BIM Management: Blending Technology With Construction Expertise

New and innovative technology has always been pivotal in the construction industry — from simple tools like a 20-volt compact drill to data-capturing drones flying around skyscrapers. One of the most interesting examples of modern technology in the construction industry is the use of building information modeling (BIM), where modeling buildings in 3D before groundbreak allows stakeholders to virtually walk through the project, identify potential issues and best chart the path forward. 

Some firms have their own internal BIM experts — often with job titles like BIM manager — while other companies tap people in other roles to manage BIM. Whether there’s a specific team member assigned to BIM management or responsibilities get distributed, the work can make or break a project. 

As a result, any teams undertaking BIM management need clarity on what managing building information modeling means, how it applies to that specific project and how it can be leveraged for the project’s success. 

What is BIM Management?

BIM management involves overseeing and coordinating the use of building information modeling on a construction project. That means organizing and applying 3D models of the planned building to help guide everyone — from owners to trade partners — along the path forward. 

Starting With BIM

To best understand what BIM management entails, it’s useful to frame up this part of the construction world. 

First, we should clarify some terms. People often use BIM as a verb, but it’s also a noun: the building information model is an object that multiple stakeholders can see and use. It’s the content created through the process of modeling. 

The relevant verb here is virtual design and construction (VDC). This is the application of putting those models together, analyzing them for clash and constructability. Essentially, the work of VDC means using tech platforms to see what the building looks like prior to construction. 

VDC is the action that delivers the BIM, which serves up significant benefits. In the digital realm, it’s far easier and less costly to make changes. If those changes are discovered in the field, pivoting requires a much bigger lift in terms of personnel, resources and time.

Take, for example, a window. If coordination efforts reveal that electrical needs to run through the wall where the window was planned, the person handling BIM management could move the window over in the model. With proper systems in place, that would update the corresponding 2D drawings that stakeholders will use and notify them of the change. If this all happens before installation, the change could take just minutes. 

Even if construction hasn’t started, companies still see efficiency gains with BIM. With a 3D model, when the change gets made in the model, all of the relevant plan sheets are updated. Without the BIM, all of those individual files may need to be updated manually. 

Managing BIM

Because BIM usage delivers gains for firms, many have been hiring for BIM/VDC management roles for a decade or longer. Usually, you’ll see large general contracting (GC) companies and established trade partners with a dedicated BIM manager. This role can be particularly useful to pull all the pieces together in design-build-bid (DBB) projects, when different parties own different parts of the project delivery process. 

Owners are less likely to have someone on payroll with a BIM/VDC management job title, although you might find someone in a preconstruction or design manager role who’s responsible for overseeing the BIM model. 

Even when the company doesn’t have a dedicated BIM role, they may have team members assigned to oversee the 3D model. That model and its resulting responsibilities don’t live in a silo. Coordination is a big part of BIM management. As trade partners submit their portion of the model to the GC, for example, whoever is responsible for BIM management at the GC is the one responsible for integrating those data points into the overall model.

This is not to say that the project then moves forward using the BIM model as the single source of truth. Instead, it serves as the backbone from which 2D drawings get pulled. Slicing up the BIM model to the appropriate level of detail enables the generation of the drawings needed for the contract, permitting and more.

The Ripple-Out Effect of BIM Management

BIM management is a two-pronged role. The first prong is obvious: the person or team tasked with BIM management handles that company’s building information model for any projects on which they’re working. They’re responsible for building the model from scratch or putting the model together with data from various sources, depending on the project. 

The second prong is just as important, although it might not seem as visible at first glance. A huge part of BIM management is facilitating meetings with trade partners, design consultants and other stakeholders. The bulk of this work needs to happen prior to installation activities. 

In some ways, then, BIM management is similar to project management in that it organizes and orchestrates efforts to help the project move forward. However, unlike project management, which oversees the project in its entirety, BIM management focuses on building information models and everything related to them. 

Common BIM Management Tasks

The responsibilities required for BIM/VDC management vary from project to project. The person or team overseeing the project’s BIM could be in the office or in the field doing any of the following:

• Running coordination
• Checking in with the project team
• Getting notified of and sending out notifications about project updates (e.g., email updates)
• Prepping for and running coordination meetings
• Reviewing and updating the model with the latest files
• Communicating with the coordination team and external trade partners
• Running clash tests and updating the list of issues
• Writing requests for information (RFI)
• Reviewing submittals and drawings
• Walking the jobsite

BIM management usually requires the heaviest lift in the preconstruction phase, but the responsibilities here doesn’t end at groundbreak. BIM management needs to stay ahead of the construction schedule so the building information model can be used to try to alleviate issues before they hit the field — and become more expensive. 

Building Stronger BIM Management Skills

As companies increasingly dole out BIM-focused job responsibilities, individuals already working in the construction space benefit from getting their feet wet with BIM.

Here are a few ideas to build the BIM skillset.

• Get familiar with the required tools.

  Dabbling in widely used 3D modeling tools like Revit and Navisworks provides a better understanding of the hard skills side of BIM management. For example, most solutions have ways to create content (e.g., wall types, door types, air handling equipment) that can be reused from model to model. In fact, some manufacturers will publish content on their products that can be pulled in when working with building information models. Building familiarity with these features can make it easier to scale up in BIM proficiency.

• Build overall construction expertise.

  A good understanding of the construction process also helps lay the foundation for successfully leveraging BIM on a project. Technical expertise often isn’t enough. Walking the jobsite, asking questions and learning as much as possible about how a building comes together makes it easier to understand how the model relates to the real world.

• Work on soft skills.

  Communication and coordination are huge aspects of successful BIM management. Courses like Toastmasters help to build confidence with public speaking and commanding a room. Learning to understand and manage people and personalities makes it easier to get everyone on the same page so that the model can be as accurate and useful as possible.

• Explore new technology.

  Many BIM pros have their hands in other construction tech areas, like reality capture, drones and 360-degree photography. Researching and understanding the latest tech can help people interested in BIM stay ahead of the curve.

When all of this comes together to result in successful BIM management on a project, that person can look at the completed building with an immense sense of pride, knowing they played a critical part in bringing that structure to life.  

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