Convention BIM is the standard that the industry should follow when connecting various subcontractors to carry out the same project. But in many cases, although each subcontractor has completed their actual work content, they do not follow specific work guidelines due to different work habits, which will cause certain troubles for BIM managers and project partners. However, in accordance with the specific work criteria, the subcontractor will need to make more extra efforts on the existing work habits. How to grasp the unique needs of each project and its participants, how to get through the scattered data, and how to ensure the security of information in the process of BIM are issues that every project manager needs to consider. This involves the issue of digitization and standardization. Digitization can speed up the flow of information in a project, while standardization can improve the overall efficiency of information exchange.
However, standardization is undoubtedly painful and anti-personal.
Human nature itself is pursuing self-worth. Everyone wants to create, to be different, and to be unique. There is no problem at all. But when we participate in a complete workflow, everyone becomes an unpredictable error in the workflow. Because we will name it the way we are used to, manage resources in a way we are familiar with, choose our most suitable tools, and store information in a way we trust. These personalized processing methods will eventually lead to the inclusion of each individual's personality and human error in the information flow of the entire workflow.
If you treat each complete workflow as a system, this system actually allows errors within a certain range. Therefore, when the total error caused by the personalized processing method does not exceed the maximum fault tolerance rate of the system, everything is reasonable and effective. But when one day, because of the increase in the complexity of the work process, or the diversity of personnel. The sum of these errors pass the maximum fault tolerance of this system. We will put forward some rules and restrictions to reduce these errors and let this system continue to operate. If things go on like this, this will become the standard of this system. This is actually what happened in a local standardization process.
However, we need to note that this standard is only a personalized local standard. We can't be sure if it can work with other companies in a larger workflow. With the development of the industry, directly connected companies and surrounding companies also need to join the original workflow, more and more companies are participating in cooperation, and projects are becoming more and more complex. In order to create a unified data standard and a common sharing mechanism, so as to further improve the efficiency of the entire industry, it is necessary to establish an industry-wide standardized process in the long term.
But for each of these companies, it may not allow them to maximize their benefits. It is undoubtedly painful for every company to adapt to the same industry standards. Because each company has its own particularities and local standards, adapting to industry standards will bring other costs to the company. On the one hand, this industry-standard may not be able to adapt to the particularity of the company, on the other hand, it may not be more efficient than the local standards that have been tested to be effective. In a sense, this process may be futile and wasteful.
In order to maximize the efficiency of the industry, industry standards need to be continuously revised as the industry develops. In this process, even if each company can form its own system to achieve local standardization, every cooperation means an adaptation to each other. This adaptation process will consume a lot of resources and energy. From the perspective of the industry, standardization is the only way to improve efficiency, but it is difficult for each actor to adapt.
But why? We can all see this problem, but we can't solve it? Because it is very likely…
The problem in your eyes is actually the best answer of others.
You think smoking is harmful to health. This is a problem that needs to be corrected, but smoking may be a solution for others to relieve anxiety or get inspiration. You think this is a big problem, but the other regards it as a solution to another more pressing problem.
For example, Convention BIM is difficult to implement, and everyone still works in the traditional way. For managers, the BIM model has not played its due role, and it has become an independent resource. But at the same time, for all subcontractors and construction personnel, this is the easiest solution to meet market requirements and regulations without affecting current efficiency and productivity.
For example, the BIM model is only used in the bidding and design stages, and cannot be used directly to guide the construction. Workers and engineers on the site are used to drawings. The BIM manager asked why no team directly used the BIM model to guide the construction. But the real situation is that for the constructors, a complex and complete model cannot be transmitted and used as convenient as a streamlined small drawing. Before the information exchange of the BIM model is sufficiently smooth, the construction staff cannot customize the information required at each stage for each person. In this case, neither can make concessions to productivity and the market, stop the production process to modify a mature industry system.
For another example, a full life cycle digital twin model cannot be realized. The inability to update all the data in the construction process to the model is a problem for the owner or project manager. If every change requires the design institute to update the model, it will undoubtedly lead to more resources and economic costs. Therefore, when the project is completed, the contractor delivers a lot of construction documents plus the initial BIM model created during the design phase without any updates. This is actually a common situation when the project is delivered. But we have to admit that this is also the most realistic and economical solution in the industry.
So a story about the difficulty of implement a full process BIM is being staged every day. Most people in the BIM field face various problems every day. What should I do about this problem? What about that problem? But the fact is, existence is reasonable.
Since the current working method exists, it must be reasonable. Perhaps it is the different working modes, the different production tools, or the different industry backgrounds that cause these differences. But when we don't understand, we think this is a problem.
Solutions possible
Let's return to this sentence, “The problem in your eyes is actually the best answer of others.” This does not mean that the problem in your eyes cannot be solved. First of all, what we need to understand is, what is your problem? And what is the problem that prompted others to choose their current solution? Because the choices they have made must be to solve the most important problems they face.
So, there are two ways to solve the problem in your eyes. One is to find a better solution to their original problem, so as to solve everyone's problems. Or, propose to him an equivalent alternative solution that can solve your problem. The equivalent replacement means that he can complete the switch without paying any additional cost and effort. If any extra cost and effort are required, this new solution will bring about a new problem of how to solve this part of the extra cost and effort.
If we bring it into the BIM work environment. The problem with BIM Manager is that they cannot ensure that Convention BIM is applied in every single part. For resources, 3D components, materials, LOD, all model-based information at the engineering stage, all these cannot be well standardized. But the reality may be is that different projects are subcontracted to different companies, and each company has its own set of rules. This is a set of rules that are currently very effective for their company. When BIM Manager intervenes and wants everyone to use the same set of standards and rules on this project, it must bring related problems to every participant.
So according to this logic, the two solutions I propose are:
- Try to understand the problems of each subcontracting company and the causes of their current solutions. Then help them solve the problem and propose a solution that is more suitable for multi-party cooperation for solve everyone's problems.
- To propose a new equivalent alternative solution. For example, maybe we can create an adapter. Present and embed our BIM convention as data-based rules. In order to adapt to the new rules, the subcontractor only needs to pass the adapter before delivery their work, so that the subcontracting company can keep their existing working methods and continue to move forward, while also providing BIM Manager with a result that is more in line with the overall project standards. And this did not cause more work and extra effort for both parties.
If such an adapter really exists, for now, first of all, it can convert the text rules of the BIM Convention into digital algorithm standards. On this basis, it can enable free switching between differentiated standards. For the long-term, it is possible to transfer data between different periods to adapt to the constantly updated and improved standards.
When industry participants no longer need to make extra efforts to adapt to standardization, we can finally achieve a BIM for everyone.