The three most important aspects of a successful BIM Execution Planning process: PLANNING, SCOPING, and VERIFYING. Each one of these is essential for teams to be able to collaborate efficiently and produce accurate deliverables that meet the project requirements.
In this blog post, I will discuss each of these components in more detail and explain how they work together to create a successful BIM Execution Plan 👍
1) PLANNING: Who will be involved, and how will they contribute?
Hopefully, you already know that a BIM Execution Plan, or BEP, is a crucial document/resource for any successful BIM project.
READ THIS IF YOU DON’T: THE TOP 5 REASONS YOU NEED A BIM EXECUTION PLAN (BEP) 👈
Among other things, the BEP outlines your project’s who, what, and when – ensuring that all team members are on the same page and know what is expected of them.
The first step in delivering a successful BIM project is PLANNING.
You need to define who will be involved in the project and what role they will play.
This includes identifying the Owner, Design Team(s), Contractor(s), and other key stakeholders.
Once you have determined who will be involved, you need to establish how the team will communicate and collaborate.
You and the rest of the team need to agree on the processes and standards that will be used.
This is important so that everyone can work together using a similar approach.
This may include setting up a Common Data Environment (CDE) or establishing a BIM protocol.
The goal is to ensure that everyone knows how they can contribute to the project and what they need to do to deliver the final product.
Plannerly’s Plan module is the perfect tool for this as it allows you to build all the BEP sections from free templates and agree on all the processes that need to be followed.
2) SCOPING: What needs to be done, by whom and when?
The second essential component of a successful BIM Execution Plan is SCOPING!
Scoping involves determining precisely what needs to be done and by whom for the project to succeed.
This includes developing a clear understanding of the model and information requirements of the project.
This can be included in a responsibility matrix or LOD table – sometimes known as a Model Progression Specification (MPS).
The matrix/table outlines the work that needs to be done and by whom at each stage of the project.
What systems and elements are expected? To what detail/development/definition? When do they need to be delivered? At what project Phase or Stage?
The answers to these questions will help you develop a clear scope of work for the project.
This will ensure that everyone involved in the project knows what needs to be delivered and when it is due.
The responsibility matrix/LOD table will also help to avoid scope creep by clearly defining the deliverables for each team member.
A BEP should also include project Milestones and schedule as part of the scope.
Plannerly’s scope module allows you to easily create a responsibility matrix/LOD table and the timeline for your project, along with tracking the status of these deliverables.
3) VERIFYING: How do you keep the BEP live and collaborative?
The third and final essential component of a successful BIM Execution Plan is VERIFYING.
This involves putting in place the systems and processes used for monitoring, tracking progress, managing changes, and verifying deliverables.
This will help to identify any issues or risks early on and allow you to take corrective action if necessary.
It is important to remember that a BIM Execution Plan is a living document that should be reviewed and updated regularly.
As the project progresses, new information will be generated, and the scope may change.
Without keeping the Plan and Scope live, the project team will file them away and only refer to them if something goes wrong.
Chances are much higher that something will go wrong if the plan and scope are not used!
Plannerly’s Verify module is the perfect tool for this as it allows you to track and monitor all of the deliverables in your BIM Execution Plan and ensure that they meet the contracted requirements!
Conclusion
When it comes to delivering a successful BIM project, having a well-defined BIM Execution Plan is essential. The BEP outlines who will be involved in the project, what needs to be done, and when it is due.
The best way to create a successful BIM Execution Plan is with Plannerly 😃 It’s a set of online planning, scoping, and verification tools that make creating and managing your BEP workflow easy. With Plannerly, you can define roles and responsibilities, assign tasks, track progress, and even automatically check the models against your requirements!
Sign up for free today and see for yourself how easy it is!
Bonus Resources 🎉
Here are some additional items that I think you’ll find valuable:
- a video 🎥 that covers the complete BIM management workflow
- some good reads!
- some typical questions I get asked about BIM, as well as my best-attempted answers
I hope they’re useful! 🙏
1) The Complete BIM Management Workflow
First, here’s a video showing The Complete BIM Management Workflow:
2) Good Reads
ISO 19650 templates to boost your BIM compliance (templates for OIR, EIR, BEP, AIR and more)
3) Questions I Often Get Asked
I have also tried to summarize some answers to the most common questions that I get asked about this subject – I hope you can use them too:
What is a BIM Execution Plan BEP?
A BIM Execution Plan BEP is a document/resource that outlines the processes and requirements for delivering information successfully on a BIM project.
What needs to be included in a BIM Execution Plan?
A BIM Execution Plan should answer the following questions for a project: Why? What? When? Who? How? This can include standards, production methods, procedures, scope of work, communication protocols, management plans, clash detection processes, software lists, responsibility matrix/LOD table, project milestones, schedule, coordination meetings, model sharing, field verification process, submittals, quality control plans, staffing requirements, training requirements, and change management plan.
How can I keep my BIM Execution Plan live and collaborative?
A BIM Execution Plan should be reviewed and updated regularly as the project progresses. The best way to do this is with Plannerly which allows you to generate plans and scopes as PDF contracts with eSignatures but also keep the BEP live online to track and monitor all of the deliverables in your BIM Execution Plan BEP.
What is the best way to create a successful BIM Execution Plan?
Obviously, the best way to create a successful BIM Execution Plan is with Plannerly’s online planning, scoping, and verification tools 👌 With Plannerly, you can define roles and responsibilities, assign tasks, track progress, and even automatically check the models against your requirements!
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