Creating an Effective BIM Execution Plan

A BIM Execution Plan (BEP), also known as a BIM Implementation Plan, is a detailed document that helps establish a more collaborative and efficient project delivery process. A well-crafted BEP outlines the strategies, processes, responsibilities, and standards for implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) in a construction project.

BEP is especially useful when dealing with complex and large projects. UK BIM consultants create it before any physical activities begin on any construction project.  

What is a BIM Execution Plan?

Jimi Clarke — the founder of DDC, one of the most sought-after BIM consultants in the UK, and a major force behind BIM development—defines BEP as:  

“BEP is an important document which ensures successful collaboration and project delivery in BIM projects. A well-crafted and thorough BEP formulates how project teams will work together, specifying what information will be produced, when, by whom, and how it will be used. The BEP includes defining roles and responsibilities, such as the Information Manager, and addresses coordination, standards, and processes required to meet the client’s objectives and project requirements​​​​.” 

By outlining clear roles and responsibilities for all those involved in the project and empowering teams with real-time communication, BEP acts as a pillar that keeps all activities synchronized. Thus, BEP ensures project timelines and construction activities stay on track. If you face tight deadlines from your clients, you must get BEP first to ensure seamless collaboration for efficient project delivery. Likewise, a thoughtful BEP keeps unwanted delays at bay by ensuring no last-minute change orders.  

AEC Firms & Their Need for Thoughtful BIM Execution Plan

BIM is complex as it entails the generation and management of digital information, both physical and functional characteristics, and buildings and other physical assets. And when it comes to large projects, tons of tons of information are exchanged between different teams and stakeholders. So, communication becomes key, and it becomes a necessity to ensure what information will be produced, when it will be produced, by whom it will be produced, and how the same will be used. So, AEC firms dealing in large projects need BEP for

• Improved Coordination and Collaboration
• Risk Reduction
• Enhanced Project Outcomes

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating BIM Execution Plan

You should keep the following elements in mind when creating a BIM Execution Plan:

Define Project Objectives and Scope through EIR

A detailed BEP will define project objectives and scope through a document called Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR). The said document outlines standards, processes, and deliverables a client expects vis-à-vis their business objectives. So, an EIR forms the foundation on which you’ll build BEP as it will serve as a guide about client’s expectations from the BIM processes.

EIR entails the following:

• Business objectives of the clients
• Data requirements of the clients

Once you have created a strong foundation through EIR, you can easily develop BEP. BEP will outline the standard practices and procedures you will deploy to meet requirements enshrined in EIR. BEP will include the following:

• Project Goals: Clear objectives aligned with the EIR. 
• Roles and Responsibilities: Detailed descriptions of each team member’s role and responsibilities. 
• Workflow Processes: Defined processes for collaboration, data exchange, and project management. 

Set Up Standards and Protocols for Naming Conventions & Geo-coordination

The process of setting up standards and protocols begins with naming conventions. A consistent naming convention system helps you avoid confusion, and costly errors and delays. Likewise, a well-placed naming convention system helps all teams to identify and manage files with utmost ease. To ace the naming convention element of BEP, keep these things in mind:

• Consistent: Follow a predefined format to ensure clarity. 
• Descriptive: Include essential information such as project name, date, and version number.

Likewise, you should put equal emphasis, if not more, on Geo-coordination to ensure all models align perfectly and, above all, correctly within the project’s geographical context. To ensure this, you should determine a fixed point in the model that all other elements reference.

The second phase of geo-coordination is alignment. It’s the practice that ensures models from architecture, engineering, design, and all other disciplines align perfectly. This seamless alignment helps you prevent costly clashes and inaccuracies. Likewise, it helps you avoid delays, ensuring you always stay on timelines.

Establish Responsibilities

Did you remember one of the most important components of a thoughtful and detailed BEP is defining clear BIM roles and responsibilities? Well, this is done through “responsibility matrix”. It outlines who is responsible for each model element and its associated data at different project stages. Likewise, you should appoint a seasoned information manager to oversee the data flow throughout the project lifecycle. A seasoned professional will do stringent data validation to ensure all data meets requirements and standards while overseeing and managing the exchange of information between different teams.

Validation and Quality Control

Another key component of a comprehensive BEP is the checklist for model validation. Such checklists ensure consistency throughout the BIM process and project lifecycle. Just like the BEP, the checklist should be meticulously detailed so that it is able to cover various aspects of model’s

• Geometric Accuracy
• Data Integrity
• Compliance

*Pro-tip: Regularly validate models to ensure they meet the requirements of each project stage.  

To ensure such stringent validation, you must adopt a proactive approach to BIM clash detection to timely identify and resolve conflicts between different models early in the design stage.  

Training and Support

As BIM is relatively new, clients often find themselves in situations where they need quick and comprehensive training for their teams to ensure successful BIM implementation; the same is an integral component of any successful BEP. When crafting a BIM training part of BEP, you need to ensure that it covers software proficiency, enabling the novice team members to efficiently and confidently use different BIM software such as Revit.  

Likewise, the BEP should outline a detailed plan to educate your client’s team members on the project’s processes vis-à-vis their specific roles.  

Just as much as training is essential, so is providing adequate support, both in-house and external. It will help you mitigate any or all issues that will arise during the whole project lifecycle.  

Continuous Improvement

Another key component to any successful BEP is the practice of incorporating feedback from project stages. Doing so will help you further improve the BIM Execution Plan and related processes. So, you should regularly conduct periodic reviews to highlight areas that need improvement. Likewise, you should actively seek feedback from all the team members on what’s working well for them and what can be improved.

Lastly, you should be flexible and prepared to adapt the BEP as the project progresses. New challenges and requirements will emerge adaptability will allow you to optimize your BIM processes and resolve issues proactively.

Here at DDC Solutions, we have created BEP for projects of all sizes. Our UK-based BIM consultants bring decades of expertise to your projects. Likewise, our team is equipped with the latest tools and software, making our BIM consultancy services cost-efficient. We are less focused on BIM acronyms and more on making your projects efficient vis-à-vis cost and time. To learn more, book your free consultation today!