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Have the BIM Truth Talk with Your Boss
25 May, 2011 By: Robert GreenDespite what your management team may have heard, implementing BIM isn't cheap or easy — so set them straight as soon as possible.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, you've heard the acronym BIM (short for building information modeling) quite often. And like other buzzwords before it, such as collaboration and paradigm shift, BIM has become so overused and overhyped that the term is losing its meaning — particularly among senior managers who don't really understand the technology.
In this edition of the CAD Manager's Newsletter, I want to start an honest conversation about what BIM means from a managerial standpoint so you, the CAD manager, can understand all sides of the BIM debate. More importantly, I want to enable you to communicate with your management team clearly so that everyone knows what BIM is, what it isn't, and what to expect. Here goes.
Marketing Hype
Let's confront the irrefutable truth: Software companies want to sell you software, so they strive to create splashy advertising campaigns for their BIM products in hopes of piquing your interest. Another fact is that software companies know that CAD managers, while influential in the process, don't actually buy software — senior management teams do. Therefore, software companies create their advertising with those senior management members in mind. This is simply Marketing 101, and nobody should be surprised that it works. In fact, much of the reason that your boss is talking to you about BIM is precisely because these types of advertising campaigns are effective.
Realistic Expectations
Much of the marketing that BIM software vendors bombard us with revolves around concepts that senior management teams love, like "ease of use" and "higher productivity" — making it appear that adopting BIM will be an easy process. In reality, implementing BIM takes a substantial amount of time, money, and training, and the investment typically doesn't start returning a profit for years. Have you ever seen a BIM software ad that spells out the reality of what it'll take to get BIM working in your company's design environment? Me neither.
In that case, who will deliver the news to senior management that BIM — while a valid and worthwhile tool in the design and engineering of buildings — isn't magic, and won't be up and running in a matter of weeks? Who will establish realistic expectations about what BIM can do and how much it'll cost? The answer must be the CAD manager, simply because nobody else is qualified to do the job.
How should you begin the discussion about BIM realities and expectations? Let's start at the beginning by talking realistically about what BIM can and can't do.
Implementing BIM is stressful enough as it is — don't let unrealistic expectations among your management team make it even worse.
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