et al. 2010).

On the other hand, studies show that while productivity in other industries has increased considerably in the last 40 years, the productivity of the construction industry has actually been steadily decreasing.

Fig. 1.1 – Construction and Non-Farm Labour Productivity Index (Teicholz, 2004)

To cope with the increasing complexity of projects, information and communication technology [ICT] has been developing at a very fast pace (Taxén and Lilliesköld, 2008). This uptake in ICT did not bring yet all the expected benefits to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction [AEC] Industry (Majer et al. 2010), such as an important increase in Labour Productivity. This could be because the human ability to cope with these complexities has not developed at the same rate as ICT (Taxén and Lilliesköld, 2008), or because the implementation of ICT alone is not enough and the industry needs a shift into a new way of working.

In any case, understanding what ICT can do to help industry professionals cope with the increased complexity of projects is key to reach successful project outcomes and could be the key to increase the overall productivity of the industry. Any changes in tools and also in processes that may help the Construction Industry shift its tendency towards higher productivity should be considered and studied in detail.


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Master Thesis Abstracts of the IPM course available online

The HfT has a repository of all (or most) of the abstracts of the students master thesis available online.Català - Castellano - Deutsch
Not so long ago, I published here the summary of my Master Thesis on the Topic of BIM for Project Management. We have been told today that all abstracts are now available on the School website, so I thought I'd share the link to it so you can see the summary in pdf and properly edited form.

You can see the Abstract of my Master Thesis named "Using BIM as a Project Management Tool - How can BIM help the delivery of complex construction projects" here.

For all the other abstracts, see this page. The quality of the Master Thesis varies as it happens in any course. Two of the ones I know where pretty well done (besides mine ;P) are the ones by Jürgen M. Volm on Risk Management (focused in Germany) and the one from Ralf Schulmeister on how to implement Lean Management in Germany.

Since I posted the summary and references I got a lot of inquiries about the Master Thesis and I am very happy to answer those questions. If you need any help writing or researching a similar topic, please contact me and I'll do my best to guide you on the hard process of academic research.

Cheers.

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(References) Using BIM as a Project Management Tool: How Can BIM improve the delivery of Complex Construction Projects?

List of references used for my Master Thesis
Català - Castellano - Deutsch
If you are looking into researching the topics of BIM and Project Management, maybe some of the references I used for my Master Thesis might be useful for you. So here they come.

• Alshawi, B. and Ingirige, B. (2003) “Web-enabled project management an emerging paradigm in construction”. Automation in Construction. Volume 12, pp.349-364.
• Atkinson, R. (1999) “Project management: cost, time and quality, two best guesses and a phenomenon, it’s time to accept other success criteria”
• Autodesk (2002) Building information Modelling.
• Autodesk (2007) BIM and cost Estimating.
• Aouad, G.; Lee, A. and Wu, S. (2006) Constructing the Future: nD Modeling. London, UK and New York, USA: Taylor and Francis.
• AIA (2009) The Business of Architecture: An AIA Survey Report on Firm Characteristics.
• Allison, H (2010) “10 Reasons Why Project Managers should Champion 5D BIM software” VICO Software.
• Architect’s Journal (2009). CAD - The greatest advance in construction history.
• Baccarini (1996) “The concept of project complexity - a review”. International Journal of Project Management. Volume 14, pp. 201-204.
• Bansal, VK (2011) “Application of geographic information systems in construction safety planning”. International Journal of Project Management. Volume 29, pp. 66-77.
• Bayo-Moriones, A. and Lera-López, F. (2007) “A firm-level analysis of determinants of ICT adoption in Spain”. Technovation. Volume 27, pp. 352-366
• Benjaoran, V. (2009) “A cost control system development. A collaborative approach for small and medium-sized contractors”. International Journal of Project Management. Volume 27, pp. 270-277.
• Bentley (2003) Does the Building Industry Really Need to Start Over?
• Bosch-Rekveldt, M.; Jongkind, Y.; Mooi, H.; Bakker, H. and Verbraeck, A. (2010) “Grasping project complexity in large engineering projects: The TEO (Technical, Organizational and Environmental) framework. International Journal of Project Management. Article in Press
• Broquetas, M. (2010a) From CAD to BIM: Part I - History of CAD.
• Broquetas, M. (2010b) From CAD to BIM: Part II - History of CAD.
• BSI (2010) Constructing the Business Case. Building Information Modelling. London and Surrey, UK: British Standards Institution and BuildingSMART UK.
• Chan, A. P. C.; Scott, D. and Chan, A. P. L. (2004), “Factors Affecting the Success of a Construction Project”. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. Volume 130, pp, 153-155.
• Clough, R.H.; Sears, G.A. and Sears, S.K. (2008) Construction Project Management. A Practical Guide to Field Construction Management. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.
• Eastman, C. (1999) Building Product Models: Computer Environments Supporting Design and Construction, CRC Press, Boca Raton FL
• Eastman, C. and Siabiris, A. (1995) “A generic building product model incorporating building type information” Automation in Construction. Volume 3, pp. 283-304.
• e-Business Watch (2006) A Pocketbook of e-Business Indicators. A portrait of e-business in 10 sectors of the EU economy
• Europapress (2010) El 66 por ciento de los españoles no habla inglés, según un estudio. Europapress
• European Commission (2009) COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT on the implementation of Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Forcada, N.; Casals, M.; Roca, X. and Gangolells, M. (2007) “Adoption of web databases for document management in SMEs of the construction sector in Spain” Automation in Construction. Volume 16, pp. 411-424.
• Fortune, J. and White, D. (2006) “Framing of project critical success factors by a systems model”. International Journal of Project Management. Volume 24, pp. 53-65.
• Fox, S. and Hietanen, J. (2007) “Interorganizational use of building information models: potential for automational, informational and transformational effects”. Construction Management and Economics. Volume 25, pp. 289-296.
• Given, l.M. (2008) The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods. Volume 1&2. SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
• Grilo, A. and Jardim-Goncalves, R. (2010) “Value proposition on interoperability of BIM and collaborative working environments”. Automation in Construction. Volume 19, pp. 522-530.
• Haymaker, J. and Fischer, M. (2001) “Challenges and Benefits of 4D Modeling of the Walt Disney Concert Hall Project”. CIFE Working Paper #64. Stanford University.
• Holzer, D. (2007) “Are you talking to me? Why BIM alone is not the answer” Association of Architecture Schools Australasia Conference, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
• IAI (2010a) BuildingSMART International
• IAI (2010b) Information Delivery Manual
• Kadefors, A. (2004) “Trust in project relationships—inside the black box”. International Journal of Project Management. Volume 22, pp 175-182.
• Kaner, I.; Sacks, R.; Kassian, W. and Quitt, T. (2008) “Case studies of BIM adoption for precast concrete design by mid-sized structural engineering firms”. ITCon. Volume 13 pp. 303-323.
• Khanzode, A.; Fischer, M. and Reed, D. (2008) “Benefits and lessons learned of implementing building virtual design and construction (VDC) technologies” ITCon. Volume 13 pp. 324-342.
• Khemlani, L.; Timmerman, A.; Benne, B. And Kalay, Y.E. (1998) “Intelligent representation for computer-aided building design”. Automation for Construction, Volume 8, pp. 49-71.
• Lancaster, G. (2005) Research methods in Management. A Concise Introduction to research in management and business consultancy. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.
• Lawson, B. (2002) “CAD and Creativity: Does the Computer Really Help?” Leonardo, Volume 35, pp. 327-33
• Lee, C. (2008) BIM: Changing the AEC Industry: PMI Global Congress 2008--North America. Proceeding. Denver, Colorado, USA: Project Management Institute.
• Leicht, R. and Messner, J. (2008) “Moving Toward An ‘Intelligent’ Shop Modeling Process” ITCon. Volume 13 pp. 286-302.
• Maning and Messner (2008) “Case Studies In BIM Implementation For Programming Of Healthcare Facilities” ITCon. Volume 13 pp. 446-457.
• Maunula (2008) “The Implementation of Building Information Modeling – A Process Perspective”. Helsinki University of Technology SimLab Publications. Report 23.
• Maurer, I. (2010) “How to build trust in inter-organizational projects: The impact of project staffing and project rewards on the formation of trust, knowledge acquisition and product innovation”. International Journal of Project Management. Volume 28, pp. 629-637.
• McGraw-Hill (2008) Building Information Modelling (BIM). Transforming Design and Construction to Achieve Greater Industry Productivity
• McGraw-Hill (2009) The Business Value Of BIM. Getting Building Information Modeling to the Bottom Line.
• McGraw-Hill (2010a) The Business Value of BIM in Europe. Getting Building Information Modelling to the Bottom Line in the United Kingdome, France and Germany.
• McGraw-Hill (2010b) Green BIM. How Building Information modeling is contributing to green design and construction.
• Nitithamyong, P. and Skibniewski, M.J (2004) “Web-based construction project management systems: how to make them successful?” Automation for Construction, Volume 13, pp. 491-506
• Onuma. K. (2009) “The BIM Ball –Evolve or Dissolve. Why Architects and The AIA are at Risk of Missing the Boat on Building Information Modeling (BIM)”. BIM Construct.
• PMI (2004) A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). Third Edition. Newton Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute.
• Pratt, M.J. (2001) “Introduction to ISO 10303 - the STEP Standard for Product Data Exchange” Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering. Volume 1, pp. 102-103.
• Ricadela, A. (2007) “LinkedIn Reaches Out”. Businessweek.
• Succar, B. (2009) “Building information modelling framework: A research and delivery foundation for industry stakeholders”. Automation for Construction. Volume 18, pp. 357-375.
• Taxén, L. and Lilliesköld, J. (2008) “Images as action instruments in complex projects”. International Journal of Project Management. Volume 26, pp. 527-536.
• Teicholz, P. (2004) “Labor Productivity Declines in the Construction Industry: Causes and Remedies”. AECbytes.
• Volm, J.M. (2010) Research Methods in Project Management [lecture notes] Deciding on the Research Approach & Choosing a Research Strategy. Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart. Stuttgart, June 2010.
• Wikipedia (2010) Building Information Modelling
• Williams, R. and Edge, D. (1996) “The social shaping of technology”. Research Policy. Volume 25, pp 865-899.
• Williamns, T.M. (1999) “The need for new paradigms for complex projects”. International Journal of Project Management. Volume 17, pp. 269-273.
• Williams, T. (2002) Modeling Complex Projects, London, UK: Wiley.
• Yessios, C.I. (2004) “Are We Forgetting Design?” AECbytes.

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(Summary) Using BIM as a Project Management Tool: How Can BIM improve the delivery of Complex Construction Projects?

The summary of my master thesis. More to come soon.
Català - Castellano - Deutsch
See the previous post for more information on the Master Thesis and to see the Power Point presentation I used. Here you will find a brief summary of the thesis (the thesis has 22000 words). I am now in talks to publish the MT in a scientific journal. If that happens I guess I will not be allowed to publish it here, if it doesn't happen, then i am planning to publish it by Chapters or sections here.

Master Thesis Summary:

Building Information Modelling [BIM] is the most commonly used term to describe a set of parametric tools and processes for the creation and maintenance of an integrated collaborative database of multi-dimensional information regarding the design, construction and/or operations of a building, with the purpose of improving collaboration between stakeholders, reducing the time needed for documentation of the project and producing more predictable project outcomes.

Although the rates of companies adopting BIM (McGraw-Hill, 2010a) and the research about the topic has been steadily increasing in recent years, there is very few literature analysing the topic from the Project Management point of view.

To try to fill this void, this dissertation attempted to analyse BIM from the Project Management point of view. The research started with the mission to answer a double research question: “Is BIM a Project Management Tool? How can BIM help Project Managers succeed in delivering complex construction projects?” To answer this, the author analyzed relevant literature, analyzed the benefits of implementing BIM in 35 different construction projects and reviewed the opinions of AEC professionals collected through questionnaires.

The research was successful on proving that BIM is a relevant tool for Project Managers because the benefits found in projects using BIM outnumber the challenges, moreover the benefits found are in line with the role expected from a Project Manager, as defined in the different knowledge areas of the PMBOK.

The literature showed a need for better integration of project teams and collaboration between all parties. It also showed the need for a new way of dealing with information, moving from the document paradigm to the Project Integrated Database paradigm. The information analysed pointed in the direction that BIM could be the tool that allowed this better integration of teams and of information. The research study pursued based on that has shown that it does, with Communication and Coordination as two of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) showing more benefits due to the use of BIM in construction projects.

Paral.lel to the research question several objectives were defined, the first objective was to identify in which aspects BIM is showing more benefits for construction projects. Added to the already mentioned Communication and Coordination benefits, Cost, Time and Quality Improvement were the other three KPIs proven to have more beneficial influence from BIM in projects.

Comparing the main benefits of BIM implementation with the role of the Project Manager was the second objective of this research. The traditional Iron Triangle was used. Having Time, Cost and Quality as a major aspect in which BIM is showing positive effects, proved the relevance of BIM for PM practitioners. The study also used Atkinson’s (1999) Square Route principle and showed that BIM is clearly helping in 2 of the 4 corners of Atkinson’s concept for Project Management Success Factors.
The benefits for stakeholders and the organizational benefits were not so easy to identify. Organizational improvements were mentioned directly or indirectly in the case studies a few times and the questionnaire survey showed some respondents with opinions related to the improvement of the organization because of BIM use.

This research also aimed to define which role should the Project Manager assume within the BIM framework. Almost half of the respondents considered that the Project Manager should be BIM Proficient and 24% of them considered that the Project Manager should be in charge of overall BIM Management. The research shows that BIM is an Information Management Tool that goes way beyond its design functions. For this reason the author is pretty confident to state that it is the PM who should lead the BIM Management the same way the PM is the leader in setting up other IT systems and protocols in complex projects.

The research also showed that there are some challenges for BIM implementation. Mainly, these challenges are related to the Cost and Time needed to train staff to work efficiently with BIM.

The second challenge found was the existence of certain Software Issues that seem to not be allowing the use of BIM with all its potential. The research suggested that the PM should contribute to the solving of these issues, instead of considering the a reason not to use BIM, to be sure they address the aspects that can most benefit projects.

Despite the described challenges for BIM implementation. This research shows enough positive aspect related to the Project Management role, and it is suggested that PMs will benefit a lot from the use of this new way of working.

This dissertation also suggests that further studies should focus on how to improve BIM and aspects of BIM implementation, rather than trying to prove if BIM should be used or not. The AEC Industry needs better practices and BIM is one of them. But researchers should focus on how to make this adoption easier, more cost effective and smoother, and not waste much more brain power trying to convince those who resist change.

To see a complete list of references used for this research check this post.

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(Presentation) Using BIM as a Project Management Tool: How Can BIM improve the delivery of Complex Construction Projects?

See my Master Thesis Presentation.
Català - Castellano - Deutsch
I just presented last Monday February 7th my Master Thesis for the graduation of the Master of Engineering (M. Eng) of International Project Management in the Building Process Chain, that I have been doing for the past 18 months. The title of My Master Thesis was "Using BIM as a Project Management Tool: How Can BIM improve the delivery of Complex Construction Projects?"

My Master Thesis was awarded the highest possible mark (1.0 following the German standard) and I got very good remarks and comments from my supervisors. The MT might even get adapted and published in some scientific journal. For the time being, here I will share the slides of my presentation. You might not be able to understand everything since some slides were thought to be used just as a reference and what was relevant was what I had to say, so refer to this post that contains a summary of the Master Thesis. In any case, my presentation was recorded and I hope I will get a copy of the video file and post it later on here. Here comes the presentation.



I owe all of you who contributed to the Questionnaire Survey the sending of the summary of findings. I promise I will do that asap. Thanks again to all who helped by responding or by commenting on the topic.

To see a complete list of references used for this research check this post.

The presentation was uploaded to SlideBoom thanks to a review I read at m62. As you will see, SlideBoom allows the power point animations to be seen on the web (and it just screwed up one slide...I will try to reupload later to fix that, but for now that is what we have)

Cheers and thanks again.

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