Collaborative Decision Process

The global media frenzy has transformed all facets of our lives with near-instant speed of communication. This has greatly reduced the time to design, build, and maintain buildings. The BIM process incorporates a collaborative team decision process among stakeholders. The same technology that makes BIM possible is in-tegrated in the work flow. In 2007 when the AIA inin-tegrated IPD in their workflow/

contracts they described the effect of BIM and IDP on the building industry as:

Radically transforming the way designs are created, communicated, and con-structed BIM is not just the electronic transfer of paper documents. It greatly in-creases the ability to control and manipulate data and information in an unprec-edented way and in an interoperable format. The move from analog paper-based information to digital data parametric, model-based information has created the many opportunities to increase the quality of the work … means that the digital

6.2 Collaborative Decision Process 63 design can be used for cost estimations, simulations, scheduling, energy analysis, structural design, GIS integration, fabrication, erection, and facilities manage-ment” [1].

The creative interaction of interpersonal teamwork is now transferred to live instantaneous work through the many types of instant communication available.

Screen sharing, as used in webinars, now makes it possible for virtual meetings to be interactive.

IPD in the 1990s began to optimize project results when it became accepted as a project management model. Prior to IPD, the separation of work efforts often led to duplication of effort and project information (i.e., databases). Each team mem-ber kept his or her own copies of relevant information. Shared information was kept to a minimum. BIM, instead of apportioning blame, focuses on the benefits to be derived from collaboration.

6.2.1 Communication

Productive communication relies on the open sharing of relevant information. Test-ing lines of communication, whether data or voice, is a standard protocol. Depend-ing on project size, one or more individuals (BIM managers) will be responsible for testing and maintaining communication. Over the life cycle of the projects, this role will be passed onto the phase BIM manager. Despite industry support for open standards, some applications have not fully implemented them.

Companies use a variety of software applications using either open standards, proprietary solutions, or a combination of both. As discussed in more detail in Chapter 8, one responsibility of BIM managers is to test data exchange between ap-plications to verify data integrity. Based on their findings, protocols are established for sharing data within a firm and between project teams.

Another potential communications problem is the useful life of individual tech-nologies and disparate applications. Too often firms do not have an ongoing evalu-ation process in place for adapting their work processes to leverage the latest ver-sion of their applications. As a result, they can lose their competitive edge.

To be viable in today’s global economy and today’s increasingly challenging economy, firms need to constantly evaluate how they work. Many firms have been able to implement careful evaluation, customization, and employment of supple-mentary applications. Firms need to have methods in place that enable them to maximize their productivity using their tools without sacrificing quality.

As we saw in Chapter 3, owners and facility managers benefit most from the BIM process of planning, designing, and constructing their buildings, and the same process used to create the original buildings will be used into the future. The qual-ity standards and communication protocols developed during the original building process will set the standard for how their work will continue, albeit with newer and better data management and technologies.

6.2.2 Communication Protocols

With each project team using different applications, it is necessary to set up and test data exchange protocols for each one. Planning ahead and testing data exchange

64 CollaborationCollaboration facilitates sharing information and executing the work to meet the project goals using a BIM process, and also ensures that team members will all be able to work efficiently in sharing project information.

Communication protocols (defining actual methods and schedules of work sharing during database development) are set up at beginning of the project, when new team members are added, and during transition to subsequent overlapping phases. This need is not new, but the new technologies require different protocols.

Web-based IPC applications help to meet the needs of the digital BIM team by providing a common translator between applications as well as a single source for creating analysis documentation of some standard evaluation applications. These applications function as the database manager for projects. Virtually any applica-tion data can be imported to or exported from an IPC in some form.

Routines and protocols for sharing information are needed to ensure the cor-rect and timely flow of information and decision notification. Most projects use a different set of consultants. The task of assembling each new project team should focus on the quality of the consultant and not his or her choice in software applica-tions. Team members using open standard applications have more potential work opportunities. Open standard software will also make it easier to forward data as applications are replaced with newer ones.

BIM and the technologies it utilizes are still too new and untested for full life-cycle testing. It is too soon to know in what form contemporary companies (that may not exist in the future) will be required to leave their legacy work. For current facilities management, most buildings are small enough so that only the owner can fill that role. The database created by BIM technology needs to be kept in a format that will continue to be viable in years to come.

6.2.3 Deliverables

The format of deliverables are negotiated with the owner. For centuries, deliver-ables took the form of 2-D drawings. This continued through the transition to automated drafting. BIM deliverables now can include a BIM model. As BIM is adopted, many owners and government agencies such as the United States General Services Administration (US GSA) now require BIM deliverables. Their guidelines are available for download on their Web site [2]. The BIM deliverable for the archi-tect, a design-intent virtual model, differs from the contractor’s BIM virtual model that contains construction scheduling and costing data. An as-built BIM model contains the information that will be used by the owner and modified as the build-ing is maintained and renovated throughout the remainder of its life cycle. Ideally the BIM virtual models used in each phase evolve from the previous phase. Unfor-tunately this is not yet possible.

When setting up data exchange protocols BIM managers and their teams incor-porate the required deliverables. Figure 6.1 outlines data flow for deliverables in the firm of Pavlides Associates (see Chapter 15.) The data from the virtual model is extracted via IFC to an energy analysis program for certification. Other data is ex-tracted as spreadsheets to create building schedules. From there data is exported to their Filemaker database from which project data sheets are created in PDF format.