BIM's Role in Improving Collaboration and Communication Among Construction Stakeholders
Communicate effectively both internally and externally throughout a construction project for its success.
BIM encourages collaboration and communication by providing all stakeholders access to one model. This will reduce miscommunication and delays caused by a lack of coordination.
This study investigates organizational communication network relationships both before and after BIM usage from dimensions of social capital (SC), using Social Network Analysis (SNA). The results reveal that both bridging SC and bonding SC become stronger as a result of its implementation.
Real-time Notifications
As construction progresses, changes to building designs may arise at any point during the process and cause confusion or delays. However, with BIM, it becomes much simpler to coordinate these changes across teams and avoid potential issues, as everyone involved can access the same model and see updates immediately.
BIM makes it easier to identify errors and miscalculations as it provides data-rich functionality, enabling stakeholders to extract and analyze information from various perspectives of the building project, such as quantity take-offs, cost estimation, scheduling analysis, and performance simulations.
BIM also allows construction teams to use it for creating hazard maps and emergency response plans, which will enable workers and managers to better comprehend the safety risks involved in certain tasks and take appropriate precautions against them, helping to minimize misunderstandings and enhance overall safety performance.
Furthermore, it can be used for training purposes allowing employees to practice their skills risk-free.
Streamlining Workflows
Construction projects can be intricate affairs involving many participants working from various locations. Communicating all necessary information accurately can be challenging; BIM offers a solution by helping stakeholders collaborate on one information model to reduce communication barriers.
Additionally, it provides stakeholders with a digital version of the project they can access anytime to detect and resolve any issues that could impact construction speed and avoid potential future conflicts.
Furthermore, BIM software enables businesses to track progress status by following the installation dates of structures and systems for proactive building maintenance. This information is then integrated into the model for use by facility management teams during their planning processes.
Level 3 BIM allows collaboration throughout a built asset’s life cycle through one shared model.
Collaborative Decision-Making
Collaboration empowers project stakeholders to make more informed decisions by providing them with one central hub and shared data. It eliminates miscommunication, minimizes conflicts and inconsistencies, and ensures all parties remain on the same page.
Design teams may benefit from early contractor input in their design processes to increase construction productivity and efficiency while aligning construction activities with the original design intent.
Clash detection is another beneficial component of BIM that allows it to identify potential issues with construction projects and help avoid mistakes that cost both time and money.
Studies conducted before and after BIM use on construction projects revealed more efficient collaboration and organizational communication networks.
Differences in network metrics could be explained by social capital dimensions that link people between organizations, including inter-organizational interactions and shared understanding among members.
Streamlining Communication
A central BIM model ensures all stakeholders can easily access the same information, helping reduce miscommunications and errors. A central model also facilitates more efficient workflows; stakeholders can make changes on just one BIM model that sync seamlessly with everyone’s work, eliminating conflicts or having to redo work later.
For instance, an electrical team might not know precisely where their cables should go; by reviewing a virtual design, they can make necessary adjustments and also prefabricate parts of a building offsite, thus saving both time and money on-site.
For this to work effectively, project stakeholders need access to cloud-based BIM management software that allows all participants to view real-time models produced from BIM use in real-time, even using virtual and augmented reality for review purposes.
Communication among participants is determined by social capital (SC), including aspects like social interactions and standard cognition that form networks with both bridging and bonding connections, so SNA allows the analysis of these relationships during construction projects before and after BIM use.
With a solid foundation in technology, backed by a BIT degree, Lucas Noah has carved a niche for himself in the world of content creation and digital storytelling. Currently lending his expertise to Creative Outrank LLC and Oceana Express LLC, Lucas has become a... Read more