Project and BIM Management

What a BIM Manager does that is also Project Management

I have long wanted to write about the relation between Project Management and BIM Management. Does it make sense to separate them? I concede that in part it does, but our experience in charge of the BIM Management in many projects shows that some of the tasks that are normally included in Project Management are in fact led by the BIM Managers of the project.

I’m not complaining, I believe all of us perform those tasks willingly. It is quite another matter not having the resources to carry them out. In truth, it is more the idea that BIM should never be something that runs parallel to the project. In other words, there should not be a project and then the BIM part of that project. That the project is mostly managed using BIM is what we should be aware of and be consistent with.

Unfortunately, there are many Project Managers who are not aware of this.

So we have a project that is carried in BIM, a Project Manager, a BIM Manager… and we know the Management must assume BIM if we don’t want the project to fail or be left halfway…

What a puzzle! We must match the pieces… but before let’s reflect a bit about those BIM Management tasks.

Tasks in the limits between BIM Management and Project Management

Resource planning and economic control of the project is not included in most of our purchase orders as BIM Managers, that is for sure, but companies should always consult an internal or external BIM Manager to estimate part of the resources and timescales needed to bring a project forward on the agreed terms, with a direct consequence on costs. (I am referring to a BIM project of course, fortunately in the AECO industry it is becoming less and less necessary to adjectivise projects in this way).

In the same context, contracts must include its BIM annex, thus the participation or consultancy of a BIM Manager is absolutely essential.

In terms of risk analysis, applying BIM is itself a risk! I’m exaggerating, but I bet more than one has had to state very clear the risks involving BIM when the client is not clear about what he wants, or when the team are not properly trained or delays deciding about BIM or not BIM leading to a failure due to lack of time defining the strategy. If a Project Manager is not aware of this and goes ahead, his project will go wrong.

The BIM Manager role obviously includes the modelling plan, but this implies to be in charge of the distribution of tasks between the team members. Which in turn entails knowing the team, taking into account their capabilities, experience, leadership… It is possible that most of the deliverables are upon the BIM responsibility so the BIM Manager will assume its management along with agreed milestones and at the same time, keeping an eye to the intended scope.

On the other hand, a good implementation of BIM requires using the optimal tools for each function and normally making the most of the advantages of digitisation, a chapter not entirely widespread in the profession but quite internalized among BIM Managers. In this regard I recommend this Post of my colleague Andreu Cortada on Document Management.

Another common topic in the development of projects: resistance to change, how many times have we had to deal with teams or people who were opposed to changing the way of doing things… even more so if it is a change as radical as the use of BIM. But be careful, change is difficult for everyone, we should be empathetic about it.

I’m especially gratified to note that many BIMers are already turning their attention to the production of Technical Notes and Budgets, we are not only seaking consistency in the Models and Drawings, we want to bring that quality to the rest of the documents that define the project. We long for that total coherence of the data…

So, the role of BIM Manager involves the execution of planning, control, quality, leadership tasks… which are, after all, the great areas of Project Management.

I may have given the impression that I disdain the project itself, far from it! The importance of the project lies in the design, the calculation, the site planning, etc. Perhaps we could put it this way: architects, engineers, design, calculate, generate the project and BIM helps to make it a reality (documenting it in 2D and 3D) and to deliver it. I can’t forget to mention that BIM can also help in the design process, but we can discuss that on another occasion.

Other issues that also fall outside BIM are the general economic control, the relationship with the client, the general deadlines,… I mean, there is no doubt that BIM is not everything in the project, but if we look at the hours dedication, wouldn’t it be close to at least 80% the hours dedicated to do the project in BIM?

So Project Management is BIM Management or BIM Management is Project Management or…

I think the desirable scenario is that the Project Manager is sensitive to BIM, that if he does not know enough, he becomes aware of it and allows himself to be explained and advised. A BIM training according to his rank is highly recommended, so that Project Management and BIM Management are fully aligned and get the most out of each other.

In a bad scenario, the Project Manager may be unaware of the basic principles of BIM methodology and either be unconscious or believe that it is not important, running his project in parallel until he finds himself with a final result that is not what his client wanted.

In any case, conflicts arising from meddling between the two areas should be avoided; what should prevail is collaboration between all parties to improve the overall management of the project, whether it carries the BIM label or not.

Of course, the same person can combine BIM knowledge with specific Project Management training (a crack!). In any case, it is worth remembering that there are intermediate positions, the normally known BIM Coordinators or BIM Champions… Depending on the size and complexity of the project, these figures are essential so that BIM Management can continue to maintain the global vision of the project. BIM planning is often penalised because the BIM Manager has to solve minor issues.

One last thought to finish: Where is the PMP (Project Management Plan) of the project? A BIM project requires the writing of certain documents, among them the BEP (BIM Execution Plan), a document where all the BIM guidelines to be applied in the project are collected. In fact, even if the BEP is not required, we do it, because we know that it helps us to structure the ideas and plan the execution of the work. That is why we ask ourselves, where is the equivalent for Project Management? I know of very few cases where I have been provided with a project PMP, and the cases I have seen are usually a collection of disorganised and often unconnected information rather than a solid and useful document. Standardisation of the use of PMPs would be much appreciated.

Jedi Conclusion

To conclude I will quote a passage that made me think of BIM immediately, it is this extract from the book The Power of Myth (Interview with Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell) about the Stars Wars saga (the first release, of course):

“It’s what … (George) Lucas has dressed in modern idiom, the message that technology is not going to save us. Our computers, our tools, our machines are not enough. We have to rely on our intuition, our true being.”

So BIM alone is not enough.

We need the knowledge and magic of the BIM Manager and his team to size it, plan it, set it up, manage it and make the most of it.

… and that whole compendium of work is a big part of the project. So when you contract the BIM Management of the project, know that you are also contracting a large part of its management.

Author: Almudena Gómez