BIM has become a byword for digital construction. Although it’s not strictly correct, as building information modelling is a relatively well-defined subset of our journey to the digital industry we must become; BIM as a term has been an incredible catalyst.
The desire and investment in digital technologies and services has improved significantly on what has always been a very low base compared to other sectors.
Read more about my views on the term BIM in this BIM+ article Dan Rossiter and I collaborated on.
Although construction sector spend on technology and R&D is still well below where most believe it should be to take full advantage of the digital world around us, this uptick in investment changes our relationship with those who provide our technology. The software providers have historically told us what was coming next and where to spend for most impact on our businesses. This relationship used to work pretty well if we’re honest; most design studios wanted to get on with designing and the quarterly meeting with their CAD reseller was more of an inconvenience than an opportunity. This was because the expected output was the same as it had been since at least the 9th Century. For more on the history of construction drawings, visit https://blog.plangrid.com/2016/04/the-history-of-blueprints/
We are quickly moving into a world where drawings are just part of the expectation, with models and structured data expected to be part of business as usual by 2020. Models won’t replace drawings anytime soon, and structured data in COBie format is our first step into a new way of sharing information for our industry. We’re not replacing everything we do, but we are adding digital deliverables to the mix without the option or appetite for increasing fees and timescales.
The best way to succeed with BIM is to adopt the tech that really helps your business deliver against requirements in an aligned way to remove the waste embedded in previous processes. Once the business case is understood and you know what you need, it’s time to really engage with the future of you chosen technology stack. One thing that is common to all of the leaders in the digital construction scene is they have built relationships with their technology providers based on a new understanding that they know what they need to achieve and are looking for people to work with, not buy from.
As an architect who crossed the divide into the technology sector and came back again, here are a few top tips to help join the crowd of tech savvy businesses already taking advantage of a new relationship with the technology partners:
1) Identify the areas you believe technology will improve your business
2) Audit your current tech stack – do you use all of those licences
3) If your software isn’t quite right, ask to speak to the Product Owner
4) Attend construction tech events to see what others are doing
5) Knee jerk changes fail, plan tech projects like construction projects.
About the author: John Adams is one of the digital construction industry’s best-known digital leaders. John made his name through his passionate advocacy of the need to digitise the way we work whilst at Viewpoint Construction Software, and through simplifying the concepts of BIM Level 2 though article and presentations around the globe.
Follow John on Twitter (@Johnad25)