Asta PowerprojectThe power behind successful projects

5D BIM for construction project management

Efficiently gain visibility of costs at all stages and at all levels

A scalable, multi-functional costing application that lets you define the way you want to work

Extract, validate and manage quantities from an IFC modelCreate cost plans directly from the model Share and update with Asta Powerproject BIM to enable 5D process

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Asta Powerproject: The power behind successful projects

The use of 3D data in the planning mix is wellestablished and this is increasingly spreadinginto 4D, bringing 3D visualisation togetherwith scheduling. 4D planning can help toassure on-time delivery, through bettercontrol of lost time such as rework or timelost in the field due to problem resolution. Itcan help reduce errors as a more integratedview enables the impact of clashes and issuesto be seen more clearly. Potential delays canbe envisaged and their impact visualised, sothat they can be mitigated or avoided. 4Dplanning solutions are becoming moreaffordable as new tools and integrations, suchas our own Asta Powerproject BIM make thismore accessible.

But 4D is just the first challenge. Even greaterbenefits are emerging as cost information isadded into the data mix for project managers.

Breaking down the barriers to BIM adoptionWe need to continue to knock down thebarriers to BIM and deliver affordable andaccessible solutions for BIM planning and project management. We are constantlyworking with our customers to providesolutions in line with ever-changingrequirements and recently added anestimation tool, Bidcon, to our product range.This introduces effective 5D planning and 5DBIM, where cost is planned not just at theoutset but evolved, corrected and enhancedduring implementation. This creates a more

powerful integrated view and visualisation ofproject information than has ever beenpossible before.

Data is the key to the futureBIM has highlighted the vital role that shareddata can bring in driving benefits across aproject. Good project management dependson access to information, and BIM extendsthat more seamlessly to all parties in theconstruction process, helping to eliminate theinefficiencies and data silos that otherwisegrow when using disparate applications. BIMis driving change, as the need to improve andmanage information flows increases.

When project teams are more connected withinformation, smarter commercial judgmentscan be made and resourcing can be improved.Sharing data allows for visibility over a numberof projects, where resources need to bedeployed and where they are most needed.This leads to more efficient use of teams andequipment, avoids duplication and allows forgreater accuracy in planning and forecasting.

BIM is an evolution in the use of shared dataand increases accessibility to far more peoplebeyond the core project team, bringingincreased collaboration between planners,architects, surveyors and the team workinglive on the project. It demands a commondata environment, and has thus forcedstandardisation of data models through IFC,

How 5D BIM is improving construction project management

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Asta Powerproject: The power behind successful projects

and common handover file formats in the formof COBie. The potential project managementbenefits flowing from this will increasefurther as BIM evolves, driving further projectefficiencies.

5D adds the cost focus to bring immediatebusiness benefitsThe emergence of 5D planning changes theeconomy of construction projects. Where 4Dbrought 3D design and project managementtogether, 5D enables a more integratedbusiness view, which incorporates the criticalelement of cost estimation and costmanagement into the mix.

Adding the cost aspect aligns perfectly withthe goals of BIM to drive efficiency and enablesavings. Cost estimation plans created at thestart of a programme become out of date astime moves forward and changes to thosecost estimates need to be incorporated alongwith other as-built information. Without 5D Jason Ruddle, Managing Director of Elecosoft UK

cost estimators and quantity surveyorsperformed their role in some isolation fromother members of the BIM team. BIM bestpractices encourage them to become involvedat the outset of project planning – and 5Dtools now enable them to stay involved tokeep cost plans on track throughout.

Time to say yes to 5D BIMConcern about cost is still preventingcompanies from gaining the potential businessbenefits of BIM and this is one of the keybarriers we are working to bring down,through better integrated planning toolswhich can support every aspect of BIM projectmanagement. Only by sharing informationeasily and readily across projects will we allbe able to work more cohesively and achievethe kind of efficiencies 5D BIM can bring.

5D BIM promises opportunities for leaner,more profitable projects. It will help to examinedifferent cost futures alongside ‘what if’scenarios; changes will be instantly reflectedin the programme, and the cost implicationsof changes can be fully understood.Opportunities for cost-savings from ‘Just In

Time’ purchasing and the minimisation ofstorage can be explored within the realcontext of the programme plan. A fullydimensional view of cost makes moreinformed decisions and cost comparisonspossible - with the implications of cost drivenback into the actual build planning, timingand resourcing.

5D BIM is now happening and can significantlyimprove the economics of deliveringconstruction projects on time and on budget,plus help achieve a great many otherefficiencies, including helping to win business.Full costed, as well as full visualised, planswill create vastly more convincing bids thatare able to lend confidence.  

It’s time to say yes to 5D BIM.

Find out more at www.astapowerproject.com

Jason Ruddle Managing Director Elecosoft UK

Cultural change and technological innovationare axiomatic. In the built environment, BIMand ‘big data’ promise much, but they haveto overcome industry global challenges andfragmentation. At the RICS, we have recentlycommissioned a think tank report on thefuture of our profession – our Futures Report(futures@rics.org).

This report focuses on the major touch pointsof change that we believe will have asignificant impact on the surveying andrelated built and natural environmentprofessions. We have seen through this studythat our world is changing, becoming morecomplex, and that the pace of change isincreasing. Many resultant impacts are

already being felt across the sectors andmarkets in which RICS operates. Actionsidentified in this report apply not just tosurveying, but equally to those in the relateddisciplines of architecture, engineering,financial services and, increasingly, technology.

Within the context of this report, this piececonsiders global issues, how these relate tothe construction professions and why tech -nology can facilitate effective improvements.

Global challengesBusiness practices are increasingly demandingglobal rules. We have seen this in theaccounting arena, with international financialaccounting standards (IFRS), and, with 70% of

Alan Muse, Global Director of Built Environment ProfessionalGroups at the RICS provides an overview of the findings froma think tank report into BIM and ‘big data’…

BIM is a bit of a problem

EDITORIAL FEATURE

global wealth in land and property, valuation,measurement of property and ethics areprime candidates for international standards.

Uncertainty or risk, is a major drag oninvestment in construction and infrastructure.In turn, uncertainty is often caused by a lackof comparable, consistent and collaborativestandards. Hence, we are making the case,with other like-minded global bodies, for thevision of how International ConstructionMeasurement Standards (ICMS) couldappropriately connect with, and be a nextstep, of International Property MeasurementStandards (IPMS) – a current, ongoing project.ICMS will involve the collaborative develop -ment and implementation of internationallyagreed and recognised measurement standardsfor the construction and infrastructure sectors.

Currently, there is a lack of measurementstandards relevant to the constructionindustry at a global level, particularly inemerging and developing markets (whoseshare of construction will increase – seeFigure 1).

This lack of measurement standards meansthat construction projects, their inherentworks elements and the resultant assets areincomparable from one geographical marketto another.

The international measurement standardprinciples will integrate with detailedmeasurement standards in accordance withlocal market jurisdictions to ensure thestandards are adopted by practitioners(bottom up). The standards will be developedin consultation with expert, internationalpractitioners and panels, subject tointernational consultation and stakeholderreview. All this will improve certainty inconstruction and enhance project performancefor the users of the industry (see Figure 2).

Construction challengesGlobally, construction project organisationsare highly differentiated, made up of peoplefrom different disciplines and organisations,with different loyalties and priorities, fromdifferent backgrounds and cultures, in differentplaces, who join the team at different times.

Figure 1.

There are likely to be great differences inattitudes and behaviour, as well asdifferences in specialised knowledge,between architects and builders, engineersand cost consultants. Distinct sub-cultureshave their own beliefs, values, language,dress codes, expectations, codes of conduct,norms and practices.

Teamwork between parties with differingaims and interests is more difficult to achieveproductively when a gain for one party is aloss for the other. When each participantrepresents an organisation with its ownagenda, it is more important to gain anadvantage over the other party than to solvethe problems in the best interest of theproject. Economic competition predisposespeople and organisations to act in selfish,rather than cooperative ways. Indeed, from a‘radical change’ perspective it can be arguedthat where there are fundamental differencesof interest between project stakeholders(internal or external – including, for instance,groups who are totally opposed to theproject) than any claims to ‘collaboration’ aresimply a way of suppressing, containing or

co-opting conflict, by attempting to redefineit as functional, leading to consensus. Conflictmay have been discouraged, but only withincertain limits, giving an illusion of engagementwith multiple stakeholders’ views.

The problem is, biases invariably creep intoany team’s reasoning – and often dangerouslydistort its thinking. A team that has fallen inlove with its recommendation, for instance,may subconsciously dismiss evidence thatcontradicts its theories, give far too muchweight to one piece of data, or make faultycomparisons to another business case. That’swhy, with important decisions, seniormanagement and project managers need toconduct a careful review not only of thecontent of recommendations, but of therecommendation process.

Technology can help leaders examinewhether a team has explored alternativesappropriately, gathered all the right information,and used well-grounded numbers to supportits case. They also highlight considerationssuch as whether the team might be undulyinfluenced by self-interest, overconfidence, orattachment to past decisions.

Clients can build decision processes over timethat reduce the effects of biases and upgradethe quality of decisions their organisationsmake. The payoffs can be significant: AMcKinsey study of more than 1,000 businessinvestments for instance, showed that whencompanies worked to reduce the effects ofbias, they raised their returns on investmentby seven percentage points.

Technology challengesBIM is an important concern for industryprofessionals not least because of theperceived threat of technology (see Figure 3).It is evident that most professional bodies inthe built environment domain around the worldare helping their members to develop a deeper

Construction(ICMS)

Valuationand Ethics(IVS/IES)

Land(ILMS)

Property(IPMS)

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Figure 2.

understanding of BIM, with enhancements andembellishments in areas that connect with theirmembers. The message is loud and clear: BIMis here to stay – it is not a case of if, but when.

The built environment sector is striving to bea highly efficient, quality-centred, sociallyresponsible and bullish industry capable ofsuccessfully delivering the requirements ofcurrent and future generations. BIM can playa strategic role in this transformation, but itis naïve to assume that BIM alone (if at all) canmake such sweeping changes. But it is clearthat BIM, along with other complementaryparadigms such as lean principles, offsiteconstruction, integrated project delivery,sustainability and smart cities, can providethe necessary impetus.

Smart cities BIM is not limited to a single asset:it can also be used to develop an information-rich model at the district, precinct or citylevel. These models can become the foundationor digital ‘DNA’ of smart cities. Smart cities

have spatial, physical, digital, commercial andsocial dimensions.

Built environment professionals can contributethrough information-rich 3D modelling to theultimate realisation of the smart city concept.BIM for a smart city framework requires useof data standards such as CityGML, LandXMLand Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). BIMprovides one of the key pieces of informationfor the smart city concept, but it alone cannotdeliver everything. The city model needs to belinked to a variety of other data sources suchas geospatial data, sensor data, transactionaldata from citizens, and statistical data.

SynthesisHow do these challenges come together forthe RICS?

One central theme is decision-making.International standards and BIM, separatelyand jointly, improve decision-making.Standards also allow classifications to be

Arbitrators and mediators

Construction managers

Urban planners

Surveyors

Appraisers and assessors of real estate

Surveying technicians

Real estate brokers

Brokerage clerks

Cost estimators

Building inspectors

Real estate, property & community assoc. managers

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9UNLIKELY TO BE AFFECTED

Probability of professionals being affected by technology

LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED Source: Frey and Osbourne 2013

Figure 3.

developed for the productive use of technology(see Figure 4).

In addition, RICS has recently publishedresearch on the direction of BIM in globalconstruction.

Collaborative BIMCollaboration in the construction industry canhelp to align the incentives of clients andsuppliers. But even with the best will in the worldcommunication and coordination can be difficultto achieve, particularly for complex projects.

If properly designed, collaborative BIM canprovide solutions for this.

This report outlines findings from a researchproject exploring the potential and pitfalls ofcollaboration and matching these with ananalysis of BIM.

Using interviews and online surveys, novelinsights from behavioural economics andincentive theory are applied to investigations

of collaborative working and the potential ofBIM as toolkits, for improving informationflows and enabling collaborative workingpractices, particularly for lower tiers of theconstruction supply chain.

Utilisation of BIM in Construction Cost andProject Management PracticesAs the development and uptake of BIMcontinues in major construction marketsworldwide, it is imperative that constructionindustry stakeholders gain an understandingof the utilisation of BIM in construction costand project management practices. Thisknowledge will enable them to becomefamiliar with potential issues that may bothpositively and negatively affect the futureadoption of BIM and take the necessaryapproach to promote it.

With this objective in mind, the researchassesses the opportunities and challengesfacing construction professionals and thesector as a whole in the adoption of BIM inconstruction cost and project management.

Measurementstandards

Improved data

Improveddecisionmaking

Impmaeffi

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Figure 4.

Based on this it formulates best practices andrecommendations relevant to policy makers,professional bodies and practitioners whichwill help develop suitable strategies to fosterthe development of BIM in the future.

BIM and the Value DimensionBIM offers rich opportunities for propertyprofessionals to use information throughoutthe property lifecycle. However, the potentialbenefits it may have for this sector have beenlargely untapped to-date. BIM tools andprocesses were originally developed by thearchitecture, engineering and construction(AEC) sector to assist in managing design andconstruction data. As these technologies andprocesses mature and evolve, so too does theopportunity for other professional groups toutilise various types of data contained within,or linked to, BIM models.

Using feedback from workshops in Sydneyand London and a global online survey this research report identifies the data typesand needs most significant to property

professionals’ and maps these across theproperty lifecycle. It then evaluates the extentto which this data is generated in ArchitectureEngineering and Construction focused BIMdeliverables. Following on from this theresearch looks at issues around training andeducation for property professionals alongwith the ways in which BIM can be integratedinto property education.

ConclusionOne of the key future challenges highlightedfor the surveying profession is newtechnology. At the same time, this is setwithin the context of increasingly globalbusiness practices and fragmentation andlack of collaboration in construction. RICSwants to create a worldwide debate in thebuilt environment professions on how theindustry can use these challenges as agentsfor change and process improvement. Join inthe futures debate at futures@rics.org or e-mail me directly at amuse@rics.org .

Alan Muse BSc (Hons) MSc FRICSGlobal Director of Built Environment Professional GroupsRICSTel: +44 (0)24 7686 8555contactrics@rics.orgwww.rics.org/ukwww.twitter.com/RICSnews

provedarketficiency

Marketgrowth

Asta Powerproject BIM – affordable 4D planning

By combining 3D models with scheduling tools in one application, Asta Powerproject BIM enables you to:

Easily create your project plan from your modelDrag and drop objects between 3D view and Gantt chartSplit objects to better reflect build sequence with intuitive controls

View an online demo to find out more:astapowerproject.com/webinars

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Asta Powerproject: The power behind successful projects